September 2017 Newsletter
John Hodge Exhibit at Meadow Croft
JOHN HODGE of Bayport
By Gene Horton
The following was written by Gene Horton in reference to the talented artist, John Hodge. An exhibit of his work will be on display at Meadow Croft in September and October. The house will be open from 2-4 on weekends for tours. Stop by and view these beautiful pieces of art.
John Hodge was one of the most talented people ever to reside in Bayport, Long Island. He is remembered today primarily as a local folk artist, painter and wood carver. John Hodge was born in New York City in 1868 but spent most of his life in Bayport. In 1889, he joined the New York City police department. He worked at the Eldridge Street Station as a patrolman. However, he decided early-on to give up that job and return to Bayport. Throughout his life, John Hodge’s employment was varied and sporadic; a jack-of-all-trades. At various times, he was an interior and exterior house painter. He also painted outdoor signs. In 1897, he opened a bicycle repair shop in Bayport with Sanford Weeks. He joined the Bayport Fire Department and, in 1898, organized and led a fife & drum corps in the department. John Hodge was musically talented. On August 13, 1900, John Hodge married Elizabeth Bennett of Blue Point. The Bennetts owned and operated a large greenhouse business (on the site of the present Bayport-Blue Point Public Library). However, Elizabeth Bennett’s parents did not approve of their daughter marrying John Hodge. But John and Elizabeth went ahead and were married anyway. Rev. George T. Freeman conducted the 1900 nuptials in Bayport. Sadly, it would not be a happy, bliss-filled marriage, although they did have four children. The marriage had its ups, downs and separations. John and Elizabeth Hodge’s home, now gone, was located on the northeast corner of Fairview Ave. and Academy St. John Hodge, however, would emerge over the years as a super-talented man known especially or his combined painted and carved
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!
By Gene Horton
The following was written by Gene Horton in reference to the talented artist, John Hodge. An exhibit of his work will be on display at Meadow Croft in September and October. The house will be open from 2-4 on weekends for tours. Stop by and view these beautiful pieces of art.
John Hodge was one of the most talented people ever to reside in Bayport, Long Island. He is remembered today primarily as a local folk artist, painter and wood carver. John Hodge was born in New York City in 1868 but spent most of his life in Bayport. In 1889, he joined the New York City police department. He worked at the Eldridge Street Station as a patrolman. However, he decided early-on to give up that job and return to Bayport. Throughout his life, John Hodge’s employment was varied and sporadic; a jack-of-all-trades. At various times, he was an interior and exterior house painter. He also painted outdoor signs. In 1897, he opened a bicycle repair shop in Bayport with Sanford Weeks. He joined the Bayport Fire Department and, in 1898, organized and led a fife & drum corps in the department. John Hodge was musically talented. On August 13, 1900, John Hodge married Elizabeth Bennett of Blue Point. The Bennetts owned and operated a large greenhouse business (on the site of the present Bayport-Blue Point Public Library). However, Elizabeth Bennett’s parents did not approve of their daughter marrying John Hodge. But John and Elizabeth went ahead and were married anyway. Rev. George T. Freeman conducted the 1900 nuptials in Bayport. Sadly, it would not be a happy, bliss-filled marriage, although they did have four children. The marriage had its ups, downs and separations. John and Elizabeth Hodge’s home, now gone, was located on the northeast corner of Fairview Ave. and Academy St. John Hodge, however, would emerge over the years as a super-talented man known especially or his combined painted and carved
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!
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Christmas at Meadow Croft
Save the dates! Christmas at Meadow Croft
will be December 2nd and 3rd from 12:00-4:00. The theme this year will
be Silver and Gold! Volunteers
are needed to help with this event. Please call Leanne Berg if you are
interested or have a display that fits our theme. Her number is
631-235-1702. There will be raffles, and decorations and ornaments will
be raffled off at end of 2nd day. Winner need not be present.
Refreshments will be served. St Nicholas, piano music and more! More
information to follow next month.
