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Beverly C. Tyler

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Postcard photo, circa 1935, showing the view up Christian Ave, from Main Street. The second Stony Brook Post Office is pictured to the left of the firehouse. Photo from Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

As detailed in my article on Nov. 7, 2024, the first Stony Brook Post Office built specifically for postal use was located on Main Street, a few hundred feet north of where the Reboli Center stands today.

As World War I approached, Stony Brook saw a new postmaster. Nellie E. Lempfert began serving the community on Jan. 24, 1913. According to Olga Reboli, she was a very nice person and a good postmaster.

Mrs. Reboli also recalled that Nellie Lempfert had an ice cream parlor before becoming postmaster. It was next to the big building on the corner near Mr. Rogers’ plumbing shop.

In 1913, Mrs. Reboli, then 12 years old, and her sisters would occasionally spend a nickel on ice cream at Mrs. Lempfert’s store. “We didn’t have a nickel to spend very often,” she said, “but it was always a special time to remember.”

The first Stony Brook Post Office, now located at 44 Cedar Street. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler

The Stony Brook Post Office was also remembered by Orietta Peterman, who shared her vivid recollections of working there.

“Mrs. Lempfert was the postmaster, and I went to work there in October 1913,” Ms. Peterman explained. “I was married in 1917, and my husband went off to World War I. He left in 1919.” (Note: Charles C. Peterman was inducted into the U.S. Army in December 1917 and served in Europe from March 1918 until his discharge on Feb. 2, 1919.)

When Ms. Peterman started at the post office, there were only two workers, and only one person worked at a time. “On Mondays, I had to be in by 6 o’clock to get the morning mail off, all by myself,” she said. “If anyone came in to buy stamps, I did that. If someone wanted a money order, I did that too. We didn’t even have a safe until a year or two later. When the post office started growing, they finally bought a safe to keep the money in.”

She described her postmaster’s schedule, explaining that Mrs. Lempfert would probably arrive around 8 o’clock. She stayed to help with the morning mail before heading home. “I was there most of the time, earning $5 a week for a 14-hour day,” she said.

The space itself was challenging to work in. Ms. Peterman remembered that the post office wasn’t used very long and was already outgrowing its capacity. “Two people were always in the way. There were no facilities, no water. If we needed water, I had to fetch it from a spring near the Sherry house. For hot water, we used a kerosene space heater with a tea kettle on top,” she explained.

“In winter, there was a coal stove that needed tending daily,” she added. “I handled all the cleaning, and since there was no electricity, I cleaned lamp chimneys and filled the lamps.”

Parade in Stony Brook marking the end of WWI. Percy W. Smith driving the Ford with his son, Percy Roger Smith, about 2 ½ sitting on his right. Photo courtesy of Three Village Historical Society

Reflecting on her experience, Ms. Peterman said she did everything under heaven. “I never had a coffee break in my life. I worked there for seven or eight years, with no vacation and no paid days off. Even on the day I got married, I was docked. That’s how liberal they were.”

On April 29, 1922, Louise E. Wells was appointed the next postmaster of Stony Brook, operating from the same building. Miss Wells married Charlie Williamson in 1926 and remained postmaster until mid-1932. Olga Reboli remembered her fondly and said Mrs. Williamson was also a very nice person. The couple had two daughters, Louise and Madeline.

In the early 1930s, a new post office was built next to the old firehouse on Christian Avenue. Though not much larger, it offered more modern facilities.

The old post office wasn’t forgotten. By 1922, it became a butcher shop for Percy W. Smith and later served as the office for L.C. Clarke Co. In 1925, Olga Reboli worked for L.C. Clarke Real Estate and was photographed in front of the building.

The venerable old structure was eventually moved in the 1940s and repurposed as a home. It now resides at 44 Cedar St. in Stony Brook, just north of Hollow Road.

Beverly C. Tyler is an author and historian with the Three Village Historical Society. For more information, visit www.tvhs.org.

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The first building in Stony Brook built for exclusive use as a post office. Before then the post office was usually located in a local general store. It was moved to Cedar Street when Ward Melville reorganized the Stony Brook village area. Courtesy Emma S. Clark Library

By Beverly C. Tyler

The first postmaster in Stony Brook in the 20th century was Ralph M. Sammis, appointed on April 16, 1900. He served for 12 years. That same year, Sammis built a home at 77 Hollow Road. According to research by Barbara and Greg Allard, while the house was being built, Sammis and his family rented what is now the Country House Restaurant.

Ralph and Julia Sammis had three children: Anna, Morton, and Mildred. Morton and Mildred were born in the northeast bedroom of the new house on Hollow Road. According to family stories from Anna Sammis, when Morton was born, the family cat gave birth to a litter of kittens under the same bed.

The family’s privy was accessed by a path from the back door, covered by a grape arbor pruned by Julia Sammis each year on Washington’s Birthday. They also maintained a garden with raspberries, blackberries, and grapes, with Ralph planting and Julia tending to the plants. Julia Sammis was known locally for her pickles and preserves.

The Sammis house also played a role in the “Great Stony Brook Post Office Robbery of 1911,” as described in an article by R. Morton Sammis, editor of The Independent Press of Stony Brook, in the Aug. 15, 1952, issue. The post office, then located on Main Street near the current Reboli Center, was situated next to Dr. James A. Squire’s home.

In his article, R. Morton Sammis wrote about his father’s observations during this period, describing how “there was a brick-and-concrete post near the post office windows, and Father noticed someone leaning against it, watching the back room of the post office. From this vantage point, a man could see Father wrapping the money and stamps in a large package we called ‘the bundle.’”

Morton continued, explaining that his father “started home, and the man followed him at a distance… Two days later, a man appeared at our house, wanting to demonstrate furniture polish. He insisted on entering, but once inside, he seemed more interested in observing the layout of the house than his product.”

“That night,” Morton recalled, “Father took ‘the bundle’ home and left it on the table with his coat and vest over it… Later, he took ‘the bundle’ upstairs with him. In the middle of the night, Mother woke him, saying, ‘There is someone in the house!’ Then, we heard the sideboard door squeak, and a flashlight lit the upper hall. Hearing us awake, a loud ‘meow’ came from outside—a signal to the man inside.”

Although the robbers didn’t get “the bundle,” they did steal Dr. Squire’s horse and buggy, later abandoning them in the Islip Cemetery. Following the attempted robbery, Post Office officials issued a stern warning that all money and stamps must remain on post office premises, and Sammis would be held accountable if they were stolen while in his possession. Morton noted that his father, aware of both the rule and the thieves’ interest in “the bundle,” made sure to leave it at the post office.

But that wasn’t the end of the robbers’ attempts. Morton continued in his article, writing, “One morning about a month later, Father arrived to find the safe blown open and its contents gone. Horse blankets belonging to Dr. Squire were wrapped around the safe and soaked, likely at the creek, as one blanket was found too heavy to carry.”

This time, Morton noted, the robbers attempted to escape using Dr. Squire’s early Model T Ford Roadster. However, Dr. F. Duane Squire had turned off the gas line that night due to a leak. “Once again, the robbers resorted to ‘Old Doc’s’ horses, escaping with all the money and stamps,” Morton wrote. “They later abandoned the team on the south side, and Howard E. Dickerson drove Dr. Squire to retrieve it. Later, Post Office officials notified Father that they had captured the culprits.”

Beverly Tyler is a historian with the Three Village Historical Society and author of books available from the society, located at 93 North Country Road, Setauket, N.Y. For more information, visit www.tvhs.org.

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A model of the bark Modesta, Capt. Rowland’s last command. Mary sailed on the 'Modesta' to exotic ports in Africa, the Mediterranean and South America. Photo courtesy of Bev Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

“I manage to go on shore more or less in every port and learn the different manners and customs of different nations and the works of God and man, both nature and art. I find much to amuse, edify and interest us, and see what so many travelers pay large sums for, while Henry makes a living and the brig is our hotel and even what is much better, our home.” — Mary Rowland, January 1873

In the graveyard of Setauket Presbyterian Church, near the center rear, lie the graves of Captain Henry L. Rowland (1827-1876) and his wife, Mary Satterly Rowland (1832-1908). The couple’s farm was situated south of their final resting place, between Main Street and Setauket Harbor. Today, Setauket School faces what was once the Rowland farm.

Children of Capt. Henry and Mary Satterly Rowland – Woodhull, Mary Emma and Henrietta.

Mary is one of the women featured in the Three Village Historical Society’s Spirits cemetery tour. Her life, like that of many women who lived in the area and traveled the world, remains largely unknown. A portion of Mary’s tumultueous sea adventures is documented in the book “Hen Frigates” by New Zealander Joan Druett.

“At 4 a.m., tacking on shore,” Mary Rowland wrote in 1856, “the vessel was rolling and pitching badly.” Everything below was “upside down, and there is no rest or peace to be had. Worst of all, one could hardly keep in bed, especially on one tack; when I sit down, I must of necessity take the floor for a sofa.”

Despite the hardships, Henry and Mary spent over 20 years living aboard three different sailing ships that traveled the world, carrying cargo from port to port. The couple’s children grew up on these ships, built in East Setauket, and one of them, Woodhull, was born on board.

“The captain’s wife gave birth to a child,” reads the logbook entry of the brig Thomas W. Rowland for October 21, 1857, near the island of Abaco. Mary Rowland’s two daughters, Henrietta and Mary Emma, were sent between decks with their dolls to play while Henry delivered the baby boy, christened Woodhull.

During the American Civil War, Captain Henry Rowland’s bark Glenwood sailed under sealed orders, with its destination (Pensacola, to deliver supplies to the troops) unknown until the orders were opened. The voyage south was traumatic; the vessel was struck twice by lightning, resulting in the death of one crew member. Mary’s youngest child, Willie, fell ill with yellow fever as they neared Pensacola Bay. All night, as they lay hove to near Santa Rosa Island, she fought for her son’s life while cannonballs from Confederate and Union gunships screamed overhead. When the battle was over, the Glenwood had survived unscathed but the little boy was dead.

Cover of “Hen Frigates” by Joan Druett

The diaries, journals, letters and artifacts of Setauket wives Mary Satterly Rowland, Mary Swift Jones and Ellen Elizabeth Jones, along with the logbooks of their captain husbands, are part of the collection at the Three Village Historical Society. These materials, donated by local residents and relatives, provide valuable insight into the lives of women at sea aboard wooden commercial ships. These women, along with their children in many cases, traveled the world with their husbands and fathers. Their experiences are part of the many stories told in the Society’s exhibition, “The Sailing Circle: 19th Century Seafaring Women from New York.”

The two Marys are featured in Hen Frigates along with many other women and children whose adventures make for fascinating reading. They are also included in the exhibit catalog The Sailing Circle, available in the society gift shop.

“Hen Frigates” by Joan Druett, available at the Emma S. Clark Library, is a seafaring book packed with intriguing details about shipboard life during the 19th century, when wooden ships and their crews journeyed along the North American coast and around the world. More than just a book about families at sea, Hen Frigates covers in dramatic detail the growth of American maritime commerce in the 19th century.

One of the most interesting aspects of local history is its connections to larger realms of people and events. Our community is linked in many ways to our region, nation and the world—a reality that has persisted throughout our history. The Three Village community is wonderfully rich in both natural and man-made resources that illustrate and exemplify these connections.

Beverly Tyler is an author and the historian for the Three Village Historical Society, located at 93 North Country Road, Setauket. Visit www.tvhs.org for more information.

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The cover of Beverly Tyler's latest book.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Imagine sailing five months on a ship from New York to China, while not knowing whether you will survive storms at sea or attacks by pirates.

Imagine living in a Japanese temple recently made over to accommodate British and American visitors in a country where most of the population has never seen a person from another country or another race.

Imagine exploring a country where you are not sure of your own safety and where many men, including Samurai warriors, carry two visible swords.

The cover of Beverly Tyler’s latest book.

These are just some of the thoughts posited by author Beverly C. Tyler in his latest book, Mary Swift Jones: Love and Letters from Japan, published by History Close at Hand and the Three Village Historical Society. The multi-hyphenate Tyler (writer-photographer-lecturer-local historian) is the author of Caroline Church, Founders Day, Down the Ways—The Wooden Ship Era, and Setauket and Brookhaven History (all reviewed in this paper). 

Mary Swift, who was Tyler’s great- grandaunt, married Captain Benjamin Jones sometime in the mid-1800s. In September of 1858, at only twenty-four years of age, she embarked with him from New York on an extraordinary journey on the Mary and Louisa, a 145-foot square-rigged medium clipper bark that was constructed in Setauket. 

The voyage would last three years and take Mary to China and Japan. While abroad, she wrote extensive letters to family and friends and returned with remarkable furniture, fine china, fabrics, and spices. Tyler touches on the ship’s traveling from port to port, carrying cargo between the Chinese ports of Hong Kong and Shanghai to the Japanese ports of Nagasaki and Yokohama. 

Mary’s letters give the perspective of an American in a world completely foreign to her knowledge and experience. She reflects on the Mary and Louisa’s shifting crew; she shows fascination with the citizens of the various towns and cities; she pays tribute to the breathtaking landscapes. 

Tyler highlights the appreciation of the countries and cultures with quotes from a range of visitors, often selecting lyrical passages from a variety of letters.

Voyages of this breadth faced storms, strong winds, illness, the threat of piracy, and the fear of the ship sinking. Additionally, violence was a shadow cast by the Japanese, who were less welcoming to a foreign presence. 

The Mary and Louisa

In his journal on April 15, 1860, a passenger on the ship, New York Tribune reporter Francis Hall wrote, “It seems odd to start out for a walk by putting a revolver in one pocket and a copy of Tennyson in the other.” The possibility of losing family members at home was something that deeply concerned Mary. Of course, the Civil War broke out during their time at sea. 

Tyler gives perspective on the perils of such undertakings. Quoting from the memoir of Egbert Bull Smith (the ship’s cabin boy, who later published Voyage of the Two Sisters): “Mrs. Jones did not know, nor did I, at the time, that when we sailed none of her friends expected to see her again in this life, and that all of the necessary articles for preserving her body had been placed on board.” 

Mary survived the journey but contracted consumption, dying shortly after her return to the States at the age of 26. She is buried in the Setauket Presbyterian Cemetery. 

Like all of Tyler’s work, the material is meticulously researched with exceptional documentation, details extracted from both primary and secondary sources. The book is highlighted with color illustrations, photographs, maps, and woodcuttings, giving his “narrative alive” tomes an almost three-dimensional quality.However, Tyler’s inherent sense of history and commitment to telling the American story are what truly imbue his works.

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Copies of Mary Swift Jones: Love and Letters from Japan by Beverly C. Tyler are available for purchase for $10 at the Three Village Historical Society’s gift shop at 93 North Country Road in Setauket. Tyler will also be selling  and signing copies of the book at the Three Village Farmer’s Market at the same location on Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m.

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Artist Stuart Friedman paints at Frank Melville Memorial Park during a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North
Two-day plein air painting event combines art, history and nature

By Rita J. Egan

Gallery North’s 20th annual Wet Paint Festival will take place in what was once considered a Setauket hub.

Held on June 1 and 2, the plein air painting event, featuring more than 40 artists, will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead. Located at 97 Main Street, the mid-1700s home sits across the street from the Setauket Post Office and Frank Melville Memorial Park. Right in the homestead’s backyard is the Patriots Rock Historical Site, where the Battle of Setauket was fought.

For the 2024 event, Gallery North has partnered with Three Village Community Trust (TVCT), which owns the Tyler home. Erin Smith, Gallery North’s director of development, said they were pleased that the land trust was willing to make the Tyler Homestead available for the event.

The property will serve as the center point, where artists can explore around and near the property to decide the subject of their paintings. Choices include the house and property, Frank Melville Memorial Park, Patriots Rock, the Setauket Green, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, nearby churches and the three Factory Worker Houses located less than a mile down the road.

“You bring your easel, and whatever vignette or view that moves you, you paint,” Smith said. “It’s nice because the whole idea of plein air painting is that it captures the light really well, and it gets you outside. You can really capture the historic beauty of the area in a unique way.”

Smith added that, during past festivals, some artists have chosen to paint objects such as an ice cream truck or bench. As for the Tyler Homestead and the area, it was chosen for “its historical significance and natural beauty.”

“It’s a highly visible central location for the community,” she explained.

Herb Mones, TVCT president, agreed that the Tyler house is the perfect location.

“It not only has the expansive yard, but it’s on Main Street, and it’s so close to so many other historical sites, parks and venues that the artists could spread out, and yet the Tyler house is the central focus,” he said.

In addition to various activities set up in the Tyler Homestead’s back and side yards, Mones said TVCT will provide tours of the Patriots Rock site and discuss the role early Setauket residents and British occupiers played during the American Revolution.

Artist Angela Stratton, who has participated in past Wet Paint Festivals, said she always looks forward to being outside and choosing what to paint.

“When you go out to paint, and you’re looking around, it’s kind of what hits you in your heart,” Stratton said. “One day, to some, a certain spot can look beautiful. The next day you can go and that doesn’t intrigue you.”

The artist added that she welcomes spectators’ questions and appreciates children being exposed to art at the festival. How quickly an artist completes a painting, she said, depends on the person and the canvas size. She said many base how long they spend on a painting on how the sunlight hits a subject during a certain time of day or some will stay despite the light passing.

For Three Village Historical Society Historian Beverly C. Tyler, the homestead is more than a landmark; it’s the home he grew up in. The historian said for a time the property had flowers all over, from front to back, that his stepfather, Lou Davis, cared for. Tyler described the flowers as “absolutely gorgeous.”

“Having the Wet Paint Festival there is sort of a continuation of his efforts to use the property,” Tyler said.

The historian fondly remembers playing on the grounds.

“Everything was very interesting around there, and I would sometimes sit on the front porch and just watch the cars go by and count the number of Chevys and Fords and other types of cars that were going by, and I could see everybody that came into the post office.”

Tyler added the area appeared in several postcards, and the Neighborhood House next to his family home was once a summer boarding house his grandfather ran in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

In addition to viewing artists at work, attendees can participate in wildlife and plant life lectures or go on a guided tour of plein air paintings with regional artists Doug Reina and Christine D’Addario. WUSB 90.1 FM/107.3 FM will present live musical performances each day. Visitors will also be able to purchase food from LevelUp Kitchen and enjoy a delicious picnic in an idyllic setting.

Later in the month, from June 25 to July 7, art lovers can enjoy an exhibition at the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook featuring the participating artists’ paintings. An opening reception will be held on June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, June 1

11 a.m. History Walk with members of the Three Village Community Trust

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Tom Killourhy

12:30 p.m. Meet local wildlife from Sweetbriar Nature Center

2 p.m. Take part in a plein air art tour with artist Christine D’Addario

Sunday, June 2

11 a.m. History Tour with Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours

11:30 a.m. Nature Walk with the Four Harbors Audubon Society

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Kane Daily

1:30 p.m. Plein air Art Tour with artist Doug Reina

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Generously sponsored by the Village Art Collective and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning., the Wet Paint Festival will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead, 97 Main St., Setauket from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2. The event is free of charge for spectators. A rain date is scheduled for June 15 and 16. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit gallerynorth.org/pages/wet-paint-festival.

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The Smith/Swift/Tyler/Davis house in 1900. Photo courtesy of Beverly C. Tyler
Annie, Carrie and Corinne Tyler about 1935. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler
The Tyler Brothers Store. Photo courtesy of Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

The Smith/Swift/Tyler/Davis house, built about 1740, was home to many generations. On June 1 and 2, the house at 97 Main Street in Setauket will function as the central hub for Gallery North’s 20th Annual Wet Paint Festival. The history of the house itself, as well as the families who have lived there, is a representation of the story of the growth of the Three Village community; of farming, transportation, commerce and trade. 

The original section of the house was constructed with white oak timber framing. Over the frame and on the floors were white pine boards; on the roof were red cedar shingles. These were the trees found locally and used to build most colonial-era buildings in this area. For more than 100 years, this was a farmhouse on an active farm with many out-buildings. In the original house there were two rooms on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor.

As a family home and farm, many generations of two prominent families lived here. Amos Smith and his wife Juliana Hawkins raised five children, born between 1773-1785. When Amos died intestate in 1799, an inventory of his home and farm included household goods, farm tools and farm animals. Their son, Walter Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Ellison, raised five children here, born between 1811-1825. 

About 1831, Joseph Swift purchased the house and farm. Joseph and his wife, Amelia Bacon, raised nine children here, born between 1832 and 1851. Joseph’s eldest daughter Eliza married Charles B. Tyler, my great-grandfather, in 1851. Charles purchased the house and farm in 1854 and raised nine children here, born between 1851 and 1870. Charles’ wife Eliza, their unmarried daughters, Annie and Corinne, and one of Charles’ granddaughters, Carrie, lived here until their deaths in 1924, 1941, 1943 and 1947, respectively. The house and property then passed to Carrie’s half brother Beverly Griffin Tyler, his wife Blanche and their three children. When Blanche Tyler Davis died in 2016 in her 102nd year, ownership passed to the Three Village Community Trust, who will preserve the home and property, including Patriot’s Rock, in perpetuity. 

 The Tyler Brothers General Store stood on the corner of the property, just north of the house, where it served the community as a post office and store for more than 50 years. The store was run by Charles B. Tyler and his brother Israel. Israel lived in East Setauket along what is now Gnarled Hollow Road and he served as Setauket postmaster for most of the years between 1870 and 1897. Both men were schooner captains who traveled up and down Long Island Sound and the U. S. East Coast carrying commercial cargo and passengers. Their knowledge of trade routes and sources of supply contributed to their success as general store owners.

The original house served well for the large families who lived there; however, by the last decades of the nineteenth century, with American industry providing more and more labor-saving devices for the home, change and growth was inevitable. In 1889, an addition included a formal dining room and two additional bedrooms. Over the years, the use of a kitchen had changed from a central fireplace to a summer kitchen, separated from the house. Finally, about a decade before World War I, that structure was moved and attached to the house as a “modern” kitchen with an ice box, a large coal stove and other appliances. All of these changes were implemented, not by the men, but by the women who remained in the home after most of Charles and Eliza’s children had moved on. 

Following the deaths of Israel in 1895 and Charles in 1899, Charles’ wife, Eliza, sold the general store to her children, Corinne and Annie Tyler, for one dollar. Corinne ran the general store. Annie was Setauket’s postmaster from 1897 until 1915.

Lucy Hart Keyes remembered that when she was six or seven and going to the school on the Village Green, she would walk home, stopping first at the post office. “They were such nice ladies. Miss Annie took care of mail … Miss Annie used to make money orders and everything. Miss Corinne took care of the store. They kept it open even during lunch–Miss Corinne and Miss Annie switched. It was open until after mail at night… We used to trade with Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. It came in the mail.”

Lucy recalled that Corinne’s brother Henry Tyler helped her at the store. “Momma and Poppa bought all their  groceries there. We bought canned goods, salt pork, potatoes, bread and even bananas in later years. We were a big family and we were always down there. Sometimes Poppa paid once a week. They kept track of it and I could get anything. They never asked questions.”

Lucy remembered a candy case in the store which contained a number of selections. “You would get 4 or 5 round things for a penny. JawBreakers, 3 or 4 for a penny, and stick candy was a penny a stick.”

By the 1920’s, the appeal of the local merchant who carried all the staples needed by the local family was decreasing. The variety of products was increasing by leaps and bounds, and the small country store could not keep pace. Chain food stores with quantity buying were able to offer lower prices and wider selections. In East Setauket the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A & P, established 1859) was getting a large share of daily trade with advertisements in the local papers listing prices such as “New Potatoes 5 lbs-15¢, Grandmother’s BREAD Small Loaf 5¢-Large Loaf 8¢.” (“Port Jefferson Times’’ – July 7, 1927). 

“After being established in the grocery business at Setauket for more than 60 years, the familiar old corner store, known as Tylers’ grocery store, near the lakes, closed out their stock last week and have discontinued business. . .” (“Port Jefferson Times” – April 1927). 

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society.

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Rev. Gregory Leonard speaking at the 2016 Order of St. Luke Conference. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

On Sunday, April 14, members of Bethel AME Church in Setauket and the Three Village community came together to celebrate the ministry of Rev. Gregory Leonard who retired in 2020, after twenty-six years as pastor of Bethel AME Church.

I first met Rev. Leonard at the funeral for the Mother of Bethel AME Church, Lucy Agnes Keyes, who died on Friday, September 16, 1994. This was his first funeral at Bethel AME and he said something about getting his feet wet at Bethel or starting here by jumping into the fire. Interesting choice of words, as he soon became the chaplain for the Setauket Fire Department. Mrs. Keyes’ Going Home Celebration was on September 20, 1994.

Rev. Leonard’s extensive community service included serving as chaplain of the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University, and the development of Hobbs Farm in Centereach. My wife Barbara noted at the celebration, “My association with Bethel Church and Pastor Leonard began through the Order of St. Luke-a Christian healing ministry. He became one of our two chaplains. Services rotated monthly among  Caroline Church, St. Cuthbert’s in Selden and Bethel.” For us it was a chance to add Christian friends and worship in different ways.

“One of our cherished times was when Pastor Leonard was the spiritual leader for our regional retreat called A Quiet Walk with Jesus. The format was four short talks by the leader who then gave us points for meditation in the quiet times that followed each talk. Pastor Leonard was perfect for this. He had previously attended several of these retreats very quietly. We knew that he would be a wonderful leader, but others were very pleasantly surprised by the leadership of this quiet but dynamic man.”

It was in the spirit of William Sidney Mount that the Bethel AME Church, Setauket and the Museums at Stony Brook held “A Community Coming Together” in the Art Museum on Sunday, February 25, 1996. The reception featured the exhibition, William Sidney Mount: Music is Contagious, plenty of good food — courtesy of Bethel AME — good company, and a few descriptive comments on Mount and on the Three Village Community.

Rev. Leonard, pastor of Bethel AME, opened and closed the museum’s event with an emphasis on the strengths of neighborhood and family, and how important it is to work at getting to know other people in the community-thus adding to the strength of community bonds.

This emphasis of family and community was on display during the Sunday service at Bethel AME on April 21 as well as at the luncheon and talks in honor of Rev. Leonard. Speaker after speaker spoke about his spiritual leadership and his humility. 

As detailed in Bethel AME’s celebration program, “Rev. Leonard built strong ties, bonds and personal relationships with co-workers, community and congregation members. He recalls that his proudest moments during his ministry at Bethel Setauket came in working with members of his leadership team, the congregation and community groups such as Building Bridges, Order of Saint Luke, the Setauket Fire Department and the Vets home.”

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. http://WWW.TVHS.org 

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Joseph Smith Hawkins and his wife Henrietta. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

A fine example of the many Colonial farmhouses in the Three Village area is the two-and-a-half story farmhouse on Main Street in Stony Brook, just west of the mill pond, at the corner of Hawkins Road. This attractive white farmhouse with its nine-over-six small-pane windows was built about 1750. 

The earliest known resident of this farmhouse was Joseph Smith Hawkins, son of George and Ruth Hawkins. He was born in Stony Brook on February 7, 1763. Like his father, Joseph was a farmer. He married Phebe Williamson and they had two sons, Nathaniel – born 1791 – and Joseph Smith – born 1796. 

Sometime after 1810, Joseph Smith Hawkins built the house diagonally across the street. When their father died in 1827, the brothers traded houses. Joseph moved across the road to the original family farmhouse and Nathaniel moved into his brother’s house. Nathaniel was a wheelwright and operated a shop near his home.

Joseph Smith Hawkins built this Federal-style house, circa 1810, which was Victorianized and subsequently restored to its Colonial appearance by Ward Melville. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

Joseph was a farmer his entire life and his son Joseph Smith Hawkins – born 1827 – continued to live in the farmhouse. Joseph married Henrietta Sophia Davis on February 10, 1858 and together they farmed the land until the early 20th century. Henrietta died June 6, 1907 and Joseph died April 12, 1911. The farm, until about 1950, included a number of barns and related outbuildings.

Joseph Hawkins’ grandson Percy Smith, born 1892, and a Stony Brook resident his entire life, remembered, in an interview in 1976, when his grandfather ran the 65-acre farm. “He used to raise wheat and rye and corn, no small vegetables except in the family garden. There was a big barn on the south side of the house, a hog pen and many other buildings which are all gone now. There was, as I remember, six horses and ten to twelve cows. I used to, when I was a boy, drive the cows to pasture each morning and back in the evening. The pasture was more than a mile away and I got 75 cents a week.”

“He used to make butter and take it to the store and trade it in and get groceries. Farming used to be a mainstay of the village, plus the boats that used to bring things in and take things out. My grandfather used to cut and ship cordwood to New York City. The dock at Stony Brook used to be covered with hundreds of cords of wood.” 

Percy also remembered how Stony Brook families relied on each other for many of their necessities of life. The farmers supplied the food products and the ship captains supplied transportation for the goods that were sold in New York City and Connecticut. The coastal schooners also brought to Stony Brook many items that were not grown or manufactured here. The merchants then bought and sold from both the farmers and the schooner captains. 

The 19th century brought many changes that affected the close interdependent relationship of the farmers, ship captains, and merchants. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1826 brought coal for fuel from Pennsylvania and other states and hastened the decline of the use of cord wood for fuel in New York City. 

Wheat and other grains from the midwest, first from Ohio, were shipped on the Erie Canal and began arriving in New York City in large quantities. Most of the local grist mills found it difficult, if not impossible, to match the low price of midwest grains and either adapted or went out of business. Percy Smith also noticed these changes. 

Joseph Smith Hawkins house, circa 1750. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

“The older people died off and the younger ones didn’t want to bother with farming because they could make more money doing something else. They didn’t want the drudgery that their fathers had so the farms were sold off.”

 Thus ended most of the small individual farms in the Three Village area. The local farmer was always a hardworking individual who took a great deal of pride in his work. Most of the farmers continued to work their farms as long as they were able and, in the decades leading up to the 20th century, they usually passed the farm on to their sons and grandsons. 

The farms are gone, but many of the farmhouses remain as witnesses to a lifestyle that has passed on. With a bit of imagination you can stand in front of these homes and visualize what it was like to be a part of that era.

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. 

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Captain Edward R. Rhodes installs the first Three Village Historical Society historic house marker in 1964. Photo courtesy of TVHS

By Kimberly Phyfe

As you travel throughout the Three Village area, you might notice houses quietly boasting white signs with blue writing on them. These markers are adorned with Setauket-built sloop The Daisy and perhaps the names of original home owners. They are an indication that something special is happening here, and it’s about to get even better!

Sixty years ago, one of the first projects the Three Village Historical Society (TVHS) took on was marking the homes of ship captains and ship builders in the Three Village area. To commemorate their 60th anniversary, they are embarking on a new leg of that journey with the re-imagined Historic House Marker program — and everyone is invited!

A historical marker was presented for the Nehemiah Hand House on Bayview Avenue in East Setauket. Photo from TVHS

“In honoring six decades of dedication, reflection, and growth, we commence an initiative close to our hearts: ’60 for 60.’  This updated version serves as a revival of our esteemed Historical House Markers program, a pioneering endeavor initiated by Captain Rhodes, a founding member of our Society,” says TVHS Director Mari Irizarry. “The Historical House Markers program pays tribute to the cherished residences, remarkable individuals, and pivotal events that have shaped the very fabric of our community over centuries.  Each marker unveiled becomes a beacon of remembrance, a testament to the resilience and spirit of those who came before us.”

This is not only the first project undertaken by the Three Village Historical Society back in 1964, but it reflects what the Society considers one of its most important ideas, that “it regards the entire Three Village area as its museum; the homes, the people and the natural environment as its collection; and the homeowners as its curators.” (Three Village Guidebook, 1986)

The new TVHS house marker mock up.

Scott Ferrara, Exhibits & Collections Coordinator at TVHS, is leading the committee on the revamping of the Historic House Marker program. He noted that “if you drive around the Three Village area, you see a lot of historic homes. However, only some are marked with the iconic white historic house marker, but even those are sun-faded, have cracked paint, and are well worn. They need to be updated and replaced. It’s about time this program is revived. This committee has been formed to bring back this program and offer updated information and materials to the stewards of historical homes in the area.” 

Ferrara says that the program will also include research packets about each of the homes, digital and printed copies of the findings, and photographs, deeds, or documents pertaining to the property found in the TVHS archives. The Society is also happy to teach willing home owners how to do research on their own, and what resources are available to them to find out more about the historic houses they live in.

Why empower home owners to do their own digging? TVHS Historian Beverly C. Tyler believes “many homeowners in the Three Village community are ready to embrace the idea that they are — together with many others — the curators of their homes, and that they wish to understand everything that gives their home its special significance.”

TVHS Education Coordinator Lindsey Steward-Goldberg “hopes this new version of the program will continue to inspire owners of historic houses to learn more about not only the history of their house but also how that history of the house fits into the historic narrative of Three Village as a whole.”

A house marker presented for 40 Main Street in Stony Brook in 1997. Photo from TVHS

Perhaps best known as the birthplace of the Culper Spy Ring and the heart of the Washington Spy Trail, the Three Villages are a popular destination both for tourists and local Long Islanders looking to connect to their roots. Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours uses the homes with historic markers as a reference point on her walking, biking, and kayak tours throughout the area. Arceri loves the fact that “since our town was founded in 1655, there was at last count over 75 pre-Revolutionary homes still in existence in the Three Village area. That’s an incredibly special part of our story that not many other places can say. Our community is full of homes belonging to spies, ship builders, philanthropists, educators, and business owners — those are the true artifacts of our living museum!”

So why is the Society bringing back the Historic House Marker program now? Tyler is determined that “while celebrating the Society’s 60th anniversary, there is no better time to work within the community to emphasize the importance of maintaining and celebrating the homes in the Three Village area which make a significant contribution to the quality of life here.”

There are a few simple qualifications such as: the house must be at least 60 years old and be connected to an historic event or an individual, or have architectural significance. Starting April 1, home owners can see if their houses are eligible with a quick screening on the Society’s website: www.tvhs.org

Irizarry hopes to get at least 60 historic homes to qualify for the markers this year. “As we embark on this journey of reflection and celebration, we invite our community to join us in commemorating this significant milestone. Together, let us honor our past, celebrate our present, and pave the way for a future rich in history and heritage.”

Author Kimberly Phyfe is the Communications Engagement Manager at the Three Village Historical Society.

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Historian Kate Strong drawing by Carol Petty. Photo courtesy Three Village Historical society

By Beverly C. Tyler

As detailed by Kate Strong, “In 1675 [in Tangier] Colonel William Smith…bought a great book, sometimes called ‘The Tangier Book’ and  sometimes ‘The First Pigskin Book.’ The first entry was a statement of his marriage. After that he recorded the baptisms [including minister and godparents], and some deaths, of his numerous children. As he wrote on only one side of the page, his wife, Martha, turned the book upside down and wrote her recipes — in some cases telling the name of the person giving her the recipe.”

The recipes and notes Martha made in the first pigskin book were most likely entered during the years on Long Island. “She sometimes added a few bits of news,” Kate Strong wrote, “as when she told that Colonel William’s sickness came from a strain he had incurred in lifting her off the horse…later she recorded that her dear Billy was better.”

Kate Strong listed just a few of the recipes including: “To make pancakes –  take the yokes of six eggs, add ye one white and one pint of cream and half a pint of sacke & nutmeg and a little salt and some sugar. Make the batter of a reasonable thickness, work in some flower [sic] and fry them…” Martha also included recipes for medicinal purposes, including one from her daughter. “For a sore throat or Quinsey — take Rue and pound it pretty fine and make a poultice and plaster, must be an inch thick & lay it on ye side of ye throat. It is a sure cure. You may sprinkle it with brandy…”

“This prescription is said to work like a charm for sore throat; Roast some apples very soft, smash them with as much butter as an English walnut, with a spoonful of molasses, mix well together. Take it hot and go to bed – given by daughter Heathcott.” 

Martha also wrote down some of the “old wives tales” of the period as well as recipes for household items that were not always easy to come by on rural Long Island. “When you gather apples or pears, to keep them you must gather them when the moon is at the full…. A recipe to make good ink. Take two quarts of strong vinegar, half a pound of galles or hard oak appels, Two spoonfuls of Coperas, putt all these ingredients into a glass bottle with a wide mouth, let it stand in ye sun or some hot closett & you have a very good ink, there must be 2 spoonfuls of Gunpowder!”

As related by Kate Strong “She was not too busy to enjoy riding with her husband,..I imagine they had fine horses. I know their saddles were covered with velvet. They went to the South Shore not only to enjoy the ocean breezes in the summer but on business.”

When William “Tangier” died in 1705, the Smith children included Henry, later second Lord of the Manor, age 26; Mrs. Martha Heathcote, age 23; Jeane, age 17; William Henry, later to inherit the south shore manor house and estate, age 15; Gloryana, later to marry the Rev. George Muirson, age 14; and Charles Jeffery, who would die of smallpox in 1715, age 11. Lady Martha was now faced with raising her young family and running her late husband’s vast holdings and business interests.

Entries in the Pigskin Book had been started by William Smith as an estate account book of farm transactions, the Indian whaling crews and the amount of whale “Ogle” and “Bane…” The entries began in 1697, as detailed by Dr. John Strong, “From 1696 until 1721, the Smiths used the book to keep the accounts of Native Americans working for their whaling company… Lady Martha Smith, for the 1706-07 whaling season made  a net profit of 120 barrels of whale oil out of 180 barrels, a sizable profit.”

“Off shore whaling was a fine business in those days and Madam Martha had her own whaleboat,” Kate Strong wrote. “The crew was mostly Indians. She kept her records in a second pigskin book, which was almost lost in the San Francisco fire. A member of the family had taken it west. During the fire, a gentleman saw a trunk which had fallen from a truck and examined the contents. Finding the pigskin book he restored it to its owner. I once held the book in my hands. It was after a small luncheon at Miss Ruth W. Smith’s at Mastic. After the luncheon she handed me the book and said I could go in the other room and make what notes I wanted. Alas, a member of the party followed me in there and, while we had a nice talk on mutual ancestors, I never had a chance to open the book.” 

As detailed in “Bellport and Brookhaven,” published in 1968, “The Lady Martha, was a remarkable woman…managing not only the vast estate, but carrying on the whaling business successfully.”

Also noted by Kate Strong, “Fifteen Indians, the whaling crew, are listed by name; their wages, and the charges made against them, for shot, powder, rum, ‘cotes,’ ‘britches,’ etc… She must have had trouble controlling them, for there are quite a few complaints. ‘He [Will Bene] got nothing this season, stayed away ten days at a time, when he went to see his Shua. Was a great loss to me.’ But there were more cheerful entries too.  ‘I thanks God, my company killed a yearling whale. Maid 27 barrels ogle.’ Listed was the weight in pounds of whalebone from each whale, as well as the number of barrels of oil.”

“As to what the early settlers thought of Martha in their plans for the meeting house church,” wrote Kate Strong, “they wrote that at the table was to sit no woman of any kind except Madam Martha Smith… She died five years after her husband on September 1, 1709 and was buried beside him on the spot he had chosen overlooking the little bay on the neck, now called Strong’s Neck, but we old timers think of it by its real name, St. George’s Manor, part of the Manor of St. George.”

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. 

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