BBP Heritage Association
~ August 2022 Newsletter~
Welcome August!
House Tours of Meadow Croft are happening every weekend from 2:00-4:00. Come check out the summer home of J.E. Roosevelt and what life was like in 1900. Lots of updates and additions.
Our General Membership meetings will continue in September-November. Check out the dates and schedule below. We have our Historic Sunset Boat Cruise happening on August 10th. This event has just sold out! An Historic Bike Tour is also planned on September 17th through Bayport and Blue Point. It is about a 10 mile ride that will cover all of the historical & significant homes in our area. You'll need to sign up on our website as there is a limit for the number of riders and a nominal fee on our website, check it out for more information.
Our traditional Autumn House Tour is in the planning stages and we still need a couple of homes to round out the day. If you have an historical or architectural significant home, please consider your home for our tour. contact us for more information. Finally, our yearly signature event, Christmas At Meadow Croft will be held on December 3rd & 4th this year. Mark your calendars for another wonderful festive event.
More information on all of these events can be found on our webpage or below. Mark your calendars for these wonderful community events!
Historic Boat Tour
SOLD OUT!
Looking forward to a wonderful evening on the Great South Bay!
Thank you to all who purchased tickets.
Scenes from last year's tour below.
BBPHA Bike Tour
A former summer hot spot for the rich and famous, this locality has been home to Nobel Prize recipients, actors, singers, entrepreneurs, and famous families and leaders. Did we mention the best beer and oysters??
Join us as historian Frank Giebfried leads the tour throughout Bayport and Blue Point. This will be about a 10 mile tour into our South Shore communities past. Highlights include not only stunning water views, but the former homes and playgrounds of the likes of Roosevelt, Morgan, the founder of the Salvation Army, the Noble Prize recipient in Physics, and some famous musicians and actors of years ago.
To register for this event, please visit our website found here. There is a limited number of riders and a $10.00 fee. An FAQ is also available. Join us for this event!
General Membership Meetings
These meetings are open to all and are presented at the Bayport-Blue Point Library.
Save the dates!
George Munkenbeck
Tracing Your Homes History
September 11, 2-4pm
Every structure has a history, a genealogy. How does one go about discovering the history of the home you live in? It is both easy and difficult as in New York State the records are not in a central location, but that makes the hunt for information an adventure in research! This program is designed to let you know where to look, give you some hints on where information is housed and tips on how to trace the story of the property you live on. Please join the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association and Islip Town Historian George Munkenbeck for this fascinating discussion. All are welcome to attend.
Chris Kretz
Long Island and the Spirit of the Times in the Early 1800's
October 16, 2-4pm
Brian Maher
My Father and Theodore Roosevelt
November 20, 2-4pm
Christmas at Meadow Croft
The Lost Buildings of Middle Road
The John Hawkins house: In 1858 John Hawkins built his farmhouse on the south side of Middle Road on the current site of the Methodist church's community center just east of East Lane. John Hawkins, son of Gersham Hawkins, one of Bayport's early settlers and a Civil War veteran, owned this home pictured below from 1858 until 1871. The home was built using interlocking frame construction with wooden pegs holding timbers together. Mary Coger took ownership of the home in 1871. The Coger family owned the home from 1871 until 1910 when John Hamburger bought the home. The house was sold to the Bayport Methodist Church in 1956. The church used it as a Sunday school and community house called Wesley House until 1960 when the home was demolished to make room for a parking lot which is still in use today.
The Homan Farmhouse: On the North side of Middle Road at the site of what is now Sloan Court, stood the farmhouse of Walter Homan, pictured below. In 1840 Daniel and Nancy Howell conveyed a 50 acre farm to Charles Homan. At that time, the farmhouse or part of it was probably there. By 1858, Charles's son Walter is shown on maps as the owner. Walter Homan is listed as a farmer in census records of the time. For the years 1892 to 1894, Walter Homan served as Bayport's postmaster using part of his home as Bayport's fourth post office. In later years it was the Isaac Homan homestead. By 1902 the home and property were owned by Wood and Brown. On a map of 1938 the house was still shown but by 1946 the house was gone. The property is currently occupied by #545 Middle Road and the Sloan Court development.
This story was written by John Amato using resources created by Don Weinhardt. This begins a series on the lost homes of Middle Road.
Special Thanks!
Blue Point in the 1950's and Today
These articles first appeared in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette and were written by Gene Horton. They are reprinted here with permission.
Here is an old photo of a Montauk Highway icon on the Blue Point-Patchogue border for the 1950's: Carvel. This Carvel outlet stood on the north side of Montaul HIghway right across the way from Atlantic Avenue.
Technically, the address was in Patchogue but it straddled the Patchogue-Blue Point border. Everyone who remembers the 1950's can easily remember that Carvel Cone on the roof of each Carvel outlet.
This photo (which was sent to me by Bob Parente in 2012) was probably taken at the grand opening of this Carvel sometime in the 1950's. And who can forget Tom Carvel and his gravel-like voice pitching his soft ice cream on the media.
Over the years, this building has actually been extensively renovated to house various businesses. For awhile, it was Guy's Ristorante & Pizza place. More recently, it was the home of Meson Ole, and now a new business, Don Quijote, is getting ready to open there.
But old-time Blue Pointers fondly remember this place when it was Carvel.
BBP Heritage Association
Email: bbphistorical@gmail.com
Website: www.BayportBluePointHeritage.org
Location: Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, USA
Phone: 631-472-4625
Facebook: facebook.com/bayportbluepointheritageassociation.com
Twitter: @BayportHistory