Christmas at Meadow Croft

Christmas at Meadow Croft

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!

The Meadow Croft elves have been very busy these last few weeks planning, decorating, volunteering, organizing and making Meadow Croft BEAUTIFUL to celebrate Christmas at Meadow Croft 2021. We are grateful to be able to open this home, once again, for the holiday season.

On Saturday December 4th and Sunday December 5th from 12:00-4:00 Meadow Croft will be open to the public. Come see each room of the John Ellis Roosevelt estate alive with festive holiday decorations! There will be music played on the Roosevelt piano and pictures with Old Saint Nick in the Carriage House. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served! Many raffle baskets will be on display and holiday decorations and the baskets will be raffled off at the end of the weekend. A special sale of historical gifts will be on sale as well. We have great items including; local history books by author Gene Horton, ornaments, note cards, tote bags, and Meadow Croft prints. All of these items would make great holiday gifts! The admission fee is $5.00 per person.

We thank our chairperson Leanne Berg for her efforts in coordinating this event. We thank our many volunteers who have put in countless hours preparing for this weekend. We look forward to seeing YOU at Meadow Croft this weekend to celebrate the season.

Masks are encouraged but not mandatory.

Big picture

Nominations for BBPHA

The nominating committee is developing a slate of members for the 2022 board. There are several seats open; including directors. Any current paid BBPHA member may serve on the board. It requires only one meeting per month. If you would be willing to serve for the 2022 year, please contact John Amato at johnfamato@optonline.net.

We are also looking for members to serve on various committees throughout the year. You can work from home! If you have a particular skill or interest (house tour, special events, light clerical and organization) please contact us at BBPhistorical@gmail.com.

BBP Library is moving!

BBP Library is moving!

The BBP library will be moving from their current location on Blue Point Avenue to their new location, the former St. Ursula Convent located on Middle Road. They will be closed with limited service from December 1st through December 17th, 2021. Virtual programs will still take place and phone, chat and email services will run as normal. Opening day will be December 18th, 2021.

BBPHA General Membership meeting dates will be forthcoming. We look forward to viewing the new library, holding our meetings there and especially exploring the Gene Horton Local History Room.

The Bayport Gazebo at Christmas

The following story was printed in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette by Gene Horton and is reprinted with permission.

Holiday 2007

Is this a Norman Rockwell scene or not? The Bayport Gazebo in Memorial Park is all bedecked with holiday roping, red bows, strung lights and that lovely Christmas tree in the center of the gazebo. There's even a light smattering of snow seen in this recent photograph!

The Gazebo sits in Bayport's Memorial Park on Middle Road. It is a relatively "new" addition to the park. Memorial Park itself was begun after World War 2. The park is located immediately west of downtown Bayport on Middle Road and is bordered on the west by The Esplanade. The gazebo was built in the park around the year 2000 largely through a Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization grant and Bayport-Blue Point Neighbors and Gardeners. The gazebo is center stage every year for Bayport's Memorial Day parade and services. The gazebo, with its seats and lights, is also the scene for seasonal concerts and a focal point for the community. Every year, volunteers from the Bayport Heritage Association decorate the gazebo at Christmas. Bayport Fire Department generously donates the Christmas tree.

Memorial Park itself honors all the veterans who served fro Bayport from the American Revolution to recent times. Their names are engraved on a War Memorial Plaque. Memorial Park is managed by a Park Association in conjunction with the Town of Islip who maintains the park.

There is also an obelisk in the park commemorating the founding of Bayport in 1786. The flagpole in park is about ninety feet tall and was once the mast of a large ocean-going wooden ship. Stroll through Bayport Memorial Park and enjoy its seasonal beauty and meaningful monuments.

Big picture

St. Ann's Christmas Open House

Big picture

BBPHA Archives & Digitizes our old Newsletters

Greetings everyone and happy holidays. As reported in a previous newsletter, we have completed the project to digitize our newsletters from years 1894 to 2009. Now you all have viewing access to these newsletters from you computer. We are thankful to the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation who funded the program which was administered by the graduate history department of Long Island University, headed by Dr. Greg Hunter. The hard copies of the newsletters were sent to LIU and the students digitized them for web access. We are proud to offer them to all of our members for a look back in time. Follow these instructions for access. There is no log-in needed.


1. Use the link https://liu.access.preservica.com

2. Click on "Browse Collections."

3. Click on "Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association."

4. You will see the years in chronological order with the image of the front page.

5. Click on the year you would like to view

6. IMPORTANT: Click on "View Gallery" This tab allows you to scroll through the pages.

7. Scroll through the pages using the "Previous" and "Next " buttons at the top of the page.

Have fun looking into the past. The current board members want to thank the previous members for their hard work in creating the interesting stories and posting the photos which make these items the valuable artifacts that they are. Please provide feedback to us after you view these items. We are curious as to what you think. Thank you!

John Amato

BBPHA
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year! 
 
Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, USA  
bbphistorical@gmail.com  
631-472-4625  
BayportBluePointHeritage.org