Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association

The Bayport Heritage Association was formed in 1983 and is dedicated to the preservation of the history of Bayport. The association has an extensive collection of archival photographs, vintage clothing, artifacts and books. Through the years, the group has been particularly active in the restoration of Meadow Croft, a John Ellis Roosevelt summer home and now a historical museum on the border of Bayport and Sayville. The association provides lectures and resources- educational, historical, environmental and social programs and services for the community and interested public. In June 2018, Blue Point joined the Association to include both communities.

Tour Meadow Croft information here.

Friday, November 19, 2021

Christmas Event Dates 2021

Monday, November 1, 2021

November 2021 Newsletter

Welcome November!

It's the season of Thanks and we want to Thank you! Thank you to the hundreds of new friends and neighbors who came out from June through October to tour Meadow Croft, the summer home of John Ellis Roosevelt. The BBPHA has worked tirelessly to provide new exhibits, and opportunities to bring in more people and expose the wonderful history of life on the South Shore of Long Island in early 1900's. It's our wonderful friends and guests who help move our mission forward of preserving the history and future of Bayport and Blue Point. Thank you!

Christmas at Meadow Croft

It's almost time for our Annual Christmas at Meadow Croft! This year's event will be held on December 4th & 5th, 2021. There will be special exhibits, electric trains, dolls, wood carvings, and of course St. Nicholas will be there. The Roosevelt piano will be filling the air with holiday music and the festive decorations and baskets will be raffled off. The theme this year will be;

Dashing Through The Snow!

Special preview night on Saturday December 4th from 7:00-9:00 PM. A special guided tour of the full estate in all it's Christmas glory as well as refreshments served. This preview is for adults only and is $25.00 per person. Tickets are limited to 50 people and can be purchased on our website here.

Save the dates! December 4th and 5th from 12:00-4:00.

Help wanted: If you can lend a hand with parking for this event (directing traffic), on either day, please contact John Amato by email. johnfamato@optonline.net

Christmas preparations are underway! But we need your help! We are looking for pianists who would be interested in volunteering an hour of their time to fill Meadow Croft with Christmas music played on the Roosevelt Grand Piano. Could this be you??

We are also looking for community groups, businesses or decorators who would like to participate in decorating a room for this event! Please call event chairperson Leanne Berg at 631-235-1702 if interested. Thank you!

The Bayport Blue Point Book Ends

Do you like to read?? The Bayport Blue Point Book Ends sure do! Their group started 20 years ago meeting once a month to discuss a book selection for that month. Usually meetings are held in one of the members homes and there are about 14 -16 members.

This group recently read The Bayman's Daughter by local author Theresa Dodaro. Parts of the book's setting is right at Meadow Croft, so the group took a tour of John Ellis Roosevelt's summer home. At times, food is centered around the book's theme (but not always). For The Bayman's Daughter, a member brought oysters as her table contribution. The group usually start with appetizers then during the main course begin the discussion questions and this usually becomes very animated and lively. Before ending the evening the book choice is decided for the next gathering.

Sometimes field trips, even one time an overnight trip, centered on a book's setting or a character are taken. The group recently visited the Jackson Pollock house and Long House as part of their 20th anniversary year. Members often research characters and historical events related to the read for that month. The Bayman's Daughter was the October selection so hence the evening tour of Meadow Croft.

Book Reading at Meadow Croft

On Saturday, October 30th at 2:00 in the carriage house at Meadow Croft, the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association in conjunction with the Sayville Historical Society hosted a book reading. Excerpts from The Bayman's Daughter written by Sayville author Theresa Dodaro were shared.

The Bayman's Daughter is a time-slip novel that takes place in the quaint seaside hamlet of Sayville, Long Island which was once the playground of rich and famous families like the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts. Parts of the novel are set at Meadow Croft, home of John Ellis Roosevelt.

James Bertsch hosted the event and it was open to the public. A nice crowd turned out! The author was there as well. Although a rainy, gloomy day, everyone had a good time!

Thank you Docents!

A very special Thank You to all of the men and women who gave of their time to volunteer to become docents for Meadow Croft this season. We know you have busy lives and family obligations but you found time to share the incredible history of the John Ellis Roosevelt summer estate, Meadow Croft. On behalf of the hundreds of visitors who walked through the doors to enjoy local history, and the officers of the BBPHA, we say THANK YOU:

Jerry McCluskey

Jim Connell

Joe Novak

Frank Giebfried

John Amato

Bay Browning- Atkinson

Beth LaMarca

Jennifer Economos

Mary Lou Cohalan

Lenore Ringer-Prezioso

Denise Coscia

Erich Haesche

Artifacts of Life at Meadow Croft

Written by John Amato

Aside from the obvious physical beauty of the Meadow Croft estate, we who spend much time there volunteering are always fascinated by any evidence of the Roosevelt's life there. When Suffolk County agreed to save the estate house and do the renovations and upgrades in 1986, items found in the house in walls, under floorboards and behind deteriorating furniture was saved and preserved. Below is a look at several authentic pieces of life at Meadow Croft in the Roosevelt years- 1896-1940.

Artifact #1: "No Shooting" sign

J. E. Roosevelt posted signs on his heavily wooded property to ensure the safety of his family, farm hands, and livestock in his buildings. Hunting was most prevalent in the wooded areas of Long Island during this time as undeveloped acres dominated the landscape. Roosevelt was a devout naturalist like his Uncle, President Teddy Roosevelt. The posted sign includes protection of migratory birds and insect-eating birds and nests. HIs signature can clearly be seen at the bottom.

Artifact #2: Laundry tickets

The Roosevelts had a dedicated laundry room off of the working kitchen in the part of the house known as the original Woodward farmhouse. This room had many laundry devices considered modern at the time. They also had several house staff tending to the laundry at the house during the summer months. There is evidence, however that some laundry services were provided by the State Laundry Company of Brooklyn and Hempstead. These laundry tickets with the Roosevelt name clearly visible is evidence that some laundry was sent out for cleaning and delivered back to the estate.

Fitness at Meadow Croft

On a beautiful October day, Fluid Power Barre Fitness of Sayville celebrated 13 years in business by holding an outdoor class at Meadow Croft! So many wonderful activities happen at Meadow Croft each day and we are excited to see this class enjoying some outdoor exercise in this beautiful setting! Thanks for stopping by and so glad you enjoyed your time here. :)

In memory of...

It’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our wonderful docent and Heritage member, Ginnie Novak. Ginnie with her husband Joe had been involved with the Heritage for more than 15 years. Ginnie was always willing to help out at Meadow Croft and the Heritage during Christmas and house tours. She always had a friendly smile for everyone. Ginnie will be missed. Remember her with much love and fondness. We will.

Services for Ginnie will be at Raynor and D’Andrea of Bayport, Wednesday November 3, 3pm-7pm.

Ezra Clemence, Blue Point Veteran

The following was written by Gene Horton and is reprinted from the Bayport Blue Point Gazette with permission.

Every November, America honors its veterans. About a dozen veterans of the American Civil War (1861-1865) are buried in the Blue Point Cemetery.

One of the Civil War veterans is Ezra G. Clemence. A Blue Pointer, he was born in 1840 and died in 1921. He was twenty-one years old when the "Rebellion" broke out. Ezra Clemence was the last Civil War veteran to die.

Ezra Clemence was among the first to answer President Lincoln's call and he enlisted in the Union Army in April, 1861, the month the war broke out. He served in the NY Scott's Life Guards for two years. Then he re-enlisted in the 61st Pennsylvania and served until the end of the war in 1865. He then went to sea for about 15 years and visited nearly every port in Europe and along our Pacific coast. One voyage, he was wrecked off the Spanish coast but survived. On another voyage he experienced another close call off the coast of Ireland. Eventually Ezra Clemence returned home to his native land and to the home of his parents in Blue Point.

In 1883, he married Henrietta H. Smith, who was Postmaster of Blue Point from 1881 until 1886. In Blue Point, Ezra Clemence served as a Deputy Sheriff for many years and was also the attendance officer of Blue Point School. He was active in the Blue Point Mutual Benefit Association and in 1901 was named its Chaplain. Henrietta Clemence died in 1910 at the age of seventy-seven and is buried in Blue Point Cemetery.

When Ezra Clemence died in 1921, aged eighty-one, he was one of the last surviving members of the Richard J. Clark G.A.R. Post of Patchogue. He, too, is buried in Blue Point Cemetery, an honored veteran and an honored Blue Pointer.

Sunday, October 17, 2021

PSYCHIC NIGHT AT MEADOW CROFT 2021

JOIN US FOR PSYCHIC NIGHT AT MEADOW CROFT

Monday, October 25th 2021, from 6:00-10:00 PM

Back by popular demand! This year we’ll have two Psychics, one Tarot Card Reader and one Reiki Healer on-site at Meadow Croft. Join us on Monday, October 25th 2021, from 6:00-10:00 PM for a fun, interactive event! You must make an appointment and secure your time slot.

Prices for sessions are $55 for a 15 minute session and $85 for a 30 minute session, per person.

Please call Mary at 631-495-7238 to schedule appointments with either of the Psychics – Judi or Terry, then return here to pay via PayPal to pay within 24 hours, or your appointment slot will be released.

Call Leanne at 631-235-1702 to schedule an appointment for Reiki with Jaret or Tarot Card reading with Kathleen, then return here to pay via PayPal to pay within 24 hours, or your appointment slot will be released.

Once you reserve your appointment with either Mary or Leanne, you can use this link to pay directly.

https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=5S56WSKV6CANS

Book Reading Event, Oct. 30th

On Saturday, October 30th at 2:00 on the front porch of Meadow Croft, the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association in conjunction with the Sayville Historical Society will host a book reading. Excerpts from The Bayman's Daughter written by Sayville author Theresa Dodaro will be shared.

James Bertsch will host the event and it is open to the public. The author will be there as well and there will be a question and answer session with Ms. Dodaro. This event is rain or shine. Hope you can join us for this fun event!

Friday, October 1, 2021

October 2021 Newsletter

Last month for house tours!

This is the last month for tours at the historic Meadow Croft estate. We are proud of all of the work we managed to accomplish this season. Come check out the new additions like the historic lighting features, servants quarters, and the auto barn (more info on this below).

Tours run every weekend from 2:00-4:00 so come by now before it's too late!

The Auto Barn

John Ellis Roosevelt was a car enthusiast. The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, though Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Mr. Roosevelt quickly acquired an auto and built the auto barn on the property of Meadow Croft to accommodate his new purchase. According to Mr. Roosevelt's obituary, he owned one of the first automobiles in NY.

The auto barn was constructed in 1903. It was built in 3 sections and the final section was built in 1905. Mr. Roosevelt also had a chauffeur to drive him to important business meetings and such. There is a trench on the floor, pitched into the cement, that was used for oil changes. The oil was drained and flowed directly into Brown's River.

Recently, the BBPHA has restored the auto barn to accurately reflect the turn of the century. It also houses Gene Horton's 1916 Maxwell that has been donated to the Association by a generous member of Gene's family. The Maxwell is just an example of a car of that time period and was not owned by the Roosevelt family. Photographs of Mr. Roosevelt racing his cars along with other artifacts can be found upstairs in Meadow Croft, located in Mr. Roosevelt's dressing room. Dusters, coats that helped keep the dust off of clothing while riding in open cars, can be found there as well.

Special thanks to Eric Haesche and Jerry McCloskey for their work on the auto barn this month and creating another excellent visual exhibit at Meadow Croft.

Visitors at Meadow Croft!

Thank you to the Yaphank Historical Society who recently came to Meadow Croft to see the authentic period lighting that has been installed throughout the estate. Meadow Croft also has a grand display of additional lighting fixtures that highlights the transition from kerosene and gas to electric in the early 19th century. Special thanks to Erich Haesche, an expert of historical lighting, that helped guide the BBPHA in purchasing authentic pieces to enhance and restore Meadow Croft to its original glory.

Erich will be available on the first weekend of October to answer any questions guests may have as tours are open every weekend through the month of October. Thank you to the Yaphank Historical Society for stopping by and we hope you enjoyed your tour!

In Celebration!

On September 5, family and friends gathered at Meadow Croft to celebrate the life of our wonderful Blue Point historian, Gene Horton. Gene’s husband Erich did a magnificent job setting up the event. Gene’s books, a photo album, and his boater, the hat he always wore when giving tours of Meadow Croft, were on display. Of course, Erich had Blue Point’s own Flo’s cater the party (would Gene have wanted it any other way?!). It was a wonderful day to celebrate a great historian and an even better man.

At the end of his book, Blue Point Remembered, Gene wrote, “To preserve our past is to enrich our future.” Family, friends, former students, neighbors, and our community are all the more rich for having had Gene Horton in our lives. Thank you, Gene.

The BBP P-H-A-N-T-O-M-S

These articles were first printed in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette and written by Gene Horton. They are reprinted with permission.

October 2009

Our High School has a very interesting name for its athletic teams: The Bayport-Blue Point Phantoms. The dictionary defines a "phantom" as an "apparition, a specter, an illusion, ghost-like, a dream image.'" With Halloween this month, ghosts and phantoms fit right in.

The Bayport-Blue Point Library has a collection of our high school's "Stepping Stone" yearbooks. So, I began to leaf through them in chronological order, especially the "Athletics" section, looking for the key team word, "Phantoms." Originally, the teams were just know as "Bayport HIgh School" team before consolidation with Blue Point. The 1953 Bayport HIgh School 'Stepping Stone' yearbook is the first yearbook to use the team word "phantom." And it wasn't until 1970 that the word, "PHANTOM" appeared on the shirts of the varsity basketball team yearbook photo.

In February 18th 1999 issue of the 'Suffolk County NEWS,' Marie Weiss wrote an article about how the Bayport-Blue Point teams got their name "Phantom:"

Bayport-Blue Point's team name has a most interesting history. According to Cara DeSimone, reference librarian at the village's public library, there used to be a ghost in the high school tower. "It was said that the tower was haunted," she noted.

My interest peaked. I followed a trail that included talking with Charlie Bogel, his daughter, Barbara Ackermann, Florence Olsen and Dave Brewer. Those discussions led to another theory which was presented by Don Porter. He contacted Tim Mazzei and they determined that the name originated in the late 1930's when the second team (junior varsity) did better than the first team (varsity). Someone made the comment "Where did these kids come from?' and the reply came back, 'Are they a bunch of phantoms?'

Mr. Porter noted that the name Phantoms was not allowed to be used at the time. They were to be called the Bayport High School Basketball Team. Any more theories/stories about how the PHANTOMS got their name??? Let us know....

Upcoming Events

Christmas at Meadow Croft: This year, Christmas at Meadow Croft will be on December 4th and 5th 2021. The theme is Dashing through the Snow and Leanne Berg, our event chair is asking for help with this year's display. We had a wonderful group who came into MC to help decorate however, The Neighbors and Gardeners of Bayport Blue Point unfortunately disbanded this year and we are looking for another group, business or community organization who would be willing to volunteer their time and materials to help with this request. If you are interested you can reach out to Leanne at 631-235-1702.

Historic Autumn House Tour: Unfortunately this year, we were not able to properly plan for the Autumn House Tour due to restrictions and guidelines as a result of the pandemic. We are beginning our planning NOW for 2022. If you have a historic, unusual or architecturally significant home in the Bayport Blue Point community and would consider allowing us to showcase your home in October of 2022, please give us a call. This has always been a great event for our organizations as well as the community and we would like to bring it back but WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you have any questions or would like more information, please call us at 631-472-4625.

Psychic night is back!

On October 25th at the Meadow Croft estate, the BBPHA will host a Psychic Night! We organized this a few years ago and it was a fun, well attended event. As details are being finalized now, please follow our Facebook page to get the latest information about times and pricing.

*Please note: all the latest guidelines from the CDC and DOH will be followed for this event.

The Digitizing Project

Prior to the start of the pandemic, we were undertaking a project to digitize some of our archived materials such as historical documents and photos. Obviously, things slowed down significantly in 2020, but recently we have recharged the project. Digitizing is a process of scanning documents and photos, saving them in a online format and them placing them on the web for the community to view and enjoy.

In a partnership with L.I. University under a Robert Lion Gardiner grant, the BBPHA has submitted all of our newsletters dating back to the first one in 1983. These documents provide a look back in time and details the hard work that the founding members undertook to make the association what it is today. The next item to be digitized and made available is the diary of Libby Homan. Libby Homan lived at Eureka House with her family located on the northeast corner of Oakwood and Middle Roads. As a young adult, LIbby recorded each day's events from 1867 to 1875. This diary is one of our treasured archives. The original, hand-written diary is in our possession given to the Association by a descendent of Ms. Homan. It was painstakingly transcribed into typed text for easy reading. Gene Horton did an investigative read of the text 20 years ago and commented that it is an excellent look back into the real-life events of the day.

The items are not quite ready for viewing. When they are, all members will be notified with the specifics on how to access these items from the web. We are excited to bring these historical documents to the community.

Islip Arts Council Presents: Seasons at Meadow Croft

On Saturday, October 16, 2021, from 10am–4pm, The Islip Arts Council will hold an Art Exhibition at the historic Meadow Croft Estate. All of the art work will reflect the theme of the Roosevelt Estate and the grounds surrounding it. The art displays will be both inside and outside (weather permitting) so we hope you can join us for this special event. Everyone is Invited to attend! A video tour of the exhibition will be available online after the event at the Islip Arts Live Youtube Channel.