BBP Heritage Association

Last month for our weekend tours (2:00-4:00) of the Meadow Croft Estate! Come visit us and see what life was like for the Roosevelt family in the 1900s. Private tours for groups can be arranged as well. We had a wonderful summer season and would like to thank all of our friends and community members for supporting the many events that we hosted.

Storms, Shipwrecks, Lifesavers and Light Keepers: The History of the Fire Island Lighthouse

Author: Angela Reich, PhD

October 13, 2024

2:00-4:00

BBP Library

Please join Angela Reich, Fire Island Lighthouse docent and author of Shipwreck of Hopes, a story of our Long Island maritime history. Learn about our local residents who manned our shores, responsible for maritime safety on the country’s busiest shipping lanes - the approach to New York Harbor.

Book sale to follow, with 20% of the afternoon's proceeds to be donated to the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association. $20.00, cash only. All invited to attend this informative meeting.

Save the date for November's General Membership meeting!

A Vanishing New York

John, Lazzaro, author, photographer

November 24, 2024

2-4pm BBP Library

Back by popular demand, photographer John Lazzaro will once again be presenting his

photographs documenting the remains of abandoned buildings and vanishing New York

architecture. New York is filled with forsaken buildings, each ravaged by the exploits of

modernization, each having fascinating histories. This photographic essay explores over 40 of

the most evocative abandoned sites in the Empire State and puts their individual stories in the

larger context of New York’s historical legacy. Photographer and author John Lazzaro traveled

the state, capturing what’s left of such places before they are inevitably swept away by time.

Divided by region, these sites, ranging from the Catskills’ once-vibrant vacation destinations to

Long Island’s melancholy psychiatric centers, reveal deeper social, cultural, and political

changes that lead to their decay. These abandoned hospitals, schools, churches, railways, and

estates offer us a view into a past rapidly dissolving before it disappears completely. The

presentation will include his approach to photography, inspiration for the book, and an education

and thought-provoking history of many of the sites visited and photographed.

Join the BBPHA for a fun day at the Community Expo sponsored by the BBP Chamber of Commerce and held this year on October 23, at the Bayport Flower Houses. This event will run from 4:00-8:00. This event draws over 2500 local attendees and showcases all of the local businesses and organizations from our communities. There will be food trucks, free kid activities, games & prizes, live entertainment and more!

Stop by the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association's table and play the Wheel of History game. Local history books will be given out as prizes. There will also be merch for sale! We hope to see you there!

On Saturday, October 19th 2024, from 11:00-12:00pm, the BBP LIbrary is offering a special tour of the Meadow Croft estate, from the servant's point of view. Trained docents will provide a unique tour and you will visit the newly refurbished servant's quarters and see how the summer household staff interacted with the wealthy John Ellis Roosevelt family. Learn about the caretakers and day workers who still have relatives in our communities. This event begins with a short lecture followed by a tour of work rooms and living quarters.

If you are interested, please reach out to the BBP Library as registration is required. You can register online or call the library for more information at 631-363-6133.

Save the dates: December 7th & 8th for our Christmas at Meadow Croft! This year's theme is A Candy Coated Christmas! It's never too early to start planning for our festive event! We always need volunteers to help in a variety of ways...Clean-up and set-up? Traffic control? Decorating? WE NEED YOU! We are also looking for musicians for the event (pianists & violinists or small groups) to play some holiday music. Maybe some HS students who need community service hours? If you know someone willing to volunteer an hour or so to play during the event, please call our chair; Leanne Berg at 631-235-1702.

These articles first appeared in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette.

They were written by Gene Horton and reprinted here with permission.

October 2002

This building, located at 208 Blue Point Ave., was built in 1917 as the Blue Point Post Office. It would serve as the post office for 35 years. In this 1942 photograph, part of the Blue Point School can be seen on the right and part of Nickelsen's Candy Store is on the left.

In 1917, John N. Cullen was postmaster of Blue Point. His salary was $1,000 a year. Blue Point had no home delivery of mail until 1953 when Maria Goodwin was postmaster. Consequently, in the 'good old days' the post office was a real focal point of the community. Blue Pointers had to go to the post office and pick up their mail. In 1952, Blue Point post office moved into a larger building on Blue Point Ave. where Salvation Army HQ is today. Eventually, Jimmy Cardamone (who now lives in Boynton Beach FL) opened a barber shop in the former post office building. From 1963 to 1967, Don Roeding of Blue Point ran 'Don's Barber Shop' here. Later, an alarm company was housed here. In Nov., 1980, 'Monte' and his wife, Pat, opened a hair salon here called "JAMS, the Hair Place." Monte explains how JAMS got its name: "The first initial of my two daughters: Julia and Alexandra Monte Salon, hence JAMS." Today JAMS draws not only local customers but also 'ladies and gents' from all over Long Island.

Over the past 85 years, this former post office building hasn't changed much structurally and it remains as an important business building on blue Point Ave. today.