Prepare for disaster in Port Jefferson. File photo
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) are teaming up to help North Shore residents prepare for a natural or man-made disaster. The lawmakers will host a free NYS Citizen Preparedness Training event Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Port Jefferson Village Center, located at 101 East Broadway.
Participants will learn how to develop family emergency plans, how to stock up useful supplies and will receive a free disaster preparedness kit containing vital items if a disaster were to strike.
“The state training and kits will help New Yorkers be the most trained and best-prepared citizens in the country,” a release from Hahn’s office said.
Those interested in participating should visit www.prepare.ny.gov to register in advance of the event.
"Soda Jerks" work the counter at Grammas' Sweets, which was recreated for Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Belle Terre Village Historian John Hiz dressed as a Soda Jerk at Grammas' Sweets for Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Cars from the Model A Ford Club of Long Island lined the Port Jeff Village Center parking lot Aug. 20 for Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Costumes supplied by Antique Costume and Prop rental by Nan were all over Port Jeff Village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Costumes supplied by Antique Costume and Prop rental by Nan were all over Port Jeff Village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Costumes supplied by Antique Costume and Prop rental by Nan were all over Port Jeff Village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Costumes supplied by Antique Costume and Prop rental by Nan were all over Port Jeff Village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
A hot air balloon demonstration was done by Liberty Balloon Company on Aug. 20 as part of Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
A hot air balloon demonstration was done by Liberty Balloon Company on Aug. 20 as part of Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Talia Amorosano dresses in colonial attire during Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Revolutionary War imagery hangs in the Port Jefferson Village Center during Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Costumes supplied by Antique Costume and Prop rental by Nan were all over Port Jeff Village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Revolutionary War imagery hangs in the Port Jefferson Village Center during Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Michael Tessler dresses in colonial attire during Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Costumes supplied by Antique Costume and Prop rental by Nan were all over Port Jeff Village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Alex Petroski
Barbara Ransome dresses in colonial attire during Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Grammas' Sweets was recreated for Port Jeff's Heritage Weekend Aug. 20. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jefferson’s annual Heritage Weekend celebration took place Aug. 20 and 21 at 19 locations throughout the village. Visitors made stops at the Village Center, Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum, Port Jefferson Village Chamber of Commerce and more to take in historical sights and sounds during the two-day event. Funding for the event was provided in part by a grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
The Port Jefferson Fire Department Museum will be open to the public during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
By Rebecca Anzel
Port Jefferson Village’s second annual Heritage Weekend is this weekend. The event features more than 15 cultural and historical locations for residents and visitors to explore on Saturday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Aug. 21. Each stop is set to include presentations with interesting information, historical photos of the village that used to be known as Drowned Meadow, and fun, interactive activities.
A Heritage Weekend kickoff event will be held on Friday, Aug. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. aboard the Lettie G. Howard historic fishing schooner. Tickets are $45 per person or $80 per couple. Money raised will support the cultural events featured during Heritage Weekend, as will funds donated by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
This week, check out attractions that will take place at the Port Jefferson Fire Department Museum, Port Jefferson Masonic Temple and Christ Church Episcopal. Check out parts one, two and three of our Heritage Weekend preview series.
Port Jefferson Fire Department Museum
Fire department equipment on display at the Port Jefferson Fire Department Museum, which will be open to the public Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
On the second floor of Port Jefferson’s fire department on Maple Place is a museum housing 130 years of history. The collection of equipment, helmets, uniforms and pictures dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s and tells the story of how fighting fires in the village’s four square miles has evolved. The exhibit will be open to the public during Heritage Weekend.
“It’s a small museum — just one room — but it’s got a lot of history in it,” Third Assistant Chief Jim Sarubbi said. “It represents what this department is all about — tradition and dedication.”
Some of the department’s nearly 100 members will be on hand over the weekend to escort event attendees to the museum and around the firehouse to check out the historical artifacts. The museum will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Port Jefferson Masonic Lodge
The freemasons’ purchased their current building, which was constructed in 1854, from the Presbyterian Society in 1912. Photo courtesy of Suffolk Lodge Number 60
On Main Street, a two minute walk away from the fire department, is the Masonic temple. Also known as Suffolk Lodge No. 60, it was organized in 1796 and chartered in 1797.
The group is hosting an open house and Q-and-A session from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Visitors will be able to learn more about Freemasons and the fraternal organization’s history, and view historic photos and other artifacts while there, former Master of the lodge Gary D. Gudzik said.
Christ Church Episcopal
Christ Church Episcopal’s first service was June 3, 1888; a fire uniform at the museum. Photo from Christ Church Episcopal’s
Locals know Christ Church Episcopal as the little white church up on the hill. Built in the 1880s on land purchased from P.T. Barnum of Barnum & Bailey Circus, the members of the yellow pine church on Barnum Avenue will be hosting a yard sale during Heritage Weekend.
Irene Choate, the event’s organizer and head of the church’s women’s group, said housewares and small appliances will be on sale in Christ Church Episcopal’s air conditioned recreation room, where refreshments will be served. Senior Warden Gene Seiler will be answering questions about the church’s history and giving tours to interested visitors.
“We look forward to seeing potential new parishioners,” Joyce Bock, the church’s communications officer, said. “We’re a tiny church, but we have a big heart. All are welcomed and we mean it.”
The yard sale will be on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church’s services are at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
The Chambers Mansion, home of Antique Costumes & Prop Rental by Nan. Photo by Roberta LeMaire
Victoria Collette in 1920s attire. Photo by William Graf
Nan’s granddaughter, Emilia, in front of the Chambers Mansion during Heritage Weekend 2015. Photo by Roberta LeMaire
The front porch of the Chambers Mansion, photo by Roberta LeMaire
Barbara Ransome in 17th Century clothing at the Roe House; the front porch of the Chambers Mansion. Photo from Nan Altman Guzzetta
David and Lorraine Guzzetta in 18th Century clothing. Photo by William Graf
A historic painting of the entrance to Belle Terre Village. Photo from John Hiz
Port Jefferson Village’s second annual Heritage Weekend is fast approaching. The event features more than 15 cultural and historical locations for residents and visitors to explore on Saturday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Aug. 21. Each stop is set to include presentations with interesting information, historical photos of the village that used to be known as Drowned Meadow, as well as fun, interactive activities.
The Port Times Record will preview each of the featured locations around the village leading up to Heritage Weekend. This week includes a look at the attractions that will be take place at the Port Jefferson Historical Society’s Mather House Museum, Port Jefferson Free Library, Belle Terre Community Center and Antique Costume & Prop Rental by Nan during the weekend.
For part one of the series click here and for part two click here.
Mather House Museum
The museum will be open the Saturday and Sunday of Heritage Weekend from noon to 4 p.m. for guided tours of the 1840s home turned museum of shipbuilder John Mather. This year’s exhibit, Hats Off to Port Jefferson, will feature styles of hats dating back to the 1700s, including a helmet that belonged to community member Earl L. Vandermeulen during World War I.
“We’re very happy to share this with the community,” museum curator Laura Warren said.
The museum will also feature a “clock building,” with more than 200 antique clocks. In addition, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, members of the clock guild will hold appraisals to assess the value of clocks brought in by visitors.
“I’m looking forward to bringing more people to our museum,” Warren said. “It’s the best-kept secret in town.”
Port Jefferson Free Library
The historic front doors to the original Port Jefferson Free Library will be open and visitors will be greeted by Friends of the Port Jefferson Free Library volunteers upon entering on Saturday. Explore the historic reference desk and view paintings by local artist Leon Foster Jones. Children can enjoy period activities and stories on the front lawn. Story times will be held at 1:30 and 3 p.m. A lemonade stand and refreshments, sponsored by the Friends, will be on the Library’s lawn.
At 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Friends of the Port Jefferson Free Library will also host guided walking tours of the Port Jefferson area. No registration is required. Meet at the Library’s main doors on East Main Street. The 30 points of interest on the tour will begin on Thompson Street, up along High Street and down Prospect Street, returning back to the Library via East Main Street.
Beginning at noon, take part in a geocache hunt around the village. Geocaches have been hidden at different historical sites around Port Jefferson. Stop by the Library for your “Past-Port” Field Guide on how to use your phone to track down each cache.
Belle Terre Community Center
Belle Terre Village Historian John Hiz will give a presentation at the Community Center during the weekend about the history of Belle Terre. From its past as Mount Misery in the early 1700s, to the Strong family’s ownership of the village, which became known as Oakwood during that time, to Dean Alvord’s construction of the village into the contours of the land, Hiz, will provide in-depth facts about the history of Belle Terre.
“I think I’m always excited about people coming and learning the history, not only about Belle Terre, but also about Port Jefferson,” he said. Hiz said he is looking forward to the weekend as a whole. “Opening it up and allowing each individual participant to talk about their unique history — that brings everything together.”
Antique Costumes & Prop Rental by Nan
Nancy Altman Guzzetta has been in business in Port Jefferson since the 1970s. Her antique costume shop will be outfitting models and actors at nearly all of the Heritage Weekend stops. Culper Spy Ring re-enactors at the Village Center, both patriots and redcoats, will be adorned in Nan’s costumes. Children and adults will be dressed in 18th century clothing at the Drowned Meadow Museum and in 17th century attire at the Chamber of Commerce. Waiters and customers will be at Grammas’ in outfits provided by the shop.
“I think it’s much more meaningful,” she said about incorporating elaborate costumes as part of the weekend festivities. “It helps make history come alive.”
At the shop, different props and costumes will be available for photo opportunities along with light refreshments.
Model A Ford's built in the 1920s and 30s driven by members of a Long Island car club will be all over the village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
Model A Ford's built in the 1920s and 30s driven by members of a Long Island car club will be all over the village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
Model A Ford's built in the 1920s and 30s driven by members of a Long Island car club will be all over the village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
Model A Ford's built in the 1920s and 30s driven by members of a Long Island car club will be all over the village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
Model A Ford's built in the 1920s and 30s driven by members of a Long Island car club will be all over the village during Heritage Weekend. Photo by Jill Russell
Liberty Balloon Company will be supplying a 60x60 hot air balloon at the Village Center during Heritage Weekend. Photo from Liberty Balloon Company
Athena Hall (now Theater Three) and Platt’s Harness Shop, west side of Main Street, Port Jefferson. Photo from Port Jefferson Village
The Bay View Pavilion on the waterfront off East Broadway, Port Jefferson, is decorated for Old Home Week, August 1911.Message: “This is a little bit of the decorations for Old Home Week. Photo from Port Jefferson Village
East Main Street, Port Jefferson, is decorated with banners, flags, and bunting for Old Home Week, August 1911. Photo from Port Jefferson Village
Water slide and float at Pine Bluff Camp, west shore of Port Jefferson Harbor, in what is now Poquott. Established in 1899 by Dr. Henry S. Pettit, and accommodating up to 88 boys during a July-August session, Pine Bluff was advertised as the oldest saltwater camp for boys in America. Photo from Port Jeff Village
Boating off the bathing beach, east shore, Port Jefferson Harbor in 1913. Photo from Port Jefferson Village
Bathing beach, east shore, Port Jefferson harbor. Photo from Port Jefferson Village
Port Jefferson Village’s second annual Heritage Weekend is fast approaching. The event features more than 15 cultural and historical locations for residents and visitors to explore on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21. Each stop is set to include presentations with interesting information, historical photos of the village that used to be known as Drowned Meadow, as well as fun, interactive activities.
The Port Times Record will preview each of the featured locations around the village leading up to Heritage Weekend. This week includes a look at the attractions that will be take place at the Village Center during the weekend. If you missed part one, click here.
Historic recreation photo exhibit
At the Village Center, an exhibit featuring vintage photos featuring the fun of bygone summers will be on display. The exhibit, called Not Just Child’s Play — Rewinding Our Pastimes, depicts what Port Jefferson was like as a tourist attraction, weekend getaway spot and community staple nearly 100 years ago. Costumed actors will be present amid the exhibit and on the beach at Harborfront Park outside of the Village Center dressed in vintage swimming attire.
Sue Orifici, who handles graphic design for the Village Center, and Village Historian Chris Ryon each spoke about what to expect from the exhibit.
“It’s just going to be another [chance] to go back in time where you can show your children what it was like to be young in those days,” Orifici said. “That visual is something that people need. It’s more than just telling them.”
Ryon said he hopes the exhibit will dispel some common misconceptions.
“People had fun a long time ago and I don’t now if everybody thinks that,” he said. “We want to show that people did relax. They weren’t working constantly. They weren’t all dying of small pox.”
Orifici said there remains many similarities between the village as it was then and now.
“People love to come to Port Jeff because they can walk around,” she said. “You didn’t have to have a car to get around because everything is walking distance.”
Model A Ford Club of Long Island
Vintage Model A Fords built between 1929 and 1931 will be visible all over the village during Heritage Weekend. The car club will be stationed at the Village Center and the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce for a majority of the weekend, though club member Jon Reiff said the group will circulate around the area to show off their cool rides.
“They’re not museum pieces — we do drive them on a regular basis,” he said.
The club is also planning to head to Belle Terre Village during the weekend for a photo opportunity. Reiff said he expects at least 10 vintage Fords to be on display throughout the weekend, but depending on weather, there could be a fleet of Model A’s flooding Port Jefferson streets for Heritage Weekend.
Liberty Balloon Company
The Liberty Balloon Company will be supplying a 60-by-60-foot hot air balloon to be stationed at the Village Center on Saturday. Carroll Teitsworth, a pilot from the company, will be sending a representative to conduct an educational presentation about the science behind the balloons and what makes them fly through the air.
The exhibition will address the history of ballooning as a means of transportation and the impact weather has on traveling by a balloon-suspended basket.
The display will be followed by a live demonstration featuring the inflated balloon in action.
Billy Mauff races his No. 5 Superboat boat. Photo from WHM Motorsports
By Joseph Wolkin
A Port Jefferson native tried to bring a high-speed boat race to his hometown, but concerns about logistics sank the plan before it could leave the dock.
The Port Jefferson Super Boat Grand Prix, an event that would have featured 25 to 30 speed boats racing through the Long Island Sound near Port Jefferson Harbor during the second week of September, will not take place after their sanctioning body, Super Boat International, couldn’t get approval for the event from town or village officials. SBI has held races across the United States, including in Patchogue in years past.
“It’s not because I don’t like boats or any of these other reasons that I don’t want to help my merchants or boost our economic development. It’s strictly public safety.” —Margot Garant
According to a Facebook post from Billy Mauff, a Port Jefferson native and the driving force behind the proposed race, the contest was removed from SBI’s schedule due to opposition from Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margot Garant and Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point). Mauff is an owner and drives for WHM Motorsports.
“It has always been a goal of mine to bring the sport that I love so much to my hometown, with all of the positive attributes that come along with it … including the local and national exposure that the racing will bring to the community as well as the substantial economic impact that the event would have on the Village of Port Jefferson and the surrounding areas,” Mauff said in the June 21 post on WHM Motorsports’ Facebook page.
Garant addressed her concerns about the event in a phone interview Aug. 1.
“We can barely handle Pokémon right now,” Garant said. “As much as we were thankful for them thinking of us to put us on the map for economic development, we only have 600 parking spaces here. When you’re taking away the main parking lot in the Town of Brookhaven … where is everybody parking? When you look at the things we struggle with on a daily basis on an average day in the height on the summer, it’s not attainable for us.”
Bonner declined to comment on the event.
Garant’s version of events leading up to the nixing of the race differs from Mauff’s. The Mayor hesitated to call what occurred a cancelation of the event, because village or town officials never approved it.
“[Mauff] took it upon himself to tell his organization that Port Jefferson would befantastic,” Garant said. “He came to see us in March and apparently, the organization he represented already advertised that it was happening without meeting with the Village of Port Jefferson, the fire departments and then, I sent him to the Town of Brookhaven because I don’t own the water. He was looking at staging this in the Town of Brookhaven parking lot, which is right across the street and a vital parking lot for us. He had this whole plan, but thing is, he failed to scope out the whole plan with all of us.”
Mauff said he began the process of obtaining all necessary permits in Nov. 2015. Barbara Ransome, director of operations for the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, said she has correspondence dating back to March with Mauff and other organizers of the event. According to Ransome, on Feb. 22, the Chamber of Commerce supported the race and sent a letter to the Village the Port Jefferson village business district, Mauff and his wife, June Connolly. Mauff said he also met with Bonner in May.
Connolly said Mauff and SBI had a plan to run buses to and from the area to Cedar Beach to ease traffic. She said officials quickly shot down the plan. Mauff was also in contact with the United States Coast Guard in an effort to secure a permit.
“I cannot express how deeply disappointed we are in the shortsightedness of Mayor Garant and Councilwoman Bonner as well as the Town of Brookhaven in allowing their complacency, fears, personal and political differences and interests and/or biases to defeat the race without, at least, giving us the opportunity to have the race voted upon by the public, the constituents they purportedly represent, before using political influences to block an event that they do not support,” Mauff said.
The proposed race would have followed this track. Politicians opposed the race for safety and congestion reasons. Photo from SBI
SBI’s races tend to draw crowds in the thousands, according to the organization’s website.
Mauff listed more than 40 businesses in his statement that he claims supported the event.
“He said he’ll have buses, but where are you going to put the buses,” Garant said. “How are the buses going to get on the hills. It’s not because I don’t like boats or any of these other reasons that I don’t want to help my merchants or boost our economic development. It’s strictly public safety.”
The historic Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum is open to the public. Photo by Wenhao Ma
By Wenhao Ma
Port Jefferson history buffs got a sneak peak back in time at an event July 21, which previewed new additions at one of the village’s most historic sites.
The exhibits on display at the historic Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum were revealed for those in attendance at the special event. The museum contains artifacts, including a handwritten letter legitimizing the involvement of Port Jefferson in George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War.
The historic Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum is open to the public with some added attractions. Photo by Wenhao Ma
The museum was first opened in 2011, though it was closed shortly after. The reopening of the house in 2015 was tied to the discovery of the letter, which is displayed at the museum and was written in 1780 by Loyalist solider Nehemiah Marks. The July 21 event also debuted the museum’s second floor, which had never previously been safe for occupancy, according to Georgette Grier-Key, village historian and curator of the house. She described the new addition as a “peek-a-boo deck” because visitors of the second floor can see some of the house’s exposed architecture, in addition to more exhibits that demonstrate the house’s history.
“It’s very significant to our shared American history,” Grier-Key said of the museum. “It’s a surviving Revolutionary War structure circa 1755.”
The house belonged to Philips Roe. He and his brother, Nathaniel Roe, according to the letter, were providing intelligence and supplies to Washington’s army.
The house, located today at West Broadway and Barnum Avenue across from Port Jefferson Harbor, has been moved several times during its history. The most recent move took place in 2008 when the house was restored and made into a museum with the help of Robert Sisler, Port Jefferson’s first historian who passed away earlier this month.
“It’s very significant to our shared American history…it’s a surviving Revolutionary War structure circa 1755.” —Georgette Grier-Key
A foundation had to be built under the house to raise it high above the ground because the house is in a floodplain, according to Jim Szakmary, who has been assisting Grier-Key in setting up the museum. Szakmary also said the house is so old that when restoring it they had to use steel rods that went all the way from the roof to the cement foundation to secure it.
Szakmary said private collectors and other museums donated or lent their collections to the Drowned Meadow Cottage museum in advance of the re-opening July 21.
“With the significance of the Culper Spy Ring,” said Mayor Margot Garant, who attended and spoke during the event, “it’s really mind-blowing to actually be standing in the house.”
The Eckford Base Ball Club is set to play a game with rules from 1864 during Heritage Weekend. Photo from Port Jeff Village
By Rebecca Anzel
Port Jefferson Village’s second annual Heritage Weekend is fast approaching. The event features more than 15 cultural and historical locations for residents and visitors to explore on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday Aug. 21. Each stop is set to include presentations with interesting information, historical photos of Drowned Meadow, as the village was previously known, and fun, interactive activities.
The Port Times Record will preview each of the featured locations around the village leading up to Heritage Weekend. This week includes a look at the pop-up exhibit of community favorite Grammas’ Sweets restaurant; an old-time baseball game at the chamber of commerce; a photograph exhibit and tour of Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum; and a historic schooner available for attendees to explore.
Grammas’ Sweets
Grammas’ original neon sign is being re-created by craftsmen for Heritage Weekend. Photo from Port Jeff Village
The Home Art Gallery on Main Street will soon transform into a pop-up exhibit of cherished town restaurant Grammas’ Sweets.
Jill Russell, Port Jefferson Village media relations and marketing consultant, is the weekend’s chairperson and the woman in charge of the event. She said the right side of the space will be transformed into a re-creation of what Grammas’ looked like, complete with a checkered floor, candy cases and a soda bar.
The left, occupying what now is a gallery space, will be a timeline that tells the story of Grammas’ through photography, stories and anecdotes. There will be soda jerks behind the counter showing off old menus and display cases containing vintage candy around the space.
“What’s really going to get everybody’s attention is the re-creation on the right side,” Russell said. “But for me, the stuff on the left is going to be very, very fascinating. I just love the entire exhibit — I really do — for different reasons, and I think others will too.”
Despite rumors of Grammas’ original sign being used in the space, Russell said it was destroyed. Instead, she is working with craftsmen to create a new sign that will fit over the Home Art Gallery’s. It will be based on a photograph Russell found of the original neon sign.
Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce
The Eckford Base Ball Club is set to play a game with rules from 1864 during Heritage Weekend. Photo from Port Jeff Village
The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce is hosting two attractions sure to draw in a crowd. Parked in front of the building on West Broadway will be several Model A Ford Club of America cars, which Chamber Director of Operations Barbara Ransome said will hopefully bring visitors inside the building, which was constructed in 1682.
The historic building, called Roe House, has ties to the Culper Spy Ring. Descendants of John Roe helped get information to General George Washington to help win the Revolutionary War.
Outside will be a vintage 9-inning baseball game played by rules used in 1864. The umpires will be operating using rules from that time, which Ransome said are “totally different from what we do today.” Village residents will be competing against players from Eckford Base Ball Club of Brooklyn — both teams wearing 19th century uniforms. A quick presentation will precede the game and the Chamber will be giving out ices.
Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum
The Lettie G. Howard schooner, one of the last vessels of its kind in existence, will be available for attendees of Heritage Weekend. Photo from Port Jeff Village
Down the road from the Chamber, on the corner of Barnum and West Broadway, sits Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum. Constructed around 1765, the building is named after the area’s original name.
Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, its historian and curator, will have two exhibits ready for Heritage Weekend. The first is called “History Squared,” where artists will use village archives to create artwork with various mediums on a 12×12 inch square. The second, called “Patriots’ Stand” will feature 28 rare prints from the American Revolution. Artifacts from Drowned Meadow will also be exhibited and tours of the building will be offered.
“This event is so exciting because it’s a way to celebrate our role in our nation’s independence,” Grier-Key said. “We take a lot of pride in this crowning jewel for Port Jefferson.”
Historic schooner
A national historic landmark schooner will be docked along the water. The craft, the Lettie G. Howard, was built in 1893 as a commercial fishing vessel and is one of the last vessels of its kind in existence. It will be representing Port Jefferson’s rich heritage of shipbuilding and be open to the public all weekend. Guides will be onboard to share the history of the boat and the village’s relationship with building such crafts.
Former Port Jeff Village Historian Robert Sisler leaves behind a lasting impact. File Photo
By Wenhao Ma
Port Jefferson Village mourned the death of its first historian and a proud, devoted community member earlier this month. Robert Sisler died July 2 at the age of 88.
Sisler was a Spanish teacher at Port Jefferson High School from 1953 to 1984 and headed the school’s Foreign Language and Reading departments. He served as a member and eventually became the chairman of the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals. He was also the chairman of the Harbor Committee, a village trustee and the deputy mayor in addition to being the first historian of the village.
“[Sisler] was a constant lover of the village…his love turned into action.” —Nomi Solo
“He was an integral and driving force for exploring, recording and documenting our local history,” Mayor Margot Garant said in an email. “His writings and lifelong work of preserving Port Jefferson will ensure that our children for generations to come will learn about our ship-building heritage, our car-building years and our influence and impact in the American Revolution.”
As a historian, Sisler wrote several books on the early years of Port Jefferson. Topics included shipbuilding, automobile manufacturing, moral ethics, the development of radio and television at RCA Radio Central in Rocky Point and other historical articles for TBR News Media.
Jack Smith, historian from the Cumsewogue Historical Society, shared an anecdote about one of his experiences with Sisler. He said he read an article on an automobile factory in Port Jefferson about eight years ago. He then contacted the author, who was Sisler, hoping to invite him to the society’s annual Heritage Day, which is meant to celebrate the history of the community, to give a group of fourth-graders a lecture. Sisler agreed.
“He was always willing to share,” Smith said. He recalled on that day Sisler didn’t just come talk to the kids about the factory, but brought his own old car. “It’s a very generous thing,” he said.
The historical society once received a unit brick from Sisler as donation, according to Smith. The unit brick is different from normal bricks because it’s shaped like the letter “U.”
“We always had a nice relationship,” Smith said. “He’s a very nice man … he knew so many different things about Port Jefferson.”
Sisler’s most recent contribution to Port Jefferson was the restoration of the two centuries-old Roe houses, named for the family of the first settlers in downtown Port Jefferson, according to the village’s historical society. The original owner, businessman Phillip Roe, used his resources to help George Washington pass information in the Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War.
The reason for Sisler to restore historical sites, according to Nomi Solo, who said she had known Sisler since the 1970s, was because it’s better for people to experience the history themselves than to look at the remaining pieces in a museum.
“He was a constant lover of the village,” Solo said. She added that Sisler was instrumental in the construction of the Village Center.
“His love turned into action,” she said. “He was a very, very, very caring individual. It’s a loss for the community.”
Author R.J. Torbert, left, talks about his new book with John Valeri of The Hartford Book Examiner. Photo by Wenhao Ma
By Wenhao Ma
The story of a Port Jefferson murderer — albeit a fictional one — was discussed at length by a novelist and his fans in the village on Saturday.
Author R.J. Torbert brought his new book “No Mercy,” which was released in June, to a question-and-answer session with more than a dozen readers at Port Jefferson Free Library on July 16. “No Mercy” continues the story of fictitious Detectives Paul Powers and Bud Johnson of Port Jefferson, who dealt with the mysterious murderer Ghost Face, in Torbert’s first novel, “The Face of Fear,” which was released in 2013.
“He turned [the Ghost Face mask] into a home town classic.” —Joseph Borozny
“When [readers] look at the cover, they think it’s a horror story,” Torbert said in an interview after the event, referring to the Ghost Face mask on the cover. “[But] this is a relationship story, a love story,” he said.
Torbert is the licensing director of Fun Wold, a Halloween costume company. His company created the Ghost Face as part of the Fantastic Faces series back in 1991.
Torbert noted that there are many differences between his books and “Scream,” the movie that made the mask famous back in the 1990s. He said that he did not design the iconic mask, but he did come up with the name Ghost Face and has been protecting its name and trademarks for years, and even fought to keep the character wearing the mask in the movies from doing anything bad enough to give too dark of a stigma.
Author R.J. Torbert poses with a fan of his newly released novel. Photo by Wenhao Ma
“[In the first novel], the person who wore the mask was not necessarily a bad person,” Torbert said.
He said that he had always wanted to write a book, but what turned his idea into action was a novel he read on a plane. He was so disappointed with the story that he started writing on that book. What he wrote eventually became “The Face of Fear.”
“He turned [the Ghost Face mask] into a home town classic,” Joseph Borozny, a Port Jefferson resident and a fan of Torbert’s books, said, adding that Torbert used the Ghost Face character to create something that’s real, not just fictional.
Borozny brought his family to the event, including his 14-year-old son, Joey, who received a Ghost Face mask from Torbert as a gift. “If you like horror movies,” Joey said, “this is the guy you’ll love to meet. And he’s a real nice guy.”
After the question-and answer-portion, Torbet signed copies of the book and posed for photos with fans.
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