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.

Saturday, April 1, 2023

~ April 2023 Newsletter

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

~ March 2023 Newsletter ~

March General Membership Meeting

Join the BBP Heritage Association to explore the history of Long Island's abandoned places as author Richard Panchyk presents stories of spectacular ruins frozen in time and still standing today. Historic structures include great estates, vacant military and industrial buildings, and obsolete railways and roads.

Where: Bayport Blue Point Library

When: Sunday, March 19th, 2023

Time: 2:00

No registration required

Light refreshments served

All are welcome!

NOTE: This meeting will be held in the large Children's Room of the library

Save the date: April 16, 2023 for our April General Membership meeting. The topic will be Bayport Blue Point & Broadway.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Join your friends, neighbors and the BBPHA for Bayport Blue Point's 33rd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade!

On March 12th, beginning at 11:00, starting from Snedecor Avenue and continuing down Montauk Hwy, our communities will be honoring the Grand Marshal for this year's parade... Constance "Connie" Haab.

Connie was born and raised in Bayport and has been very connected to our communities serving for an incredible 50 years as the Secretary of the Bayport Fire District. Connie was also the Fire Commissioner for 10 years, the first and only woman to hold this position. Connie held many other community positions including her important work with The Bayport Memorial Park committee and the BBP Little League.

Wear your green and come join in the merriment of our community's annual parade to celebrate the Irish and of course our Grand Marshal, Connie Haab!

In Memoriam...

It is with great sadness that the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association announces the passing of one of our founding members, Florence "Flo" Olsson. Flo passed peacefully surrounded by her family on February 22, 2023, at the age of 96.

Flo grew up in Bayport as a Shand. Her family was the proud owners of the Shand's Grocery Store, located on Middle Road in Bayport. She married her childhood sweetheart, Alden Olsson, and they were married for 64 years.

As founding members of the Heritage Association, they both were instrumental in getting the Bayport Heritage Association started. They also worked diligently to acquire the Meadow Croft Estate, summer home of John Ellis Roosevelt, and helped transform it into the gem we have today.

Mrs. Olsson's long list of community involvement included but was certainly not limited to the following; arranging the houses for the BBPHA's Autumn House tour for many years, a docent at Meadow Croft, member of the Bayport Methodist Church, and an educator at Academy Street Elementary School in the Bayport School District. After retirement, she worked at the Bayport Blue Point Library. Flo was also a member of the Sayville Yacht Club and both she and Alden were Grand Marshals of the 2012 BBP St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Bayport Blue Point Heritage and generations of locals are grateful for Flo's passion and dedication to our community. Thank you Flo. Rest in peace.

Thank you!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to our board member at large, Dennis Fagan who is stepping down from his position on the BBPHA. For the past 7 years or so, Dennis has been our Membership Chairperson, and will continue in that role after he steps down. He has been instrumental in forwarding our mission of preserving our two hamlet's history and we thank him for his efforts! Thank you Dennis!

The Shack

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

February 2014

"The Shack" was a summer refreshment stand located on the west side of Blue Point Avenue between Middle Road and Danes Street. This was a popular spot for the hundreds of summer visitors who flocked to Blue Point between 1900 and the 1920's as they strolled to and from the Great South Bay. Blue Point had at least eight major summer hotels and boarding houses during this era.

This old postcard view of "The Shack" was mailed out of Blue Point on August 4, 1914. "The Shack" specialized in serving Smith's Ice Cream, Whitman's Belle Meade Sweets and Bon Bons, Huyler's chocolates, ice cream sodas & cones, postcards and souvenirs of Blue Point, cigars, cigarettes and tobacco.

Roscoe L. Moore ("Rocky" Moore) was the proprietor of "The Shack."

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

~ February 2023 Newsletter ~

February General Membership Meeting

Join Us for our February General Membership Meeting!

Unraveling Yarns About The First Ladies

The BBPHA will host its next general membership meeting on Sunday, February 19, 2023 from 2:00-4:00 at the BBP Library. Debra Scala Giokas, a local resident and recent presenter at the Herbert Hoover Library celebrates the needle work of 18 first ladies including Edith and Eleanor Roosevelt. Inspirational stories will give a glimpse into the minds and hearts of these historic women and an appreciation of craft, creativity, patience, perseverance, sacrifice and service.

All are welcome! Light refreshments are served.

Save the Date: The next meeting will be held on March 19th and the speaker will be Richard Panchyck. His topic will be; Abandoned Long Island.

Richard Panchyck presents stories of spectacular ruins frozen in time and still standing today. Historic structures include great estates, vacant military and industrial buildings, and obsolete railways and roads.

Augmented Reality Makes History Come Alive At Meadow Croft

The Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association has received a $125,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to animate the history of Meadow Croft through cutting-edge digital technology.

Meadow Croft is the 1890’s summer home of John Ellis Roosevelt and his family. Located on the border of Sayville and Bayport, the estate is on the National Register of Historic places and was a well-known gathering place for the large Roosevelt clan.

During his first term as President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt eluded his secret service detail to travel alone on horseback from Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay to Sayville for a surprise visit to John Ellis, his first cousin and personal lawyer. When Teddy road down Main Street at dawn, a milkman stopped him and famously observed that he looked just like the President of the United States.

“That’s the kind of story we want to tell our visitors through augmented reality”, said Mary Bailey, president of the BBPHA, which manages Meadow Croft in partnership with Suffolk County. “The Gardiner grant will enable us to literally make history come alive.”

Once digital technology is installed, visitors to Meadow Croft can simply point their cell phones at a photograph or object that has been embedded with a story link. “Imagine seeing and hearing Theodore Roosevelt and Roosevelt family members in front of you. Thanks to the Gardiner Foundation we will be able to engage visitors in the many important stories from the past that are all round us, “Bailey said.

"Like so many of our Long Island historical societies the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association has a wealth of stories to share on so many aspects of their role in American history. The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation's goal in creating Digital Tapestry, our augmented reality experience, is to link these stories with other historic sites to create an educational and entertaining history-based trial. The Meadow Croft Teddy Roosevelt offering will be linked to Camp Wikoff in Montauk, and the Theodore Roosevelt Songbird Sanctuary and the Theodore Roosevelt Train Station, both in Oyster Bay. This award is to help build new audiences and offer sustainability through history-based tourism," said Kathryn M. Curran, Executive Director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.

This project is expected to be available in person and online by the end of 2023.

St Patrick's Day Parade

Join your friends, neighbors and the BBPHA for Bayport Blue Point's 33rd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade!

Wear your green and come join in the merriment of our community's annual parade to celebrate the Irish and of course our Grand Marshal, Connie Haab!

Help Wanted

House Tour: It is never too early to start planning our Annual House Tour. If you have a historic house in the Bayport or Blue Point community or a home that has architectural significance or charm, please contact us! We would love to showcase your home in our tour this October, to share the history of our communities. We also need help with planning and promotion. If you have some time to give back to your community, in any way, shape or form, WE NEED YOU!

Docents: From June through October tours of the historic Meadow Croft estate are given every weekend by our small group of dedicated docents. We are always looking for new names and faces to lead our tours. If you are interested, contact us below. Training provided.

Heirloom Garden: Who has a green thumb? Ok, not necessary but volunteering to help with Meadow Croft's Heirloom Garden will make your heart full and maybe turn your brown thumb green! All levels of experience needed. Join the fun!

Positions available: The BBPHA is looking to fill positions on our board. If you are interested, please contact us. You can reach us at bbphistorical@gmail.com

Main Country Road, Blue Point, NY

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

November 2004

This old postcard shows Montauk HIghway looking east. In the "good old days" of a hundred years ago, Montauk Highway was know as the "Main Country Road." The roads were paved with clam shells and oyster shells, the horse and wagon, seen in the picture, are pulling out of Blue Point Avenue, and turning onto the Montauk Hwy.

Looking carefully, you might be able to see two local boys with their "wheels" (bicycles) standing on the Montauk Hwy. The house in the picture was an old Blue Point boarding house called the "Doxsey House," owned & operated by Mrs. W. Doxsey. Later, that house would be turned and moved to the east side of Bell Ave. where it stands today as a private residence.

Sunday, January 1, 2023

~ January 2023 Newsletter ~

Happy New Year 2023!

All of us at the BBPHA wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year! We had a busy, productive year and managed to accomplish a great deal to support our mission of preserving the rich history of our wonderful hamlets. Of course we could not do any of this without the support of our community; both families, friends and local businesses!

We thank all of you who came out to celebrate Christmas at Meadow Croft, held the first weekend of December. It was a very successful event, even though the weather on Saturday was raining. There are so many people to thank for their help and support. See below for the many individuals and groups who helped make this weekend a great success. Thank you!! We thank you all for a wonderful 2022 and we look forward to new adventures in 2023!

Thank you!!

Christmas at Meadow Croft is a labor of love and takes months of planning and organization. Special thanks go to our chairperson Leanne Berg who once again created a wonderful festive experience for our friends and neighbors. Thank you!

A note from Leanne: I personally would like to thank everyone who stepped in, under the direction of Mary Bailey, who pulled it all together in my illness and absence. I'm honored to work with such amazing people! I apologize if I forgot a name or two, so many people come together to make it all happen. Thank you!

Thank you to the Suffolk County Parks Department for leveling the driveway and clearing the leaves from the property for this event. Your support is much appreciated!

Many volunteers give selflessly of their time and talents to clean & decorate Meadow Croft for this event. Many thanks go to Rose Colan, Lucy Olivia, Stacey Balsam, Jeanne Fischer, Linda Villano, Brenda Kershenhiem, Angela Stelling, Bayport Homemakers, Sayville Garden Club, Karl Auwaerter of Bayport Flower Houses, and Erich Haesche. Also to our favorite wood carver, Joe Novak.

Thank you to those generous businesses who donated items for our raffles. Doug Cibuls from Lake Liquor who donated an engraved champagne bottle with a gift card. Thank you to Mademoiselle's Patisserie who donated a $20.00 gift card. The lucky winner of that BIG BEER basket can thank Lenore Preziosi & her husband Mike. Thank you to attorney Annette Lanteri who donated a Will Preparation gift card worth $1500.00, and of course the generous Auwaerter Family from Bayport Flower Houses.

With so many visitors and only one driveway for both entrance and exit, we needed a dedicated parking crew to help everyone get in and out safely. Thanks to the men who weathered the weekend outside as directed by John Amato: Dennis Fagan, Charlie Colan, Charlie Iden, David Ort, Craig Clare, Stephan Jones, Dave Harenberg and the local Boy Scout Troop.

Volunteers are needed to act as docents or man each of the many rooms in the Roosevelt estate for this event. Special thanks go to: Jerry McCluskey, Mary Lou Cohalan, Beth LaMarca, Mary Bailey, Baylee Browning-Atkinson, Denise Corsica, Jen Economos, Anna Dugan, Frank Giebfried, Laura Amato, Sandra Iden, Lynn Clarke, Erich Haesche, Joe Novak, Lenore Ringer Prezioso, Linda Loker, Sean McCluskey, Aileen McCluskey, Angel Johnson, & Kathy Young.

A a BIG thanks to Steve Birkeland who takes all the photographs in the carriage house with St. Nicholas. Speaking of St. Nicholas, thank you to Tom Maher Jr. for dressing up and posing for all of those pictures. Also to Katie Maher & John Maher for acting as Santa's helpers. And a BIG shout out to Lenore Ringer Prezioso from M & T Bank for not only helping serve but donating the hot cocoa and cookies to our guests in the carriage house. Thank you to Jennifer Economos for the many culinary delights she prepared for our special Saturday Night event. Delish!

The Roosevelt estate really had the Christmas spirit floating through the air and that is in part due to the many musicians who donate their time and talents to play holiday music on the Roosevelt piano during the weekend. Many thanks goes to: John Hodge, Bill Bailey, Mary Latini, Maurice Kemp, Sophia Bertsch and Serena & Grace Buono. It was amazing!

Thank you to those who donated so many items to our raffle baskets and the many "elves" who helped in wrapping and organizing all of the items. MUCH APPRECIATED!

General Membership Meeting

Unraveling Yarns About The First Ladies

The BBPHA will host its next general membership meeting on February 19, 2023 from 2:00-4:00 at the BBP Library. Debra Scala Giokas, a local resident and recent presenter at the Herbert Hoover Library celebrates the needle work of 18 first ladies including Edith and Eleanor Roosevelt. Inspirational stories will give a glimpse into the minds and hearts of these historic women and an appreciation of craft, creativity, patience, perseverance, sacrifice and service.

All are welcome! Light refreshments are served.

Welcome and Thank you!

As of January 1, 2023, our treasurer, John Amato, will be stepping down from his duties. John has served on the Heritage's board for many years. While he will still be involved in many of the events and activities the Heritage Association is involved with, John will be spending more time at the Maritime Museum where he is the Crew Coordinator and one of the Captains of the Priscilla, the 1888 Oyster Sloop.

John's replacement will be Craig Clare, a Bayport resident who was a financial advisor prior to his retirement. John and Craig have been working together to assure a smooth transition for this important position. We wish Craig a heartfelt WELCOME and wish him the best of luck in his new position. We also thank John for his many years of service and can be comforted by the fact: The bills are paid and we are solvent!

Nominations for the BBPHA

The nominating committee is developing a slate of members for the 2023 board. There are open seats; 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 2023 year, please contact us at bbphistorical@gmail.com

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.

Winter Long Ago in Blue Point

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

January 2004

"Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow..."

The building in the background of this old Blue Point winter photo is today's "Firehouse Deli." In the 1930's, when this snapshot was taken, that same building housed "Rocky Moore's General Store." In this photo, a car is practically buried in snow on the driveway that runs alongside the store. The driveway is still there but the old barn, seen behind the store, is gone today. Somehow, winters seemed to be harsher in the days gone-by, at least according to many old-timers, and, who knows, maybe they were!

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Newsletter ~ December 2022

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!

Christmas at Meadow Croft

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 2022. We are so grateful to be able to open this home, once again, for the holiday season.

On Saturday December 3rd and Sunday December 4th 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 original 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.

Nominations for BBPHA

Digitizing of Previous Newsletters

FYI: 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. Thank you!

Environmental Planting at Meadow Croft

The Long Island Conservancy, with the support of Spadefoot Design and Construction, has been engaged to restore habitat here at Meadow Croft. With the direction of Suffolk County Parks Director of Historical Services, Richard Martin, the original Historic Landscape plan was followed.

Eleven red maples were planted along the western spur of the driveway in keeping with the John Ellis Roosevelt Estate's original planting design from the early 1900's.

In addition, a native wildflower bed was planted where historically there had been a garden. Lemon balm, broom sedge, and bergamot were planted. These new plantings will help restore native habitat and provide an educational experience for Suffolk County residents. Invasive plants including mugwort and tree of heaven were also removed. More plantings are planned and contemplated.

The Stillman Barge at the Foot of Blue Point Avenue

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

December 2008

Only a few old-timers would remember the STILLMAN BARGE. It was located at the foot of Blue Point Avenue tied up to the town pier. It was there from the 19-teens until the 1930's. It was only open during the summer months and was owned and operated by Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Stillman.

In April 1939, the NY WORLD TELEGRAM ran a story about the Stillman Barge. "There tucked securely into a shoulder of piling and lashed to dockside, is the Stillman Houseboat. There has been a Stillman Houseboat in that berth for 20 years, although this, the second, is only about 14 years old. Stuart Stillman, a thin, white-haired boatman goes out every day and digs up the clams, while Mrs. Stillman, an amply proportioned woman with a kindly manner and a somewhat worried expression, turns out clam chowder. "It's the New York kind, but I don't make it like they do in New York," she tells you and clam fritters and fried fish, and crabs and splendid small donuts which she calls snowballs, and applesauce cake, which is her husband's favorite.

I don't know how you describe direction in a houseboat; nothing with such uncompromising ends can have anything to do with fore and aft...but the eating cabin occupies the inshore half of the boat and the rest of it is given over to the kitchen and storage space and a small back room where Mrs. Stillman presumably sits whenever she has a moment to sit (they don't sleep aboard). The dining cabin contains two long, rather narrow tables aligned on opposite sides of the room, each set between two benches. If Stillman's is anything like crowded, you would want to be on good terms with your companions!

The large sign on the roof of the Stillman Barge advertised clam chowder, clam cocktail and clams on the shell. The smaller roof sign advertised sandwiches, frankfurters, tea & coffee, soft crab sandwiches, NEAR BEER, soft drinks. Stillman's Barge is long gone now, but not entirely forgotten, as part of Blue Point's shoreline history.

Saturday, April 1, 2023

~ April 2023 Newsletter

April General Membership Meeting

Help Wanted:

Updates at Meadow Croft

Boy Scouts: Troop 130

Membership dues!

Corey Creek, Blue Point

Thank you!

BBPHA

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

~ March 2023 Newsletter ~

March General Membership Meeting

St. Patrick's Day Parade

In Memoriam...

Thank you!

The Shack

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

~ February 2023 Newsletter ~

February General Membership Meeting

Augmented Reality Makes History Come Alive At Meadow Croft

St Patrick's Day Parade

Help Wanted

Main Country Road, Blue Point, NY

Sunday, January 1, 2023

~ January 2023 Newsletter ~

Thank you!!

General Membership Meeting

Welcome and Thank you!

Nominations for the BBPHA

Winter Long Ago in Blue Point

BBP Heritage Association

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Newsletter ~ December 2022

Christmas at Meadow Croft

Nominations for BBPHA

Digitizing of Previous Newsletters

Environmental Planting at Meadow Croft

The Stillman Barge at the Foot of Blue Point Avenue