23 Sep Autumn House Tour Tickets on Sale!
Bayport Heritage Autumn House Tour tickets are now on sale.
- Bayport Flower House, Bayport
- Bayport Blue Point Library, Blue Point
- Century 21 Bay’s Edge Realty, Sayville
Bayport Heritage Autumn House Tour tickets are now on sale.
Join us at our next general membership meeting on
Sunday, September 10th from 2:00-4:00 at the Bayport-Blue Point Library.
Well-known local historian Noel Gish will help us travel back in time with a Penny Postcard View of Long Island. Real photo postcards tell us so much about Long Island’s past. These photos sold for pennies and were sent through the US mail as a casual way of communication. The postcard period has long since ended with the advent of the telephone, text messaging, and emails. Yet these postcards are worthy of collecting for their beauty, their historical value, and as keys to our regional history. Most importantly, they offer us a glimpse into Long Island’s bygone days.
Noel Gish taught history at Hauppauge High School for 35 years. In 1973 he instituted one of the first Long Island History courses for high school students in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Mr. Gish is the former Associate Editor of the Long Island History Journal and in 1996 authored Smithtown 1660-1929: Looking Back through the Lens for the Smithtown Historical Society. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Collections Committee for the Suffolk County Historical Society.
Please join us for this informative and fun afternoon!
There will be a raffle and refreshments will be served.
works. One particular Bayport establishment, Gene Amann’s Bayport House, became the depository of an extraordinary number of John Hodge’s carved images. Gene Amann had befriended John Hodge and eventually employed him as a handyman. The tap room at the Bayport House became John Hodge’s unofficial showcase…everywhere you looked you could see John Hodge’s work displayed on the walls and hanging from the ceiling: birds and ducks everywhere, geese and birds in flight, fish attracted by a shiny lure, a native American in a canoe spearing salmon, hunting dogs pointing, a deer in flight from a fire, brown trout, a moose, hunters in a canoe…all in 3-D… carved and painted on boards & odd pieces of wood or even on the inside of wooden salad bowls…these were all John Hodge’s subjects and his artist’s focal point. In 1938, through Gene Amann, John Hodge’s work was displayed at the National Sportsmen’s Show in NYC’s Madison Square Garden. The following year, 1939, John Hodge also had samples of his work displayed at the Long Island Exhibit at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows. Sadly, in 1938, Elizabeth Hodge died, aged sixty. She’s buried in the Blue Point Cemetery. In 1942, John Hodge was appointed a uniformed ‘special constable’ by the Islip Town Board. Later, he was a crossing guard at Bayport High School. John Hodge continued to carve and paint even as his health began to fail. By 1955, he entered the Firemen’s Home in Hudson, NY due to ill-health. John Hodge died at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson on June 19, 1957 at the age of 89. He’s buried in the Firemen’s Cemetery in Hudson, NY.
So, if you’re lucky enough to own “a John Hodge,” treasure it!
Bayport Heritage Association
~ July 2017 Newsletter ~
Abandondoned Trunks: Clothing & costumes from the Gold Coast Era
Local historian Monica Randall has a wonderful display of Gold Coast 1920’s dresses that will be on display at Meadow Croft on Saturdays and Sundays from 2:00-4:00 in the ladies parlor. There is a $5.00 donation requested for this display. This will run from June through October. The house is also open for tours during these times as well.
During the sixties and seventies hundreds of the great estates were bulldozed to make way for new housing developments. The attics of these doomed palaces were often littered with steamer trunks filled with the most expensive gowns money could buy. These gowns, which could cost as much as $20,000, were worn in the heyday by the Gold Coast ladies of high society who hosted elaborate masquerade balls. Clothing items on display were worn by notable North Shore women such as the ladies of the Woolworth, Tiffany, Hutton, and Woodward families, as well as the Countess of Bismarck.
We hope you have the chance to come to Meadow Croft and view these beautiful historic gowns on display.
Concert in the Park!
Save the date! On August 10, 2017, from 6:00-8:00 PM, the BHA will be sponsoring a FREE Concert in Bayport Memorial Park! We are lucky to have Lazy Bunny Ukulele Band coming to play. Bring your lawn chairs, some bug spray, your favorite beverage and your dancing shoes! For a preview, see the video below. Thanks to BHA Director Dave Harenberg for setting this up for our community to enjoy.
Autumn House Tour
The BHA has sponsored an Autumn House Tour for more than 20 years showcasing the beautiful homes of residents in both Bayport and Blue Point. This year is no exception! We already have many commitments from our neighbors and friends which will make this years tour outstanding! The date of the tour will be October 22nd and tickets will be available mid-September. More information to follow.
There are a few spots left so if you have an unusual or historic home, and would be willing to showcase your abode, please give us a call or email for more information.
Help wanted…
The BHA is always looking for volunteers or new members to fulfill the vision and mission which is dedicated to the preservation, history and future of our BBP hamlet. If you are interested and have some time, we need you! All levels of help welcomed.
** Tour Guides (docents)** ~ if you love history then we have a job for you! Docents or house guides are needed two days a month, June through October, to show the historic Meadow Croft to visitors. It is not much of a time commitment and training will be provided. For more information or if you are willing to help, please call Harriet Mihlstin at 631-472-4625
** Garden help ** ~ Meadow Croft’s heirloom garden is in need of some hands to dig in the dirt. This garden is a replica of the original garden at the Meadow Croft estate dating back to the early 1900’s. If you can spare some time and some muscle, bring your gardening tools to Meadow Croft on Friday mornings (weather permitting) starting at 9:00 AM. Call Lorraine for more details at 516-459-0140.
Did you know……?
In July 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt left his home at Sagamore Hill, in Oyster Bay, NY, and rode on horseback to visit his Roosevelt cousins at Meadow Croft in Sayville. The President was accompanied by his son, Theodore Jr., and George and Jack Roosevelt, the teenaged nephews of the President. He stopped on Main Street to ask the milkman, John Beintema, for directions before continuing his journey. The ride took 4 hours to cover the 40-mile trip.
Voices from Bayport and Blue Point: An Oral History Project
The BBP Library has a wonderful series of audio files of people and memories from the Bayport and Blue Point communities. This month’s feature is about Janet DuBois. We hope you enjoy this month’s feature.
BBP-HS Scholarship winner
Each June, the BHA provides a $1000.00 Scholarship to a graduating senior from Bayport Blue Point High School . The students fill out the applications and the guidance counselors choose the recipient. This year’s winner was Danae Gregg. Congratulations and best wishes on your future endeavors!
Our guest speaker will be Ray Reilley. Ray, a Bayport Fire Department ex-chief, retired from the NYFD and Education Director of the Islip Town Fire Fighters Museum, will give a presentation on the history of our American Fire Services and a brief introduction to the Fire Fighters Museum. We hope to see you all on May 13th. Thank you!
May General Membership Meeting
Join us for our General Membership meeting on May 6th at 2:00 in the BBP Library. Our guest speaker will be Ray Reilley. Ray, a Bayport Fire Department ex-chief, retired from the NYFD and Education Director of the Islip Town Fire Fighters Museum, will give a presentation on the history of our American Fire Services and a brief introduction to the Fire Fighters Museum. The museums goal is to maintain as much of Islip Town’s Fire Service history as possible. The museum’s mission is a commitment to the historical preservation of Fire Departments, Public Safety Education, and Fire Fighters Safety programs. Islip’s 21 fire departments and 5 Ambulance corps have been working diligently collecting donated historical artifacts for the museums displays and exhibits for everyone’s enjoyment and for the preservation of the fire services history. The “Islip Town Fighter Fighters” museum’s home is located at a site next to Duck’s stadium, in Central Islip. They look forward to a partnership with other Community, Organizations, Businesses, Friends and Government support, in order to help reach their goals and to share their proud heritage with Long Island families. Looking forward to this event!
First Bloom Cocktail Party
Join us at Meadow Croft on June 9th from 6:00-9:00 PM and enjoy a glass of wine or an iced cold beer as you listen to soft jazz and delight in the company of your friends and neighbors. This event will be held outside and in the historic carriage house. Tables and chairs will be provided. Cheese platters and finger sandwiches will be served. The price is $30.00 per person and proceeds will benefit the continued efforts of preservation and restoring the Meadow Croft Estate.
If you are interested in attending, please send your check, with the names of those guests attending and a contact phone number to:
Bayport Heritage Association
P.O. Box 4
Bayport NY 11705
This event will occur rain or shine so please dress in comfortable clothing and note bug spray may be needed. We hope to see you there!
Oral History Project: Voices of Bayport and Blue Point
The BBP Library has a wonderful series of audio files of people and memories from the Bayport and Blue Point communities. This month’s feature is about the BBP Library, shared by the one-time director, Anna Davis. Mrs. Davis began working at the library in 1959. As a significant institution in our communities, Mrs. Davis shares her memories of her time working there. We hope you enjoy it!
Help wanted!
The BHA is always looking for volunteers or new members to fulfill the vision and mission which is dedicated to the preservation, history and future of our BBP hamlet. If you are interested and have some time, we need you! All levels of help welcomed.
** Tour Guides (docents)** ~ if you love history then we have a job for you! Docents or house guides are needed two days a month, June through October, to show the historic Meadow Croft to visitors. It is not much of a time commitment and training will be provided. For more information or if you are willing to help, please call Harriet Mihlstin at 631-472-4625
** Garden help ** ~ Meadow Croft’s heirloom garden is in need of some hands to dig in the dirt. This garden is a replica of the original garden at the Meadow Croft estate dating back to the early 1900’s. If you can spare some time and some muscle, bring your gardening tools to Meadow Croft on Friday mornings (weather permitting) starting at 9:00 AM. Call Lorraine for more details at 516-459-0140.
Abandoned Trunks; Clothing and Costumes from the Gold Coast Era
Local historian Monica Randall has a wonderful display of Gold Coast 1920’s dresses that will be on display at Meadow Croft on Saturdays and Sundays from 2:00-4:00 in the ladies parlor. There is a $5.00 donation requested for this display. This will run from June through October.
During the sixties and seventies hundreds of the great estates were bulldozed to make way for new housing developments. The attics of these doomed palaces were often littered with steamer trunks filled with the most expensive gowns money could buy. These gowns, which could cost as much as $20,000, were worn in the heyday by the God Coast ladies of high society who hosted elaborate masquerade balls. Clothing items on display were worn by notable North Shore women such as the ladies of the Woolworth, Tiffany, Hutton, and Woodward families, as well as the Countess of Bismarck.
We hope you have the chance to come to Meadow Croft and view these beautiful historic gowns on display.
House Tour
Every October the BHA organizes an Autumn House Tour of unique or historical homes found in our Bayport or Blue Point communities. If you have a home that might be featured or would like more information, please reach out to bbphistorical@gmail.com.
Memorial Day Parade
The Bayport Heritage Association will again march in the Bayport Memorial Day Parade. If you would like to join us, the line up begins on Connetquot Rd before 11:00 and the parade will march to the Bayport Memorial Park where the BHA will present a wreath. All members are invited to march. More information can be obtained by calling 631-472-4625.
Bayport Heritage Book
The publication, Bayport Heritage, originally published in 1997, is still available. The Bayport Heritage Association’s book from Arcadia Press sold out its original order of 2500 copies. If you didn’t have a chance to purchase one and would like to get one now, email Bbphistorical@gmail.com. The cost is $20.00. This is a great resource and chock full of Bayport history. It makes a great gift for Bayporters who have moved away. They are also for sale at Meadow Croft.
Correction…
On Sunday and email went out in reference to the passing of Barney Loughlin. The BHA regrets that an error was obtained in our research stating that Barney was an editor of the Suffolk County News. He was a typesetter there. Thank you to Michael Jahn for the correct information. Our apologies for the mistake.
Bayport Heritage Association
Facebook @BayportHistory
Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, United States
bbphistorical@gmail.com
631-472-4625
blog: bayportheritage.blogspot.com