BBP Heritage Association

Our weekend tours (2:00-4:00) of the Meadow Croft Estate are still happening, now through the month of October. 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.

Buried Long Island

Alyssa Gutierrez, Author

Sunday, September 15, 2024

BBP Library 2-4pm

Join us as author Alyssa Gutierrez discusses Long Island’s colonial history through the lens of ancient burying grounds. From the first settlers of Southold to the Revolutionary spies of Oyster Bay, local history can be found in spectacular burying grounds all over the island. Colonial history is on full display in epitaphs, folk art, and even unmarked graves of marginalized individuals who once called Long Island home. Alyssa will be signing copies of her book, “Buried Long Island: History Set in Stone” and answering questions about colonial burial practices.

Save the date for October's meeting:

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

Angela Reich, PhD, Author

October 13, 2023

What a fantastic night for our historic boat tour on the Great South Bay! We were so lucky to have a sold out ferry and the weather was in full cooperation...thank you Mother Nature! Everyone was relaxed and in good spirits as they listened to our local historian, Frank Giebfried who shared the fascinating history of our shoreline. Special thanks to Gene Horton, past member and director of the BBPHA and local historian who wrote the historical text used for this tour.

It was a glorious sunset as the ferry docked at The View Restaurant so our guests could enjoy some time and a cocktail off the boat. A full moon was on full display as we made our way back to the Sayville Ferry dock. Thank you to all who joined us! It was a great night on the Great South Bay!

Have you noticed the work being done down at the end of Blue Point Avenue? Avery’s Five Mile Look was one of the many sea side Hotels and Inns located on Blue Point Avenue. Blue Point was actually a summer mecca from around the 1890s through the 1930s. In the days before air conditioning, city people especially loved spending the summer here, enjoying the cool breezes, the calm waters and sandy bottom of our Great South Bay. Avery's Five Mile Look unfortunately succumbed to fire in 1939. The concrete wall surrounding this hotel is still partially standing today. The Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association and the Blue Point Civic Association have been working with Suffolk County DEC and local environmental groups to bring a little bit of that history back to life. We have had many locals donating their time and skill to making this happen. Keep watching to see the progress!

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.

August 2005

A scene from the Blue Point Beach years ago...Blue Point Beach was located on the west side at the foot of Blue Point Avenue. It is a NYS Wetland Preserve area today. But years ago, it was the center of summer beach activity in Blue Point. As seen in the picture above, The Five Mile Look hotel has a turret on the top. A long plank boardwalk extended out into the Great South Bay. This boardwalk had two wooden "chutes" or slides. Notice the old-time bathing "costumes"; tops were in fashion for both men and women.