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Joseph Bennett
Joseph Bennett
Joseph Bennett
Joseph Bennett
Joseph Bennett
Joseph Bennett

Town of Huntington Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci announced on February 22 that the Town discovered over the weekend the name of a Tuskegee Airman from Halesite, Joseph B. Bennett, that will now be added to the Town’s World War II Memorial.

“On this final week of Black History Month in 2021, we are thrilled to be able to add this most deserving Word War II pilot, Joseph B. Bennett, to the Town of Huntington World War II Memorial in just the nick of time, thanks to the Newsday article on local Tuskegee Airmen and the great work of our Veterans Affairs Coordinator Carol Rocco,” said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci.

Town of Huntington Veterans Affairs Coordinator Carol Rocco was reading the Sunday Edition of Newsday this weekend and happened upon the article, Famed Tuskegee Airmen included LIers who paid a price abroad and at home, where she discovered one of the five Long Island airmen featured in the article was “2nd Lt. Joseph B. Bennett” of Halesite.

On Monday, February 22, Rocco returned to Huntington Town Hall and checked her database to find that Joseph B. Bennett was not in the list of names on the Town of Huntington World War II Memorial located in Veterans Plaza on the front lawn of Town Hall.

The World War II Memorial on Veterans Plaza honors the memory, service and sacrifice of Huntington’s World War II veterans; there are 6,000 names on the memorial, which have been added in four phases on 15 plaques. After significant community outreach over the past few years, the Town has been working on a final plaque of names of World War II veterans who ever lived in the Town to be added to the memorial.

The unveiling ceremony for the final plaque was expected to take place in June 2020 but the Town was forced to postpone the event due to COVID-19 gathering limitations and concerns; the delay and a final proofreading of the plaque allowed for the late Joseph B. Bennett’s name to be added on February 22, 2021, the final name of 364 new names to be added to the memorial on the last plaque.

Rocco researched Bennett’s name and found an obituary, which revealed he passed away at the age of 93 on January 13, 2021; she contacted the James Hunt Funeral Home in New Jersey who put her in touch with Bennett’s daughter, who gave approval to add his name to the World War II Memorial.

Joseph B. Bennett grew up in Halesite and entered the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama. As a WWII Pilot, he earned several medals and retired with the rank of Captain. As a civilian, Mr. Bennett continued his flying career flying private chartered planes for presidential families and other socialites until becoming an aviation consultant.

Photos of Tuskegee Airman Joseph B. Bennett provided by James Hunt Funeral Home

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President Joe Biden. Stock photo

By Rich Acritelli

President Joe Biden (D), Jan. 20: “This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve.  Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.  Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.” 

These were the words of the newly inaugurated 46th president of the United States that addressed citizens on his first day as the leader of this nation. Unlike previous years, the historic landscape of Washington, D.C., did not have the large crowds to pay tribute to the incoming and outgoing presidents due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a different ceremony in every imaginable way, that saw Biden surrounded by former presidents Barak Obama (D), George W. Bush (R) and Bill Clinton (D), along with military, government and Supreme Court figures.  

For the first time since 1869 when Andrew Johnson (National Union) refused to be present for the transfer of power to Ulysses S. Grant (R), there was no presence of the immediate past president, Donald Trump (R), who was on his way home to Florida. 

Biden mostly spoke to the people across America that saw him on the television, the Internet and on the radio. By looking at the numerous problems of this nation, the new president has continually stated that he expects to work across party lines to better unify our people. Although he has an enormous task in front of him, this is not an unusual situation, as other previous presidents dealt with similar situations during their terms.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson (D-R) was inaugurated after one of the most controversial elections in our history.  Through the support of Alexander Hamilton, who pushed Congress to accept Jefferson over Aaron Burr, outgoing President John Adams (Federalist) was forced out of office. Even as Jefferson was the president and Burr the vice president, Adams refused to stay for the inauguration, and he went home to Massachusetts. 

Jefferson spoke about the divisions in the country and claimed that we were “all Democratic-Republicans and all Federalists,” within the United States. This Founding Father entered the White House without a glaring endorsement from the voters and he presented the willingness to become a consensus builder amongst the different political parties. Jefferson expressed his concerns that our government had grown too strong under President George Washington (no affiliated party) and Adams, at the expense of the people. He wanted limitations on the size of the government and believed that the people should hold more power.  

James Madison and James Monroe

Directly after the War of 1812, and the term of President James Madison (D-R), the last of the Virginia dynasty to run the United States was James Monroe (D-R). This figure who was later known for an “era of good feelings,” spoke of the necessity of admitting new states to the union, the need to have a “wise partition of power” between the states and federal government and regulation of trade with foreign countries. Monroe was at the helm of leadership at a vastly different point that saw our people at a crossroads.  

He was the last resemblance of the Revolutionary War generation of leadership that pushed Monroe to balance the direction of his government through old and new ideas. While Monroe was a popular figure, he had to handle the negative tensions that were felt by the northern and southern states over the War of 1812. 

During this conflict, politicians from New England openly spoke out against the support of sending their soldiers to aid the southern and western states that were fighting the British. There was also talk by politicians from this region that if the government continued this war that secession was a possibility.  Monroe also had to contend with the growth of slavery within the new states and territories, and the tensions that expansion created for this government.

James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln

In 1857, James Buchanan (D) ascended to the presidency as an experienced leader who served in the Pennsylvania State Assembly, in Congress, as a secretary of state and a minister to Russia. On paper, it looked as if Buchanan had enough credentials to steer the United States through the treacherous waters of the late 1850s. A strong politician before he entered the White House, Buchanan nevertheless is considered one of the worst presidents in American history.  

When he replaced the outgoing Franklin Pierce (D), Buchanan complained that the nation was consumed through constant debates over the slavery issue. This pro-states-rights president accepted the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that promoted the use of popular sovereignty to decide the fate of slavery in the Upper Midwest. Buchanan’s timid demur did not quell the violence between pro-slavery and abolitionist forces which threatened the peace and stability of the union. 

Buchanan believed that the judicial branch was responsible in determining the future of slavery in America. He did not want to utilize authority of the executive branch to rule on this explosive problem.  The Dred Scott case played into the central ideas of Buchanan that the government was bound to follow the Supreme Court’s decisions. He supported the ruling against Scott that promoted the notion that a slave had no rights, was property and could be moved north of the Missouri Compromise without being set free. 

Abraham Lincoln (R) closely monitored the lack of actions by Buchanan and he publicly spoke out against the political use of compromises. When he debated Stephen Douglas for the Illinois Congressional Senate seat, he was recognized on the national level over his refusal to endorse the expansion of slavery, while the South saw him as a direct threat toward the future of slavery and would never accept his future rule.

 During the transitional period when Buchanan met with Lincoln, he expressed to the new leader, “If you are as happy to become president of the United States as I am to stop being president and go home, you are very happy.” With Buchanan in attendance, Lincoln recognized the start of secession and he told the South that he would not end slavery. Although Lincoln spoke out against the prospects of war, he stated that he would protect the citizens, their property and the laws of this nation. The inauguration of 1861 marked conflicting viewpoints of strength within the presidency. In one sense there was the weakest figure ever to lead in Buchanan, while his predecessor Lincoln, next to Washington, was one of the strongest presidents to ever guide the United States — especially through the horrors of the Civil War.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy

Nearly 100 years after Lincoln took his oath of office, the United States watched as a new generation of citizens became the leaders of this nation. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) was an incredibly trusted general during World War II and through his two presidential terms from 1952-1960. When our people looked at Eisenhower, they observed a grandfatherly figure. On the other hand, our citizens saw the popular John F. Kennedy (D) as a fellow war veteran who was still young, and had a family which resided in the White House.  

While this was not a negative period, Kennedy marked a far different approach toward the goals of this country.  With the Cold War expanding in Cuba and Vietnam, Kennedy expressed the strength of the United States to continually “pay any price” and to “oppose any foe.” He was also in the middle of the civil rights movement that had leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. who demanded the government creates the same freedoms for all American people. King expected Kennedy to finally establish an America that was prepared to fully end the terrible strains of segregation in the early 1960s.

Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan

When Ronald Reagan (R) defeated Jimmy Carter (D) in November of 1980, this country was in an apparent downward spiral. This was the third and final chance that Reagan had to win the presidency, and up until the victory of Biden, Reagan was the oldest leader in our history.  Americans had a “question of confidence” over the Vietnam War, the resignation of Richard M. Nixon (R), the frustrations of the oil crisis and our citizens watched in disbelief as radical Iranian students overran our embassy in Tehran and held Americans for 444 days. Reagan spoke about the necessity of whipping inflation and getting more people back to work to compete with the economic powers of Germany and Japan. 

The former California governor addressed the untrue notion that there were no more “heroes” left in the United States. He reassured this country that our “heroes” worked in the factories, farms and were the entrepreneurs that sought new opportunities and wealth.

As Carter listened, Reagan said the growth of the government and its immense spending and debt was a problem for our people. Both older and younger Americans responded to the words of this immensely popular politician who was known as the Great Communicator. 

While the Carter administration should have earned additional credit over the release of the hostages, the moment that Reagan was sworn in, our detained people were immediately freed and placed on a plane that flew to West Germany. Right away, Reagan made it known that America would not tolerate widespread disrespect toward our interests and people. The emergence of Reagan presented the willingness of our citizens to regain the same prosperity and respect that had transformed the United States into a superpower.

It is not difficult to understand that Biden, as he enters the Oval Office, has a challenging presidency ahead of him. Since the start of our republic, our presidents have had to deal with major problems that have tested the will and resolve of this proud nation.

Rocky Point students Chloe Fish, Sean Hamilton, Carolyn Settepani and Madelyn Zarzycki contributed to this article. 

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The cover of the book depicts split images of a 13th century window at Notre Dame de Paris, and the Compacy Moon Solenoid of the Large Hedron Collider, 2004

Reviewed by Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan

St. James resident Philip Palmedo’s latest book, Deep Affinities: Art and Science, skillfully develops the premise that close observation and representation of the natural world, driven by “careful curiosity,” was the starting point of both art and science in the far distant past, and that their deep relationship — affinity — continues to the present.  

Ironstone hand ax, 600,000 BP

A fascinating early chapter includes a reference to a work of sculpture dating from at least 50,000 BP (Before the Present), before Homo sapiens came to Europe. “A small stone that resembled a bird was collected by a Neanderthal and then modified to be more realistic. A hole was drilled for the eye, and the shape of the beak and tail was smoothed.”  Palmedo offers evidence that this object and other stone carvings, as well as cave drawings created by our earliest ancestors, indicate that the origins of science and the starting point of art began with careful curiosity leading to observation of the natural world — the same influences that inspire the work of scientists and artists today. 

As far back as 600,000 BP an aesthetic sensibility and a scientific instinct appeared in an ironstone hand ax found in South Africa; the early human who shaped it was concerned with form as well as function — with symmetry and balance, fundamental to both art and science. 

Palmedo expands upon symmetry and balance as essential qualities in nature and in art. He calls attention to nature’s fractals — similar patterns that recur at progressively smaller scales. An example in nature is the branch of a fern with same-shaped pairs of leaves becoming progressively smaller as they progress up the stem. An example in art is a Japanese woodblock print known as The Great Wave, in which the artist, Katsushika Hokosai, incorporated the concept of fractals, painting smaller yet otherwise identical waves with identical yet smaller and smaller boats upon them. “Fractal patterns are broadly appealing” in their balance and symmetry. 

The mathematically defined geometric shapes of Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) abound in nature as well as art. A cutaway of a nautilus shell reveals a logarithmic spiral; Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) in Utah echoes the Whirlpool Galaxy in outer space. 

‘The Great Wave’ by Katsushika Hokosai, 1830-32

The commonality of the circle in science and its aesthetic significance is spotlighted in the book’s cover art: a split image of the 13th century circular window in the north transept of Notre Dame de Paris is juxtaposed with a split image of the 21st century circular particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), near Geneva — the largest, most costly machine in the world, the most powerful particle accelerator, consisting of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way. 

Pairing images of the stained-glass window and this powerful machine is a brilliant visible support of Palmedo’s theme. Scientist and mathematician Albert Einstein was developing his breakthrough theory of the relativity of space and time during the same decades that Picasso and Georges Braque were developing their major breakthrough in art — Cubism — while Marcel Duchamp was illustrating movement through space in his Nude Descending A Staircase (1912). 

Einstein said, “The greatest scientists are artists as well:” one might well say that “The greatest artists are scientists as well,” and cite only two of many:  Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of anatomy, or Johannes Vermeer’s experiments with the camera obscura. 

The cover of the book depicts split images of a 13th century window at Notre Dame de Paris, and the Compacy Moon Solenoid of the Large Hedron Collider, 2004

In recent decades, two New York art museums spotlighted works of art linked directly to science. In 2004, The Museum of Modern Art displayed the world’s largest jet-engine fan blade, manufactured by General Electric, “rising from a narrow black base, twisting and expanding into a fan shape while undulating slightly into a lean S-curve. In its clear abstraction it could have been inspired by Constantin Brancusi, connecting mathematics, efficiency, and art.” 

Then, in 2019, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit, “Making Marvels: Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe,” spotlighted, among many other magnificent objects, a rotating mechanical celestial globe of partially gilded silver perched atop a silver horse, created by Gerhard Emmoser for the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II in 1579. Writes Palmedo, “The intersection of art, technology, outpouring of creativity and learning, gave rise to exquisite objects that were at once beautiful works of art and technological wonders.” 

Palmedo’s undergraduate studies of Art History and Physics and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, followed by a lifetime of professional and personal activism in both fields, support this current work — a logical progression following the author’s beautifully written and illustrated earlier books. 

The Experience of Modern Sculpture: A Guide to Enjoying Works of the Past 100 Years (2015) followed four books about the lives and work of noted contemporary American sculptors — Richard McDermott Miller (1998); Bill Barrett (2003); Joel Perlman (2006) and Lin Emery (2012.) In Deep Affinities: Art and Science, Palmedo has expanded his range, from the contemporary art scene back to the distant past.  

Like Palmedo’s previous books, Deep Affinities is printed on thick glossy stock enriched by more than 100 color illustrations. Palmedo leaps into his subject, proves his thesis with definitive clarity, and expands our thinking about artists and scientists as equal partners in their achievements. It is also, with its carefully chosen and extensive bibliography, a worthy addition to the bookshelves of both. 

The book is available at Amazon.com and from the publisher, Abbeville Press.  

 

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Photo from LIM
Come in from the cold during this week’s school break and let the Long Island Museum’s Educators entertain the family with a free fun, interactive and informative program on Thursday, February 18 at 2 p.m.

Join them virtually as they explore sleighs in the Carriage Museum, read a story perfect for the season, and make some yummy treats together.

Tune in to this special family fun program on LIM’s YouTube channel here.

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Photo from library

Amongst the Middle Country Public Library’s many historical artifacts are a few that explain just how far the area has come from its pastoral routes.

The pictures and story below comes courtesy of a collaborative effort among the librarian staff.

Maybelle Still (Walcott) sits at the wheel of this automobile along with three of her colleagues who are out promoting the Work Projects Administration in Selden. 

The WPA was an ambitious employment and infrastructure program created by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 during the Great Depression with the goal to put Americans back to work. 

In Brookhaven Town, sidewalk projects were approved at the cost of $63,531 for Lake Ronkonkoma, Mastic Beach and Selden. 

The Federal government contributed $38,512 to those projects. 

The Selden project plans were drafted by Norton Brothers of Patchogue and called for the construction of sidewalks along a strip of land on the south side of Middle Country Road from Evergreen Avenue to Dare Road. 

The materials for these projects were purchased through the Brookhaven Town projects office by purchasing agent and Centereach resident, Arthur W. Murray.

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‘Eel Spearing at Setauket,’ 1845, by William Sidney Mount

The Three Village Historical Society lecture series hosts prominent and emerging historians, authors, genealogists, archeologists and storytellers from around the nation and presents topics related to local history, heritage conservation, social justice, art history, and more. For decades, TVHS public programming has provided a stimulating environment for the exploration of history and ideas that permeate the culture and community of the Three Village area, and beyond.

In early 2020, when the world went on “lock-down”, TVHS shifted gears and began hosting this treasured event virtually via Zoom on a monthly basis and the Society will continue to do so for 2021. Unless otherwise noted, all lectures begin at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will be held on Zoom and moderated by Mari Irizarry, TVHS Creative Services Director. The Virtual Lecture Series is open to public, with a $5 general admission suggested donation and is free for TVHS members. Registration is required at www.tvhs.org/lecture-series.

February 22nd

Guest Speaker: Louise Cella Caruso

William Sidney Mount: His Life and His Work

March 15th

Guest Speaker: Selene Castrovilla

Founding Mothers

April 19th

Guest Speaker: Kristen Nyitray

History of Stony Brook University

May 17th

Guest Speaker: Bill Bleyer

Culper Spy Ring and Long Island Revolutionary War Sites

Book: “George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide.”

June 21st

Guest Speaker: Steve Drielak

The Alice Parsons’ Kidnapping: Long Island’s History Unsolved Mystery

July 19th

Guest Speaker: Rhoda Miller

Exploring Long Island’s Jewish History

August 16th

Guest Speaker: Darren St. George, Preservation Long Island

Jupiter Hammon Project: Confronting Slavery at Preservation Long Island’s Joseph Lloyd Manor

September 20th

Guest Speaker: Chris Matthews

A Struggle For Heritage: Archaeology and Civil Rights in Long Island Community

October 18th

Guest Speaker: Tara Rider

The Devil in New York: The Withcraft Trial of Goody Garlick

November 15th

Guest Speaker: Jeff Richman

Green-Wood Cemetery’s Civil War Project

December 14th

Frank Turano

Chicken Hill: A Community Lost to Time

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The Three Village Historical Society (TVHS), a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 1964 by community members, exists to educate the public about our rich cultural heritage as well as foster and preserve local history. TVHS offers museum exhibits, events, programs, archives, and other outreach initiatives to inform and enrich the public’s interest in and understanding of the vibrant past of the Three Village area along the north shore in Suffolk County, Long Island

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Fifth and sixth graders learning about social justice at Pulaski Street Elementary in Riverhead.
The Long Island Museum, (LIM) a Smithsonian Affiliate dedicated to American history and art with a Long Island connection, is pleased to announce the virtual field trip program, Vehicles for Change, in which students learn how to utilize historic objects and documents to understand how transportation has been connected to social changes in United States history.
Long Island Museum’s Public Programs Coordinator Emma Backfish and Senior Educator Kristin Cuomo prepare a virtual learning experience for the students participating in the Museum’s new online program, “Vehicles for Change.”

To pilot this new educational program, the LIM partnered with Riverhead’s Pulaski Street School which has benefitted in the past from the LIM’s Rides for Kids program, a specially funded endeavor that can provide underserved schools with partially-subsidized transportation costs and reduced program fees. The LIM offered the program to all 34 of the school’s 5th and 6th grade classes free of charge during the fall of 2020 as an extension of Rides for Kids, thanks to the generous support received from Avalon Nature Preserve in Stony Brook.

“The museum typically welcomes over 10,000 school children a year for on-site field trips,” said Lisa Unander, Director of Education at the LIM. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it will not be possible for us to accommodate onsite field trips this fall and possibly beyond. We are especially mindful of what this loss means to the thousands of students who would have utilized funds from the Avalon-supported Rides for Kids program this year and so we have been working to find alternative ways to serve this important segment of our visiting population.” 
As part of the new Vehicles for Change program students delve into lessons surrounding social awareness, social justice and responsible decision making. The program is part of the school’s social and emotional curriculum.  Each session includes a remote 30-40 minute live museum educator-led presentation that will: 
  • Address content areas covering Social Studies, Citizenship, ELA and Communications curriculum, as well as social emotional learning (SEL), social justice standards, and culturally responsive educational (CRS) principles. 
  • Introduce students to Elizabeth Jennings and her fight for equal rights on public transportation in New York City.  Elizabeth Jennings (1827-1901) was an African-American teacher who fought for her right to ride on a New York City streetcar in 1854, leading to the eventual desegregation of the city’s transit systems. 
  • Examine the Museum‘s 1885 streetcar and other primary documents to understand how transportation has played a role in social justice movements. 
  • Explore the book Lizzie Demands a Seat!: Elizabeth Jennings Fights for Streetcar Rights, by Beth Anderson, to learn the role Jennings played. The LIM will also provide each classroom a copy of the book. 
Four Long Island School Districts have since signed up to participate in this valuable educational tool, including the Three Village Central School District. Three Village students in grade 4 took the opportunity to participate in the LIM’s program and are scheduled to participate in the 30 minute virtual visit from author Beth Anderson in honor of Black History Month. The author generously offered to do several virtual Meet the Author visits, in order to allow for more meaningful conversations with small groups. The Museum helped facilitate an agreeable date/time between the school and the author. 
A fourth grade student and teacher from W.S. Mount Elementary School in the Three Village Central School District participate in a remote learning session program provided by the Long Island Museum.

“Our district feels extremely grateful for our partnership with LIM, as it provided countless resources and opportunities for our students throughout the pandemic. Their virtual programming helped to deepen our school community’s connection, while staying socially distanced, as well as provided enriching content with curricular connections, including a program for our fourth graders that tied into their studies on state and local history. We look forward to our continued partnership and the upcoming program LIM is helping to coordinate with our elementary librarians and author Beth Anderson” said Deidre Rubenstrunk, Director of Instructional Technology / Data Privacy Officer at the Three Village Central School District.

Included in the pilot program were curriculum support materials for the school’s librarian/media specialist, including images of artifacts and access to an educator guide that includes discussion prompts, activities and primary source documents created by author Beth Anderson. In exchange for this program, the LIM asked the Riverhead’s Pulaski Street school to have all students complete an evaluation and for the School Media Specialist, Amelia Estevez Creedon to participate in a virtual wrap-up meeting to provide feedback that will ensure the LIM adequately and effectively meets teachers’ and students’ needs. 
“We are so grateful to Avalon Nature Preserve for supporting this enriching learning experience during a difficult time and we believe that this program will be both successful and meaningful for the participants.” said Unander. 
For more information on the LIM’s Vehicle for Change Program or for information on other school program offerings visit longislandmuseum.org/learn-and-explore/school-programs-overview/ or email Lisa Unander at [email protected]. 
Photos courtesy of the Long Island Museum

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Valentine’s Day penny postcard circa 1909-1911. Image from Beverly C. Tyler's collection

By Beverly C. Tyler

The celebration of Feb. 14 began as an ancient Roman ceremony called the Feast of the Lupercalia. It was on the eve of the Feast of the Lupercalia in the year 270 that Valentinus, a Roman priest, was executed. According to an article in the Nuremberg Chronicle, published in December of 1493, “Valentinus was said to have performed valiant service in assisting Christian Martyrs during their persecution under Emperor Claudius II. Giving aid and comfort to Christians at that time was considered a crime, and for his actions Valentinus was clubbed, stoned and beheaded.” The Roman pagan festivals were spread over the world as the Romans conquered various lands.

Valentine’s Day penny postcard circa 1909-1911. Image from Beverly C. Tyler’s collection

In Britain during the middle ages, these customs were observed and Alban Butler describes that “to abolish the heathens’ lewd, superstitious custom of boys drawing the names of girls in honour of their goddess . . . several zealous pastors substituted the names of Saints on billets given on this day.” It is also thought that when the early Christian church reorganized the calendar of festival they substituted the names of Christian Saints for the pagan names and allocated Feb. 14 to St. Valentine.

The tradition of sending messages, gifts and expressions of love on Valentine’s Day goes back to at least the 15th century. In 1477, in Britain, John Paston wrote to his future wife, “Unto my ryght wele belovyd Voluntyn – John Paston Squyer.”

By the 17th century, Valentine’s Day was well established as an occasion for sending cards, notes or drawings to loved ones. An early British valentine dated 1684 was signed by Edward Sangon, Tower Hill, London. “Good morrow Vallentine, God send you ever to keep your promise and bee constant ever.”

In America the earliest valentines that are known date to the middle of the 18th century. These handmade greetings were often very artistically done and included a heart or a lover’s knot. They were folded, sealed and addressed without the use of an envelope. Until the 1840s, the postal rate was determined by the distance to be traveled and the number of sheets included, so an envelope would have doubled the cost.

In 1840 Nichols Smith Hawkins age 25 of Stony Brook sent a valentine to his paternal first cousin Mary Cordelia Bayles, age 18. The original does not exist, but her reply, written two days after Valentine’s Day, says a great deal. “Much Esteemed Friend – I now take this opportunity to write a few lines to you to let you know that I received your letter last evening. I was very happy to hear from you and to hear that you hadent forgot me and thought enough of me to send me a Valentine. I havent got anything now to present to you but I will not forget you as quick, as I can make it conveinant I will get something for you to remember me by.

“You wrote that you wanted me to make you happy by becoming yourn. I should like to comfort you but I must say that I cannot for particular reasons. It isn’t because I don’t respect you nor do I think that I ever shall find anyone that will do any better by me. I sincerely think that you will do as well by me as anyone. I am very sorry to hear that it would make you the most miserable wretch on earth if I refused you for I cannot give you any encouragement. I beg to be excused for keeping you in suspense so long and then deny you. Believe me my friend I wouldn’t if I thought of denying you of my heart and hand. I think just as much of you now as ever I did. I cannot forget a one that I do so highly respect. You will think it very strange then why I do refuse you. I will tell you although I am very sorry to say so it is on the account of the family. They do oppose me very much. They say so much that I half to refuse you. It is all on their account that I do refuse so good an offer. I sincerely hope that it will be for the best.”

We don’t know the members of Mary’s family who opposed her marriage to Nichols. Was it her parents who had died in 1836 and 1838 respectively, or the family members that Mary most likely went to live with when she became an orphan at age 16 or 17? Whatever the circumstances  their love for each other continued to bloom.

Four days after replying to the Valentine letter, Mary again replied to a letter from Nichols.  “Dear Cousin – I received your letter yesterday morning. I was very sorry to hear that you was so troubled in mind. I don’t doubt but what you do feel very bad for I think that I can judge you by my own feelings but we must get reconciled to our fate. . . Keep your mind from it as much as you can and be cheerful for I must tell you as I have told you before that I cannot relieve you by becoming your bride, therefore I beg and entreat on you not to think of me anymore as a companion through life for if you make yourself unhappy by it, you will make me the most miserable creature in the world to think that I made you so unhappy. . . I must now close my letter with my love to you. – This is from your most unhappy cousin M__________________ ”

At least two other letters, written the following year, were sent to Nichols from Mary. The letters continued to express the friendship that existed between them. The story does not end there. Mary’s letters are in the Three Village Historical Society archive collection.

On Feb. 11, 1849 (three days before Valentine’s Day), Nichols Smith Hawkins, age 34, married Mary Cordelia Bayles, age 27. Coincidentally, Nichols parents, William Hawkins and Mary Nichols were married on Valentine’s Day in 1813. Nichols and Mary raised three children who lived beyond childhood (two others died in 1865 within a month of each other). Nichols was a farmer and the family lived in Stony Brook. Mary died January 30, 1888 at the age of 66 and Nichols died February 10, 1903, at the age of 88. They are buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Stony Brook.

Valentines became fancier and more elaborate through the second half of the 19th century. After 1850 the valentine slowly became a more general greeting rather than a message sent to just one special person. The advent of the picture postal card in 1907, which allowed messages to be written on one half of the side reserved for the address, started a national craze that saw every holiday become a reason for sending a postcard and Valentine’s Day the occasion for a flood of one cent expressions of love.

Beverly C. Tyler is the Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket. For more information, call 631-751-3730 or visit tvhs.org.

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METRO photo

What would Valentine’s Day be without images of a golden-tressed boy armed with bow and arrows? The arrows represent feelings of love and desire, and they are aimed and cast at various individuals, causing them to fall deeply in love — or fall out of it.

In Roman mythology, the boy is known as Cupid and is the son of Venus, the goddess of love. Portrayed as a cherubic and mischievous toddler, this magical boy was purported to be the matchmaker of gods and mortals alike.

For students of Greek mythology, Cupid represents Eros, the Greek word for “desire.” He was the son of Aphrodite, Venus’ Hellenistic counterpart, and would play with the hearts of mortals and gods, sometimes leaving mayhem in his wake. In Greek mythology, Eros was more teenager than bubbly baby, and capitalized on his status as a heartthrob rather than the cherubic status of Roman mythology, according to Richard Martin, a Stanford University professor. While Cupid may have been an adorable imp, some historians say Eros had a darker side, going so far as to describe him as calculating and sinister — forcing the wrong people into lovelorn matches.

According to Museum Hack, while Cupid could make people fall in and out of love, he also was once in love himself. In this telling, Cupid is a young man when Venus learns that a mortal girl is born with such great beauty that others start to forget to worship Venus, adoring this girl instead. Upset about the misdirected adoration toward this mortal, Venus asks Cupid to have the girl, Psyche, fall in love with a monster. Cupid agrees, but once he sees Psyche he “accidentally” hits himself with one of his own golden arrows and falls in love with Psyche. The resulting match does not prove easy, and through a series of unfortunate events, Psyche must prove her love to Cupid and accomplish various tasks to win back his heart. Eventually, Psyche does and achieves goddess status.

Cupid has been portrayed both as a young man and child through Renaissance art and beyond. When Valentine’s Day became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, Cupid was linked to Valentine’s Day celebrations due to his matchmaking abilities. His popularity only continued in the early 20th century, when Hallmark began to manufacture Valentine’s Day cards featuring Cupid.

Cupid helped push people together in ancient mythology, and he can even be the catalyst for modern day matchmaking as well.

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Middle Street was renamed Arden Place after the Ardencraig Inn, shown on the northeast corner of Port Jefferson’s Main Street and Arden Place. The Inn was destroyed in a March 2, 1920 fire. Photo by Robert S. Feather. Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive.

By Kenneth Brady

Port Jefferson’s rich and varied history is reflected in the stories of many of the village’s street names. 

Alice Street — Winfield Darling (1877-1965) built summer bungalows on what is today Alice Street, named for his daughter Alice.

Arden Place —  Middle Street was renamed Arden Place after the Ardencraig Inn, which once stood on the northeast corner of Main Street and Arden Place. The Inn was destroyed in a March 2, 1920 fire.

Barnum Avenue — The celebrated showman P.T. Barnum (1810-1891) purchased land in the “Brick Hill” section of Port Jefferson where he developed the acreage for housing. Today’s Barnum Avenue is the main thoroughfare in the subdivision.

Belle Terre Road — Port Jefferson’s current railroad station opened in July 1903. Belle Terre Road was a route between the new depot and Belle Terre, whose developers had donated the land on which the railroad station was constructed.

Hallett Avenue — Charles Hallett (1833-1894) was a prosperous businessman from Riverhead, and one of P.T. Barnum’s agents in developing the “Brick Hill” section of Port Jefferson. Today’s Hallett Avenue, formerly Summit Street, is one of the arteries in Barnum’s subdivision.

Hawkins Street — Originally Mittyville Street, Hawkins Street takes its name from Zachariah F. Hawkins. He was appointed Port Jefferson’s first postmaster when the village was called Drowned Meadow.

Hoyt Lane — Harry V. Hoyt (1879-1969) developed “Hoyt Heights” on the west side of Port Jefferson Harbor. Today’s Hoyt Lane is one of the roads in the subdivision.

Liberty Avenue — During World War I, some defense plant workers at Bayles Shipyard were housed along Cemetery Avenue. Saddled with negative connotations, Cemetery Avenue was changed in 1918 to an upbeat Liberty Avenue, a name which reflected the patriotic fervor of the times.

Linden Place — Shipbuilder C. Lloyd Bayles (1811-1903) planted linden trees behind his house on the south side of today’s Linden Place.

Mill Creek Road — A flour mill once stood on the south side of West Broadway beside the creek that empties into Port Jefferson Harbor. Signs along the Old Mill Creek Walkway highlight the history of the area.

Nadia Court — Countess Nadia de Navarro Farber (1916-2014), a former Bulgarian musical-comedy star, was the wife of Sid Farber (1913-1985), a builder of homes, shopping centers, offices and industrial parks.

Nicholas Street — Nicholas Shelow (1889-1941) was a Port Jefferson merchant who developed today’s Nicholas Street.

Oakes Street — Mary Eliza Oakes (1850-1934) married Charles P. Randall (1848-1932), a prominent Port Jefferson businessman. The couple’s home was located on the corner of Oakes Street and Randall Avenue, named after the bride and groom, respectively.

Perry Street — Marvin B. Perry (1919-2001) operated a plumbing supply store on Perry Street, formerly Chestnut Street.

Prospect Street — North Street was renamed Prospect Street because of the “fine prospective view” from William L. Hunt’s 20-acre property which ran between upper North and South streets. The Hunt homestead, later known as the Biddle Mansion, burned to the ground in August 1931.

Quintin Court — Active in community affairs, Quintin A. Lerch (1881-1963) served as Brookhaven Town’s Tax Receiver, president of the board of directors at Mather Memorial Hospital, vice president of the Bank of Northern Brookhaven and treasurer of the local Rotary Club.

Roessner Lane — George N. Roessner (1925-1981) was a beloved business teacher, guidance counselor, football coach, and club advisor at Port Jefferson’s Earl L. Vandermeulen High School.

Rosita Lane — Rosita Winston (1904-1979) was the wife of real estate mogul and philanthropist Norman K. Winston (1899-1977), who developed Port Jefferson’s Harbor Hills Country Club and Harbor Hills Estates.

Sheldrake Avenue — Sea captain Richard W. Sheldrake (1865-1945) once lived on the corner of today’s Sheldrake Avenue and Bayview Terrace.

Texaco Avenue — Texaco Oils formerly operated a gasoline storage facility along the Long Island Rail Road tracks on the west side of Bowers Avenue, today’s Texaco Avenue.

Thompson Street  — John Thompson was a blacksmith who was deeded land in Port Jefferson by Brookhaven Town. The property included today’s Thompson Street.

Thorne Lane — LIRR locomotive engineer George R. Thorne (1902-1997) and his family lived for years on today’s Thorne Lane, formerly Tuthill Avenue.

William Street — William Fordham (1826-1907) was a realtor who developed today’s William Street.

Wynn Lane — Albert L. Wynne (1856-1942) was a liveryman. His stables were located on what was once called Private Lane, today’s Wynn [sic] Lane.

Port Jefferson’s street names not only identify locations, but many serve as historical markers by providing a record of the village’s past.

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.

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