Join the Huntington Historical Society for an Old Burying Ground walking tour oOldn Saturday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. Established soon after the Town’s 1653 founding, Huntington’s earliest public burying ground features stunning folk art and beautiful epitaphs honoring Huntington’s residents and rich history. Tour begins at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main St., Huntington. Tickets are $15 adults, $5 children. For reservations, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
Community members enjoyed a blast to the past during the annual Country Fair hosted by the Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society Oct. 15-16.
The program was held at the historical society’s c. 1720 headquarters, located within the area’s historic district on North Country Road. Outside, live music played as the society’s volunteers educated the crowds of spectators.
In a vivid recreation of an era without running water or electricity, some prepared baked goods and stews over an open flame, offering spectators a taste of history. Others brought out toy sets, reliving the pastimes of their local forebears.
Antoinette Donato, vice president of MPMSHS, was overjoyed by the number of community members who turned out throughout the day. She described the event’s purpose and its place in honoring the region’s history.
“We share a step back in time with the community,” she said. “We have demonstrators who demonstrate old crafts from years and years ago that no longer exist. We have our barn open, which is full of historical artifacts.” She added, “We feel it’s really important to share this experience with the community. It’s an opportunity to share what early America was like.”
Mark Sternberg, a local historian who specializes in the American Revolution, was among those who joined the festivities. In an interview, Sternberg shared the unique place Miller Place occupied during the Revolutionary War.
“There were patriots here, loyalists here, but there is definitely a huge amount of Revolutionary War history here,” he said.
At this historic site in Miller Place, Sternberg described the experience of being transported through time. He emphasized the need to preserve historical artifacts and structures, and celebrate local customs — all a function of the historical society.
“It’s tough when you don’t have a touch point,” Sternberg said. “The saving of these historic structures is one key way of connecting to history, giving people an idea of imagining the event happening there.”
He added, “What’s great about this area is a lot of these houses are exactly where they were initially, so you can also position the whole landscape as tying into how you would imagine that place being throughout history.”
Donato believes that events such as these keep local history alive, making it engaging and entertaining for the next generation. She also stated that there is no substitute for the immersive experience offered through the fair.
“You can read about it in a book, look it up on Facebook and Google it, but there is nothing like coming here and seeing it in person,” she said.
Portraits of Mrs. Nancy Williamson Smith and her husband Captain Jonas Smith by William Sidney Mount,1836
By Tara Mae
An opportunity to own priceless art is a chance to be part of living history. It does not come without a cost, but it can be worth the expenditure. On Saturday, Oct. 22, starting at noon, South Bay Auctions of East Moriches will offer such a possibility when it auctions off portraits of Captain Jonas Smith and his wife Nancy Williamson Smith of Stony Brook by local 19th century artist William Sidney Mount.
Portrait of Captain Jonas Smith
“Mount is significant to both art and local history. It is not often that his paintings come up for auction,” said Joshua Ruff, Co-Executive Director of the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook which has the largest collection of Mount’s paintings, drawings, correspondence, and archives.
Primarily known for his genre paintings, Mount was born in Setauket in 1807 and spent many years living in Stony Brook in between and after brief periods in New York City. He painted the places and people he knew, frequently of the Three Villages. Initially drawn to history painting, which he greatly admired, Mount’s portraiture was not born of his inherent interest in the material but rather a timeless dilemma for so many artists: his other work was not selling and Mount needed to earn a living.
Mount’s first portrait subjects were easily acquired; he initially painted himself and close relatives before offering his services to a better paying public. Among his early patrons were members of the Weeks, Mills, Strong, and Smith families, all of whom have prominent ties to the Three Villages.
Captain Jonas Smith and his wife Nancy Williamson Smith were particularly lucrative commissions. Captain Smith, who owned and operated a fleet of merchant ships that sailed internationally, is considered to be Long Island’s first self-made millionaire.
Their oil portraits were most likely done in Mount’s studio, according to Jean-Paul Napoli, Co-Owner and President of South Bay Auctions. Mount apparently charged Captain Smith $70 for the pair in 1836, the equivalent of about $2000 today, when adjusted for inflation.
Portrait of Mrs. Nancy Williamson Smith
Privately owned, the portraits were obtained by the auction house from a collector who had moved from Long Island to Boston. “The owner felt they should be offered on Long Island where they originated,” said Napoli.
Also up for auction is two portraits by Mount’s brother Shepard Alonzo Mount; a painting of Port Jefferson Harbor by William Moore Davis; two lithographs by Stow Wengenroth; a recently uncovered oil painting by Robert Motherwell; and works by Whitney M. Hubbard, Caroline Bell, Julia Wickham, William Steeple Davis and Joseph Hartranft.
The artwork is available for viewing at no charge from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 21 and by appointment. “I think this auction has a nice collection of fine art from Long Island and New York artists. Even if you are not interested in acquiring anything, it is an opportunity to see works that will in most cases not be in the public eye after the sale,” Napoli added.
South Bay Auctions is located at 485 Montauk Highway, East Moriches. Participants in the auction may bid in person or live online at www.Invaluable.com and www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bidding is also available. For more information, call 631-878-2909.
Did you know? The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook offers tours of its state-of-the art Carriage Museum every Friday in October from 1 to 3 p.m. Visit eight galleries that tell the story of transportation before the automobile. Free with museum admission. Questions? Call 631-751-0066.
Tickets are on sale now for the Three Village Historical Society’s annual 28th annual Spirits Tour on Saturday, Oct. 22 (rain date Oct. 29). Guests will be guided to 10 locations in two of Setauket’s historic cemeteries — Caroline Episcopal Church of Setauket and the Setauket Presbyterian Church Cemetery — to walk-in on conversations between Spies of the American Revolution, Known and Unknown. To reserve your spot, visit www.tvhs.org. For more information, call 631-751-3730.
Idle Hour, the mansion and estate of William Kissam Vanderbilt
(1849-1920), which became Dowling College in 1968
Vanderbilt Museum Archives photo
Gift is Significant Part of Dowling College’s Special Collection
The Suffolk County VanderbiltMuseum has received the largest donation of archival materials since its inception in 1950. The gift, donated by the Friends of Connetquot River State Park Preserve, includes materials from the former Dowling College and Vanderbilt Historical Society collections, comprising photographs, maps, and written correspondence. The donation marks a significant moment in the broader historical community’s efforts to preserve and promote the heritage of the region.
This donation will aid researchers and historians in forming an understanding of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Long Island, and it will greatly augment the kinds of programming that can be offered by the Vanderbilt, Suffolk County’s first museum and public park.
Paul Rubery, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the VanderbiltMuseum, and Janet Soley, President of the Friends of Connetquot, worked alongside New York State and Suffolk County officials to determine the best way to preserve the content of these archives for future generations. They established that, because the VanderbiltMuseum aims to interpret the totality of the Vanderbilt family’s contributions to the development of Long Island, Centerport would be the ideal resting place for the wide-ranging collections.
All items donated by the Friends of Connetquot are now being processed and digitized by staff at the VanderbiltMuseum. These measures put to rest what some once regarded as the uncertain fate and future of a vast collection of historical materials assembled in Oakdale by local historians and academic archivists.
Dowling College Materials
Dowling College was established in 1968 at Idle Hour, the former mansionand 900-acre estate built in 1900 for William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849-1920). Vanderbilt was the father of William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944), who created the Eagle’s Nest estate, home of the Suffolk County VanderbiltMuseum.
Dowling College’s paper records were in jeopardy when the school ceased operations in 2016. Nearly a year later, its administrative and collegiate archives were transferred to Adelphi College, the college’s former parent institution. This arrangement spoke to Adelphi’s mission and directly benefited the wide network of Dowling alumni in the region. However, certain items were not covered in the original agreement between Adelphi and RSR Consulting, LLC—the company charged with liquidating assets in the bankruptcy proceedings—and those materials were folded into the listing placed up for bankruptcy auction.
The bankruptcy sale of Dowling’s assets was complicated by false starts and unrealized transactions. After the initial deal with Princeton Educational Center failed to transpire, Mercury International, LLC, acquired the property in 2017 for $26.1 million. During Mercury’s ownership, a representative from that company offered boxed materials in good condition to the Friends of Connetquot. For Mercury, the campus property and outbuildings were the primary concern, not the papers still left in many areas of the campus. Mercury ceased ownership of the property in December 2021, when the Chinese state-owned enterprise China Orient Asset Management purchased a majority stake in their parent company for $42 million.
The items given to the Friends of Connetquot—and now, through their donation, to the Suffolk County VanderbiltMuseum—include the Muriel Vanderbilt, National Dairy, and Peace Haven collections.
Additional Material
Additional sections of the archives donated by Friends of Connetquot were acquired by that organization at auction. The Friends of Connetquot is dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and history of the 3,473-acre State Park Preserve, with the legacy of the South Side Sportsmen’s Club as their primary focus. The Sportsmen’s Club was among the elite social clubs of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, claiming presidents and titans of business among its membership.
Below are brief descriptions of the collections donated to the Suffolk County VanderbiltMuseum by the Friends of Connetquot River State Park Preserve. To increase access to public history and stimulate interest in Long Island’s heritage, the VanderbiltMuseum will make them available online in the coming months.
Muriel Vanderbilt Collection: Muriel Vanderbilt was the daughter of William Kissam Vanderbilt II and Virginia Graham Fair. She was an American socialite and an accomplished breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
The Muriel Vanderbilt collection contains personal photographs and other materials that she donated to Dowling College in 1970. Some collection highlights include wedding and engagement photographs, in which Muriel wears the bridal veil of Marie Antoinette; extensive documentation of horse stables and rodeos; images of family members; and architectural photography of breathtaking estates.
Above, the stage at Peace Haven, one of the uses of the Idle Hour estate before it became Dowling College. Vanderbilt Museum Archives photo
Peace Haven Cult: The collection associated with the Peace Haven Cult is among the most unique archives on Long Island. In 1937, a group called the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians purchased William Kissam Vanderbilt’s Idle Hour and renamed it “Peace Haven.” Founded by James Bernard Schafer, a doctor from North Dakota, the Master Metaphysicians integrated behaviorist psychology, Christian spiritualism, and mediative techniques to achieve certain personal goals. The cult caught the attention of the international press during the custody proceedings over “Baby Jean.”
“Baby Jean” was central to the cult’s ambitions. The Master Metaphysicians informally adopted “Baby Jean” from her mother, a local waitress, and placed her at the center of a grand metaphysical experiment. Schafer maintained that he could give the child eternal life with an exclusively plant-based diet and protection from negative stimuli. The Master Metaphysicians returned “Baby Jean” to her birth parents after less than a year, and her mother eventually filed a legal suit against the cult.
National Dairy Collection: After serving as the headquarters for the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians, the Idle Hour estate was acquired by National Dairy Research Labs. National Dairy, which would eventually become Kraft Foods, purchased the estate’s mansion, carriage house, and twenty-three acres of land in 1947. The collection features photographs of the interior and exterior of the buildings at the time of sale, extensive documentation of the newly created research laboratories, and some press materials.
Bronco Charlie’s Collection: Bronco Charlie’s was a family restaurant located in Oakdale. Its owner, “Bronco” Charlie Miller, was a revered storyteller who claimed that he was the youngest ever rider on the Pony Express. Although many of his stories were undoubtedly fanciful, his tremendous life was chronicled in a range of print media. Highlights from the Bronco Charlie Collection include plates, menus, photographs, and correspondence.
Artists’ Colony Collection: Founded in 1926 on the grounds of the William Kissam Vanderbilt I’s summer estate, the Idle Hour Artists’ Colony was inspired by other prominent cultural communities like Yaddo, McDowell, and the Barbizon. Lucy Thompson, a socialite and the wife of a wealthy oil merchant from Texas, purchased the property and renovated its stables and outbuildings to accommodate a theater, restaurant, and artist studios. Highlights from the Artists’ Colony Collection include a map of the colony, real estate listings from the 1920s, and a watercolor from one of the original artists.
The Port Jefferson post office, west side of Main Street, today the site of The Pie pizzeria, is decorated for Old Home Week. Postmaster John M. Brown is pictured on the right. Photo courtesy the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive
Port Jefferson’s first post office, known as “Satucket,” was established in 1801 with Zachariah Hawkins as its postmaster.
About 1806-7, Hawkins moved from Setauket to Port Jefferson, settling near the southeast corner of Myrtle Avenue and Main Street in a building that was to be his house and store, as well as the post office. The site is now occupied by Infant Jesus Roman Catholic Church. By 1811, the “Satucket” post office had been renamed “Drown Meadow.”
Archival records do not indicate where the village’s post office was located when Port Jefferson’s second postmaster, dock owner and merchant James R. Davis, held the position, but “Drown Meadow” was changed to “Port Jefferson” in 1836 during his tenure.
The site of the post office is also not identified in government files relating to the administration of the village’s third postmaster, shipbuilder John R. Mather, but during the early 1800s post offices often operated out of local businesses and private homes.
With the 1845 appointment of Henry K. Townsend as the village’s fourth postmaster, Port Jefferson’s post office was based in the Townsend House at Hotel Square, the intersection of today’s Main and East Main streets.
The dwelling on the right once served as the house and store of Port Jefferson’s first postmaster, Zachariah Hawkins, as well as the post office. Located on the southeast corner of Myrtle Avenue and Main Street, the building was moved to allow for the construction of Infant Jesus R.C. Church. The Catholic rectory is on the left. Photo courtesy the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive
After being named postmaster in 1861, Holmes W. Swezey established a post office in his Main Street drugstore, today the home of Billie’s 1890 Saloon.
When Civil War veteran George W. Kinner became postmaster in 1866, he set up headquarters in a small building approximately where Kate and Hale’s clothing store now stands at 227 Main St., but later worked out of the front room of his Main Street home near Wynne Lane.
Following Sidney S. Norton’s appointment as Port Jefferson’s eighth postmaster, the post office opened in a building at a site currently occupied by The Pie pizzeria at 216 Main St., remaining there through a series of postmasters.
In December 1911, during John M. Brown’s term as postmaster, the village’s post office began operations on the ground level of the brick, brand-new Port Jefferson Post Office Building, now Regency Condo at 202 Main St.
After a ferocious fire gutted the Post Office Building in winter 1948, postmaster John J. Cassidy established emergency quarters in the Odd Fellows Hall on East Main Street. The post office then moved to American Legion Wilson Ritch Post on East Main Street, remaining there until summer 1948 when it returned to its old location at 202 Main.
Under the supervision of postmaster Donald W. Floyd, the present Port Jefferson post office opened on Nov. 29, 1965, in the Sil-Flo Building at 407 E. Main St., one of a succession of locations in downtown Port Jefferson that have ably served customers for over 200 years.
Kenneth Brady has served as the Port Jefferson Village Historian and president of the Port Jefferson Conservancy, as well as on the boards of the Suffolk County Historical Society, Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and Port Jefferson Historical Society. He is a longtime resident of Port Jefferson.
Beneath the morning sun and chilled by a light breeze of the early fall, a crowd of spectators gathered on East Broadway outside the Village Center for this year’s Port Jeff Hill Climb on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Among others, dozens of vintage automobiles, sports cars, racers, trucks and utility vehicles converged on Harborfront Park to join the spectacle. Mayor Margot Garant, the emcee, kept the crowd awake as she sent the cars jetting up the hill.
“For the last four hill climb events, I have been the announcer or the emcee,” she said. “I always appreciate a really nice looking car. … These are beautiful vehicles, and I can’t help but appreciate the time and care that has gone into them.”
Port Jefferson Harbor Education & Arts Conservancy, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Village Center, sponsored the event. Bob Laravie, a conservancy board member, was involved in the planning. He said that to recruit so many novelty car owners to the village, he joined several Long Island car clubs, circulated promotional information online and even wrote to museums.
“People like the event because you get to do something with your car, other than just sitting in the vehicle or talking about it,” he said. “You get your little glory moment while going up the hill.”
Laravie got a glory moment of his own Saturday, ascending the hill in a tribute electric race car he constructed himself. Built in 2015, Laravie recreated the 1903 Baker Torpedo Kid with a modern twist.
“It maintains all of the dimensions of the original car, but it’s all modern components inside,” he said. “So it’s internally modern, externally pretty close to the shape and form of the original car.”
The Port Jeff Hill Climb is a local tradition dating to the early 1900s. Now, auto racers and car enthusiasts get an opportunity to reimagine and reenact the village’s primordial races from a century ago.
Village historian Chris Ryon was among the many onlookers lining the street. He explained this event’s place within the local history. “In 1909, 1911 and 1924, they raced cars up this hill,” he said. “In fact, my grandfather raced cars up this hill.”
At the time, there was great automotive diversity, with cars varying widely between models. While hill climbing is among the earliest motorsport traditions, it also performed a valuable function for auto manufacturers.
“Back then, there were a lot of different kinds of cars, different kinds of engines and different shops,” Ryon said, adding that hill climbs helped to demonstrate a particular car’s strength and endurance. “Manufacturers were trying to prove what their car was worth, and how well it could climb up a hill for instance.” The village historian expressed elation at seeing an activity his grandfather participated in being reproduced for a contemporary audience.
Betty Ann Marangiello, a conservancy member since the program’s founding in 2005, described how this local tradition brings community members together while advancing the conservancy’s organizational ends.
“To me, it’s an exciting thing to watch these cars make it up and come down that hill,” she said. “It’s amazing what the community does for us and what we can do for the community.”
Making this event possible were the coordinated efforts of several code enforcement officers. Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden, who assisted Garant in officiating the event, discussed the complicated juggling act that the code department managed by blocking off streets and directing traffic throughout the morning.
“Whenever we need them for an event, we’ll have a meeting ahead of time to make sure the event organizer and code are on the same page,” she said. “This one was particularly difficult, but they handled it beautifully and seamlessly.”
Snaden also spoke about celebrating local history, arguing that these traditions connect community members to their past, keeping their heritage alive. “One of the great things about this village is our tradition,” the deputy mayor said. “It’s a great event. It’s fun for everybody. And it’s great to see these historic vehicles.”
A chef's hat and a candle are two of the items being auctioned off.
One of two Good Steer wall signs being auctioned off.
Here’s your chance to own a unique part of Long Island history. Trading Post Estate Sales is currently holding an online auction, The Good Steer: Saying Goodbye to a Legend, through Oct. 1 at 8:15 p.m. Many contents of the Lake Grove restaurant, which closed its doors in July after 65 years in business, are for sale to the highest bidder (over 170 items) and include pictures, knick-knacks, chairs, kitchen equipment, toy cars and holiday items.
Join the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) in a new walking tour experience, Unwind & Uncork History: The Story of Wine & the Stony Brook Grist Mill on Friday, September 30 at 11 a.m. (3 p.m. tour is sold out!)
The Stony Brook Grist Mill. Photo from WMHO
In this walking tour experience, tour-goers will “uncork” the stories of the Stony Brook Grist Mill (c. 1751), the sight of Long Island’s very first vineyard. This will include a tour of the Stony Brook Grist Mill, the scandalous story of Edward Kane, his Lakeside Wine Company, and a brief lesson on wine.
The tour will begin at Tranquility Park (also known as T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond Park) across from the Stony Brook Grist Mill, and will end at Lake Side Emotions Wine Boutique at the Stony Brook Village Center, which gained its name from Kane’s Lakeside Wine Company.
Fee for the touris $25 per person and includes a bottle of authentic Catawba wine from Lake Side Emotions Wine Boutique. All participants must be 21 or older. Advance registration is required by calling 631-751-2244. For more information, visit www.wmho.org.
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