CLOSE
Tags Posts tagged with "Smithtown History"

Smithtown History

by -
0 2000
Photo from Mystic Seaport Museum

By Don Hawkins

The Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, is a popular day trip destination via ferry for Long Islanders. It is the largest maritime museum in the United States. Most of the historic buildings were brought there from the New England area to recreate a seaport village.

Photo from Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport is well known for its large collection of 19th century sailing vessels. One of these vessels is the oyster sloop, Nellie, which was built in Smithtown in 1891 and is prominently displayed in the water alongside the historic Thomas Oyster Co. shucking house. The following is Nellie’s story.

Franklin Darling Hawkins (1847-1933) was a lifelong Smithtown resident, whose paternal and maternal ancestors had deep ties to the Nissequogue River area. He is the acknowledged builder and documented first owner of Nellie (Dec. 19, 1891 to Jan. 17, 1897). Capt. Frank built several small sloops and schooners at his residence on the east bank of the Nissequogue River, including Nellie. Hawkins’ house, built by his grandfather, Gilbert Hawkins, was located on River Road in what is now the Village of Nissequogue. His boat building yard was along the riverfront.

During the seven years that Hawkins owned and captained Nellie, she was based at Port Jefferson Harbor. It is reported that he also moored her in the river at his property. The sloop dredged oysters in the Long Island Sound off the North Shore of the Island using steel basket-like dredges that were hauled onto the deck when full.

Hawkins sold Nellie Jan. 17, 1897, to Josiah Stamps of Central Islip. Stamps moved Nellie over to the oyster-rich Great South Bay off the South Shore of Long Island and based her in Patchogue. Nellie only remained with Stamps for about 3 1/2 years, after which he sold it to James A. Ryle of Stamford, Connecticut, on June 1, 1900.

Ryle renamed the oyster sloop the Nellie A. Ryle and operated her for many years in the Long Island Sound off the Connecticut shoreline. In 1914, Ryle removed Nellie A. Ryle’s mast and rigging, equipped her with an engine and dredged oysters in his private oyster beds. A maritime law, in effect from the 1880s through 1969 prohibited motor power vessels from harvesting oysters in natural growth oyster beds. It was only on privately owned, seeded oyster beds where motorized vessels could be used.

The then current document on Ryle’s ownership of Nellie A. Ryle expired July 26, 1926, when it was surrendered at Bridgeport, Connecticut. The vessel, however, was still documented in the 1963 edition of “Merchant Vessels of the United States.”

It is assumed that the oyster sloop remained with the Ryle family until it was purchased for Mystic Seaport by the Society for the Preservation of the Nellie A. Ryle. The sloop was still seaworthy and operating as a powerboat when Mystic Seaport Museum acquired it in 1964.

The history of Nellie or Nellie A. Ryle brought forward to her new home port at Mystic Seaport was that she was built in Smithtown in 1818 by Slope and Scudder. This information was proved incorrect. The New York Times archival articles from 1964 perpetuated this wrong information, which probably lingered from inaccurate, early Smithtown historical accounts of the oyster sloop.

Not long after Mystic Seaport acquired Nellie A. Ryle, the museum staff questioned her 1818 date. Furthermore, no record existed for a Slope and Scudder shipbuilding firm in Smithtown. The curator of the museum at the time, John Leavitt, contacted the National Archives for the documentation on the oyster sloop.

The National Archives did not have the record of the vessel’s builder, but it did verify Frank Hawkins as the first documented owner in 1891. Hawkins is the presumed but undocumented builder of the Nellie. The Mystic Seaport Museum renamed the oyster sloop the original name of Nellie, acknowledging her origin in Smithtown. The name Nellie appears on both sides of the bow, while the stern has the lettering Nellie-Stamford, CT as  a tribute to Nellie’s last home port before arriving at Mystic in 1964.

In 1965 Mystic Seaport replaced Nellie’s missing mast and rigging, based on plans from similar sized oyster sloops. The museum did a restoration on Nellie in 1972 and a second one in 2001. Nellie’s entire deck, most of the ribs and some of the hull planks were replaced in the two restorations. It is estimated that about 40% of Nellie is original, which is remarkable for a vessel that is almost 120 years old.

Hawkins would have spent many months building Nellie. The boards he used were probably cut at the sawmill at the Head of the River in Smithtown. Hand tools such as planes, chisels, adzes and saws were used to shape the boards used for Nellie.

Nellie was obviously well constructed to have endured almost 120 years in the water. The length of the deck is 32 feet, 7 inches with a maximum width of 12 feet, 9 inches. It has a low-sided hull with a distinctive curved stern.

Of the hundreds of oyster sloops that once plied the waters off Long Island, there are only three that still remain afloat: Nellie (1891) at Mystic Seaport; Christeen (1883) at Oyster Bay and Priscilla (1888) at the Long Island Maritime Museum in West Sayville. Each has had extensive restorations.

The question remains as to why Hawkins named his oyster sloop, Nellie. There is the likely possibility that he named the sloop in honor of his father, (Capt.) Edward Nelson Hawkins (1810-1865), who may have had the nickname of Nellie.

Don Hawkins lives in Wading River, and Frank Darling Hawkins is his great, great uncle. The author would like to thank Caren Zatyk at the Long Island Room of the Smithtown Library, who provided him with information on Hawkins’ residence and boat building activity at the Nissequogue River. Also, Maribeth Quinlan at the Mystic Seaport Collections and Research Room for providing him with the museum’s file on Nellie, including National Archives information.

by -
0 2947
The Ebo Hill mansion is returning to its former glory after a devastating fire burned it to its studs last year. Photo from Facebook

Last year a pizzeria owner never would have imagined that his love for an old mansion would take him from hope, to devastation, and back to hope.

It was March 26 last year when Ebo Hill, a nearly 175-year-old three-story mansion on Edgewood Avenue in Smithtown, burned to its studs. Owner Richard Albano bought the house just a few weeks before with the hopes of restoring it to its former glory. Hundreds of firefighters from Smithtown Fire Department as well as surrounding areas were on the scene to fight the fire.

A fire started inside a second-floor wall next to the fireplace in Ebo Hill March 26. Photo by Laura Johanson

A year later, Albano said, at times, he’ll be driving at night down Edgewood and feels he can still see the flames.

“In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday, and sometimes it feels like it was decades ago,” he said.

Fire inspectors found that the fire started inside a second-floor wall next to the fireplace, which had been in use earlier that day. Albano said floor beams were about a foot into the chimney for support and over the years the mortar decayed, which allowed the heat to get to the beams and start the fire.

The homeowner, formerly of Deer Park and owner of Richie’s Pizza in both Deer Park and Commack, was looking for a new house when he stumbled upon Ebo Hill, a home that included 17 bedrooms, two kitchens, a ballroom and numerous bathrooms. The house, which hadn’t been occupied since 2001, belonged to descendants of Smithtown founder Richard Smythe for generations and was once the starting point for the town’s fox hunts.

While he could have sold the property after the fire, Albano said he didn’t give up hope in living in his dream home. With the house’s 1908 floor plans in hand — found by his fiancé at the Smithtown Library — he decided he would replicate the mansion.

Albano said he is grateful for the mild winter, which created favorable conditions for construction. The outside of the home should be completed in the next month, and he’s hoping the landscaping and driveway will be done in the middle or end of May. The HVAC system is already done, and the electricity and plumbing will be completed in the next couple of weeks.

Albano said the home was once moved back on the property, and he rebuilt it 125 feet forward from the original location, which has given him 200 feet of backyard and more than 200 feet of front yard, which has also made the house more centrally located on the property.

Smithtown Historical Society historian Brad Harris said when he first heard of the fire last year he thought history was lost.

“I figured that was the end of it,” Harris said.

The remains of Ebo Hill mansion after the March 26 fire. Photo by Rita J. Egan

However, after meeting with Albano he realized the homeowner had a deep appreciation for its history, and the historian thinks he’s doing a good job in replicating the mansion.

Albano said during his journey with Ebo Hill, besides meeting with Harris, people who have lived in the neighborhood for decades and others who lived in the home have shared their stories with him. With an appreciation of the property’s history, Albano salvaged anything he could from the rubble left behind after the fire. He said steel beams that were still standing after the fire will be incorporated into items such as a table. Flooring from a room he called the ballroom will be used for a closet floor. Also, he had a needlepoint of a Christian hymnal verse and the original weather vane in a storage unit.

“I just want to use as much as possible out of the home,” he said.

Albano said he has been overwhelmed with the support he’s received from the community. As soon as news of the fire broke, social media began buzzing and many who belong to the Facebook page he created to document the renovation of the mansion encouraged him to replicate the structure.

“I’m just amazed at how supportive a community can be,” he said, adding Town of Smithtown officials from Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) to the building department, inspectors and engineering department also have been a big help to him.

“Everybody wants to see the home rebuilt, and I will replicate it the best I can,” he said.

Michal Frankowski, an IT worker who is currently starting a construction company, has worked with Albano on the house since last year. He said when he first saw the remains of the mansion he was surprised that the homeowner was planning to restore it.

“He really loves that place, the whole lot,” Frankowski said. “That old mansion, he just really wants to show the people a replica of it, and I admire him for it.”

He said Albano hasn’t seemed stressed at all, even though he’s sure he is, but he keeps things under control. Frankowski, who recently moved to Kings Park from Bushwick, said he wasn’t too familiar with the history of the mansion but is looking forward to learning more about it in the future.

“That place is magical,” Frankowski said. “Just walking around it. I don’t know there’s something in there. Something in it that has really good energy. I’m really looking forward to it being done.”

While reconstructing the house was a financial undertaking that Albano wasn’t prepared for, the homeowner said he’s a passionate person who isn’t afraid to take on a big project.

“I fell in love with the home,” he said. “It’s tough to rationalize what you should do when you’re in love with something like I am with this home.”

Albano said he is looking forward to sharing his love for the mansion with residents after construction and before he moves in by opening the house to the public for one day. For updates of the Ebo Hill mansion construction, visit The Mansion at Ebo Hill Facebook page.

by -
0 343

New owner hopes to have property tracing its roots back to town's founder restored in a year

Ebo Hill mansion on Edgewood Avenue in Smithtown. Photo from Facebook.

A Commack pizzeria owner has purchased one of Smithtown’s historic mansions in the hopes of lovingly restoring it with his own two hands.

Richard Albano, owner of Richie’s Pizza in both Commack and Deer Park, became the landowner of Ebo Hill mansion on Edgewood Road March 8. Albano began renovating the three-story house nearly a month ago, unable to wait until the sale of the property was finalized.

“I feel a lot of passion for this home,” he said. “I’m working on it every day, restoring it. My goal is to make it look as it was when it was brand new.”

Richard Albano, on left, in front of Ebo Hill mansion. Photo from Facebook.

Albano, of Deer Park, said he stumbled upon the nearly 175-year-old mansion once owned by descendants of Smithtown’s founder, Richard Smythe, while hunting for a larger home for himself. Upon seeing it, he reached out to prior owner, RichardLongobardi, to inquire if it was for sale. Albano said he flipped eight houses in 10 months to raise funds necessary to purchase the property, then set up a tour.

“It’s so majestic,” he said. “Walking through the house on a 20-degree day with two flashlights in hand, you would expect it to be eerie. The house still had this warm, homey feeling to it.”

Albano declined to share the final sale price he negotiated with Longobardi for the historic property.

Albano admitted that despite flipping houses, or purchasing properties and reselling for profit since 1984, he has never taken on a project of this size or magnitude before. The more than 11,000-square-foot mansion, which he heard was last inhabited in 2001, contains 16 bedrooms, two kitchens, a master ballroom, and numerous bathrooms that have many of the building’s original fixtures.

According to “Colonel Rockwell’s Scrap-book” published by the Smithtown Historical Society in 1968, the house was built around 1846. It once belonged to Obadiah Smith, a great-grandson of Richard Smythe, before eventually becoming the homestead to Ethelbert Marshall Smith, another Smythe descendent, in 1877.

Albano said as he’s started renovating he’s found items spanning back through the centuries dating as far back as Ethelbert Smith’s years of ownership. A steel beam supporting the house’s structure is clearly marked “E.M. Smith” while the main staircase still has “Smith” written on it in pencil.

Beam inside Ebo Hill house with “E.M. Smith” written on it. Photo from Facebook.

“Nobody at any point in time ripped anything apart to go replace it with something new,” Albano said. “They kept the original things working. I appreciate it very much.”

Other recent discoveries include the home’s original weather vane, a pogo stick, and a stitched needlepoint piece bearing the title of the Christian hymn “Nearer, My God, to Thee” found under the floorboards in the attic. Albano said it wasn’t until he tore the boards off the windows that he found the location of the refrigerated walk-in box, which he said was believed to be the first of its kind on Long Island.

One change made to the original house that its new owner wishes to undo is its location. The house was once moved from the northeast corner of Edgewood and Landing to sit further back on the property by Smith, according to “Colonel Rockwell’s Scrap-book.” Albano said he will be hiring a moving company to lift and move the house forward, setting it on a new foundation to improve stability and create a backyard.

The new owner said there have been a few issues with people trespassing in the home as work has been underway, but said it’s been largely out of curiosity rather than malicious intent.

“Once it’s presentable, I intend to open it up to the public for a day,” he said. “It’s part of Smithtown’s history.”

Albano said he hopes to move in and take up residency as soon as possible. If everything goes smoothly, he hopes to have the mansion renovated in about a year.

by -
0 379
Smithtown celebrates its 350th anniversary with the unveiling of a new statue of founder Richard Smith. Photo by Eric Santiago

By Eric Santiago

Smithtown celebrated its 350th anniversary Saturday morning with the unveiling of a new statue– this time of the town’s legendary founder– Richard Smith.

Commissioned by the Smithtown-based Damianos Realty Group, the bronze sculpture joins the emblematic “Whisper the Bull” as the latest figure to immortalize the town’s history. The $300,000 statue stands outside of a Damianos-owned office building at the intersection of Main Street and Route 111.

“Here was a person who laid eyes on this land and said this is a great, great place,” Cristofer Damianos said. “It’s still true 350 years later.”

Local officials praised the Damianos’ efforts at a jam-packed ceremony on the building’s lawn.

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said he was impressed with the attention that was drawn to the event.

“As you look at this crowd you are reminded with every glance how great of a town this is– that you all would be here on what is a beautiful Saturday morning” he said. “This is Smithtown.”

Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio (R) added that hoped Smith would approve of how the town has evolved over the last three centuries.

Smithtown celebrates its 350th anniversary with the unveiling of a new statue of founder Richard Smith. Photo by Eric Santiago
Smithtown celebrates its 350th anniversary with the unveiling of a new statue of founder Richard Smith. Photo by Eric Santiago

“I don’t know if [Richard] ‘Bull’ Smith could ever have imagined Smithtown as it is today,” he said. “I don’t imagine he would think some guy with an ‘O’ on the end of his name would be making a speech about him,” he said to laughs from the crowd. “But I hope Mr. Smith would pleased with our stewardship of Smithtown.”

According to legend, Smith was an English colonist settling in the new world when he made a pact with a group of Native Americans. He could keep whatever land he managed to circle in a day while riding his now-famous bull, Whisper. As the story goes, Smith set out on the longest day of the year in 1665 and covered the borders of modern day Smithtown.

Historians have since debunked the story, but the myth still an important part of the town’s culture.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) referenced it in his remarks at the ceremony.

“It’s nice to see the man who rode the bull getting his own statue, right here in Smithtown,” he said. Bellone added the event was “an incredible occasion for the community to come together and celebrate the founding of this great town.”

The real story behind Smithtown’s founding is more complicated.

According to Smithtown historian Brad Harris, the land that would become the town was originally owned by the Nissequogue Native Americans. Grand Sachem Wyandanch awarded the land to Englishman Lion Gardiner in 1659. Gardiner had helped return Wynandanch’s daughter, the princess, after she was kidnapped by the Narragansett Native Americans.

Meanwhile Smith was living with his family in nearby Setauket. According to Harris, Gardiner and Smith were friends, and when the Narragansett finally released the princess to Wyandanch, it was actually done at Smith’s house in Setauket. Then in 1663 Gardiner sold the Nissequogue lands to Smith.

Two years after this Smith had his claim to the land ratified by New York Governor Richard Nicolls. Nicolls then awarded Smith “The Nicolls Patent of 1665,” which solidified the claim. This is the document displayed in the statue’s left hand.

“So now you know the real story,” said Harris. “And I would just like to point out, it had nothing to do with bulls.”

 

TBR News Media is your local news and entertainment website.
We provide you with the latest breaking news and information for your community.
Contact us: [email protected]

Most Viewed

©