~ July 2023 Newsletter ~

Happy Independence Day!

Welcome to July! Meadow Croft house tours are happening each weekend from 2:00-4:00, stop by and check out what life was like in the early 1900s. Lots of updates and improvements to view including the new nursery and a historic glass bottle exhibit.

The BBPHA has many exciting things happening this summer. We have our second FREE concert happening in July featuring Ed Travers. See more info below.

Our historic sunset boat cruise is back! Last year was so much fun and a gorgeous night plus we learned so much about the history of homes and happenings on the Great South Bay. We hope you can join us this year, check out the details below.

Seasons of Meadow Croft

In the summer of 2021, The BBPHA was asked to be involved in an amazing art & music exhibit in conjunction with the Islip Arts Council, made possible by a grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. Artists were asked to reflect on the seasons of Meadow Croft and their work, displayed throughout the historic Meadow Croft Estate, was outstanding. Below is the video the IAC put together that also features music by Elinor Zayas and Yeou-Cheng Ma.

We thank director Frank Giebfried, Erich Haesche and MaryLou Cohalan for thier valuable contributions to this video. We also thank the IAC and the RDLG foundation for partnering with us for this incredible event. Enjoy!

78 South Ocean Avenue Bayport NY

This sad occurrence, the demolition of 78 South Ocean Avenue in Bayport, happened on June 19th, 2023. This house was once a glorious mansion and the summer estate of John Morgan, his wife Sarah, and their four daughters. They called the estate Idle Hour, like the Vanderbilt Estate in Oakdale that became Dowling College. The house was built in 1879 by Arnold and Weeks for Garret and Charlotte Martense and was owned by the Morgans by 1886. It was later enlarged by Isaac Green as the Morgan family had more children.

John Morgan was born in Ireland in 1837 and moved to the US when he was 7 years old. He began a business bottling mineral water, and later expanded into soft drinks, especially ginger ale. His company became very successful and was the largest mineral water establishment in NYC by 1903.

Sarah Morgan sponsored a dancing class for the young people of Bayport, including her two daughters Sadie and Gertrude. At the end of the summer, she would hold a tea dance at Idle Hour and all would be invited. The family took full advantage of the bay, enjoying sailing, fishing, and ice skating and ice scootering in the winter.

In 1911, John & Sarah celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a party at their Ocean Ave. estate. Mr. Morgan died of pneumonia four years later while in NYC. Mrs. Morgan passed away in 1934 at the age of 91. A mass was said for her at St. Lawrence Church in Sayville, as the Morgans were devout Catholics who attended mass there. They didn't attend Our Lady of the Snow because it wasn't built until 1917.

Morgan beverages merged with White Rock Soda in 1952. The company is run today by the great, great grandson of John & Sarah Morgan.

This magnificent estate slowly started to deteriorate many years ago. As the owner paid taxes on the property, there was nothing the county, state or the BBPHA could do (even though many requests were made). It's a sad day for our community to lose such a historical and beautiful piece of our town's history.

The photos below show how the estate looked in different stages of its existence.

BBP Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Sean Druckenmiller who is the recipient of the 2023 Gene Horton Memorial Scholarship! The BBPHA is pleased once again to be awarding a $1000.00 scholarship to a deserving HS student from the BBP High School. This award is given in the name of our dear friend, local historian, and former director, Gene Horton.

Congratulations to Sean and best wishes in all that you do!

Historic Sunset Boat Tour

August 2, 2023

$40.00 per person

6:00-9:30pm

Rain date August 3rd.

No refunds.

The Great South Bay is not only a beautiful part of our communities summer fun but it has amazing homes and landmarks located on the bay as well as a tremendous history to share!

We will set sail on August 2nd from the Sayville Fire Island ferry terminal (41 River Rd, Sayville NY) at 6:00 PM and head out onto the bay. You must be on the ferry by 5:45 to check in.

With the sun setting we will cruise out onto the bay as Local Historian, Frank Giebfried highlights the historic sites along the shores of Bayport, Blue Point and Sayville. The boat will then head up the Connetquot River and make a stop at the Snapper Inn for cocktails. We will then cruise back to the Brown's River under the beautiful full moon and dock at 9:30.

Cocktails at the Snapper are on your own. You are allowed to bring some snacks on the ferry. Cruisers will park at the Sayville Ferry freight parking lot across the road from the ferry for a discounted fee of $5.00 per car.

Tickets are on sale starting today and can be purchased from our website only. The link can be found here. First come first served as there are a limited number of spaces available. Don't wait! Get your tickets today!

Memorial Bench ~ Donald Weinhardt

Back in April of 2022, we shared the sad news that the founding member and past President of the Bayport Heritage Association had passed away. Don Weinhardt worked closely with Suffolk County to secure a partnership and bring back Meadow Croft from the wrecking ball. The BBPHA wanted to acknowledge all of Don's work and support and for being a true champion of our community's heritage.

In honor of Donald Weinhardt, the BBPHA has purchased and installed a memorial bench. It can be found at the entrance of the estate. The plaque installed is pictured below.

Historic Bike Tour

On Saturday July 22nd, 2023, the Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association will be hosting a Historical Bicycle Tour. The tour will begin at Meadow Croft (299 Middle Rd Sayville NY) at 8:30 AM, and end just east of the BBP Library in Blue Point. (Skill level, easy-beginner) (about 2 hours)

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 local historian Frank Giebfried leads the tour throughout Bayport and Blue Point. This will be about a 10 mile tour, with frequent stops, 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.

There is a limited number of riders allowed and a $10 fee. Spots can be reserved and payment made at Www.Bayportbluepointheritage.org. Please join us for this fun event!

FREE Sumer Concert

Join us for our 2nd FREE Summer Concert of the season. On Thursday, July 20th at Bayport Memorial Park, starring Ed Travers and his band. Please bring lawn chairs or blankets, refreshments and bug spray! This is for families of all ages! Dancing is encouraged! We hope you can join us and enjoy this FREE concert!

FREE Concert in the Park

When

Thursday, July 20th, 6pm

Where

11 Paulanna Avenue

Bayport, NY

Get Directions

Academy Street School Tour

On June 9th, 2023, the 4th grade class from Academy Street Elementary School came to Meadow Croft to learn a little bit about our local history. Thanks to Mary Bailey and Sandra Iden who showed the boys and girls the estate and surrounding buildings. The students were clearly excited, well behaved and asked great questions! Each student left with a local history book (written by Gene Horton), a membership form, a ring pop and of course, some knowledge about local history right in their backyard!

Summer Solstice Walking Tour

On June 21st, 2023, BBPHA director Frank Giebfried guided patrons for an evening stroll that marked the beginning of the summer season. This year's tour found us back in Bayport, exploring the interesting history of Snedecor Avenue. The group started at the Bayport United Methodist Church and ended the tour by the Great South Bay. This tour was so popular that a second tour was added and that tour is now sold out! Thank you to all who have participated and learned more history about our community.

Sizzlin Steer

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

December 2006

Many local residents will undoubtedly remember the Sizzlin Steer Charcoal Broil Restaurant on Montauk Highway in Bayport. It was definitely there in the mid-1960's as the business took an ad in "Stepping-Stone, 1965," the yearbook issued by the James Wilson Young High School seniors. Sizzlin Steer was a very popular place with the high school students and local residents. It was also known for a while as the Sugar Bowl.

In the old postcard view (below), notice the tail-fins on the cars of the day. The back of the 1960's postcard is imprinted with the message; "Visit the SIZZLIN STEER CHARCOAL BROIL RESTAURNT, where quality food is the key to your dining pleasure; 765 Montauk Highway at the corner of 3rd Ave. in Bayport, L.I., N.Y. HR 2-9583."

Today, this building is occupied by the Bayport - Blue Point Animal Hospital. The lines of the building haven't changed much at all over the past forty years or so.

BBP Heritage Association

Facebook @BayportHistory

Hope to see you at one of our many summer events! Tours are every weekend from 2-4:00pm. Follow us on Social Media!

Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Bayport, NY, USA 

  bbphistorical@gmail.com  

631-472-4625  

BayportBluePointHeritage.org

---

~ June 2023 Newsletter

Monthly Membership meeting:

Montauk:

From Wilderness to Military Hospital and into the 20 th Century

Presenter: Tom Walsh

Date: Sunday, June 11, 2023

Time/Place: 2-4pm at the BBP Library

Montauk resident, Tom Walsh presents Montauk’s surprisingly pivotal role in Native American

society, its long life as America’s first livestock ranch, and the improbable establishment of

Camp Wikoff, a military hospital the size of a small city. Although Camp Wikoff existed only a

few weeks, it was the focus of a countrywide media circus and the platform from which Teddy

Roosevelt catapulted into a national political career. These events set the stage for the

development of the resort town we know today.

All are welcome to attend! Raffle & light refreshments served!

Meadow Croft Estate Tours

Welcome to summer! Briny breezes, longer days, flowers blooming, birds singing and sun shining! All vivid images of a great season ahead. At the BBPHA, we are excited to begin what we consider our most exciting time of year as well.

Summer House Tours: June 3rd & 4th start the Meadow Croft Estate Tours! They are given every weekend starting in June and running through October. Trained docents will be showing the Meadow Croft estate on Saturdays and Sundays from 2:00-4:00. There have been many updates and changes in recent months as the BBPHA volunteers work tirelessly to make Meadow Croft even better! Come check out the new nursery, beautifully restored to reflect the room where the Roosevelt children stayed during the summer months.

A display of antique & vintage bottles will also be on display. This collection of bottles dates from the 1880's-1960's. There will also be bottles that were found on the Meadow Croft Estate. These were found in the early 1970's and loaned to the BBPHA from a Sayville family. It is safe to say that these bottles were used by the Roosevelt family during their time at Meadow Croft.

We hope you and your family have the chance to come and visit and learn a little about the local history and home of John Ellis Roosevelt.

FREE Summer Concert

The Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association is proud to sponsor our first FREE Summer Concert of the year! We have received all of the permissions and permits and are excited to welcome all of you to Bayport Memorial Park on June 15th from 6:00-8:00 pm (weather permitting) for some wonderful music featuring Gene Casey & the Lonesharks.

Please bring lawn chairs or blankets, refreshments and bug spray! This is for families of all ages! Dancing is encouraged! We hope you can join us and enjoy this FREE concert!

Summer Concert Series

When: Thursday, June 15th, 6pm  

Where: 11 Paulanna Avenue, Bayport, NY More information

Bring your dancing shoes!

Get Directions

Memorial Day Parades

It was a beautiful day for a parade and for honoring all those who served and sacrificed for our freedoms. Special thanks go to the members of the BBPHA for marching in the Bayport and Blue Point parades. This is a tradition for the Bayport & Blue Point Fire Departments to organize the parades in our communities.

Bayport and Blue Point has had community members pay the ultimate sacrifice since the Civil War and we will never forget their devotion and service. May we remain worthy of all they have given us. As John F. Kennedy had so eloquently expressed, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them." .

BBP HS Scholarship

The BBPHA is pleased once again to be awarding a $1000.00 scholarship to a deserving HS student from the BBP High School. This award is given in the name of our dear friend, local historian, and former director, Gene Horton. More information in the July newsletter after the award has been presented to the winner later in June. Good luck and congratulations to all who are graduating!

Welcome new Board Members!

The BBPHA recently replaced two board members; 

John Amato and Dennis Fagan with two new members. 

We thank John and Dennis for thier years of service. 

Welcome to Rebecca Church and Craig Clare as they join the board of the BBPHA!

Craig is from Bayport and is married with a son and a daughter. He is a retired financial planner and is now our treasurer. Craig is very involved with the Boy Scouts and we welcome him to our executive board.

Rebecca lives in Blue Point and is married with two daughters. Rebecca will be a director on our board and we welcome her as well.

The full slate of officers and directors are as follows:

President: Mary Bailey

Vice President: Leanne Berg

Treasurer: Craig Clare

Recording Secretary: Beth Lamarca

Corresponding Secretary: Laura Amato

Directors:

Frank Giebfried, Sandra Iden, Jennifer Economos, Denise Coscia, Rebecca Church

7-Eleven Comes to Blue Point

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

June 2015

Change is coming to Blue Point! A 7-ELEVEN is about to open on the northwest corner of Montauk Highway and Bell Avenue in Blue Point. That particular corner had looked totally derelict in the past few years. It was actually an eye-sore.

The photo below of the property was taken in June of 1981. Back then, this corner was the site of an ESSO gas station and repair shop. Using a magnifying glass, Winston cigarettes were selling for $5.95. Over one of the bay doors is a sign advertising a "complete tune-up: $39.95" and "complete brake- job: $69.95." Over one of the gas pumps: "$1.47.9." Happy motoring!

Facebook @BayportHistory

Hope to see you on our house tours every weekend from June through October!

Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, USA 

  bbphistorical@gmail.com  

631-472-4625  

BayportBluePointHeritage.org

---

~ April 2023 Newsletter

 

April General Membership Meeting

Bayport, Blue Point, and Broadway

The twin hamlets of Bayport and Blue Point have been home to many well-known and famous actors, politicians, musicians, artists, and scientists throughout the years. But did you know that several Broadway performers also established their residences in our community? Join BBPHA’s Frank Giebfried to explore this fascinating history as we discuss the lives of actors Effie Shannon and her husband Herbert Kelcey, who spent summers on Snedecor Avenue. We’ll also explore the careers of producers and theater owners Louis C. Behman and Edward L. Bloom. Travel back in time to visit these and other entertainers and discover the lives they led in our town.

April 16th 2023

Bayport Blue Point Library

Time: 2:00

Light refreshments served!

Hope to see you there!

Help Wanted:

Hospitality Volunteer: for General Membership meetings held at the BBP Library. For about an hour, once a month for April, May and June. We need an extra pair of hands for our meetings to help with refreshments. Please email Sandra if you are interested. Her email is siden000@yahoo.com Thank you!!

Tour Guide: We are looking for guides to give tours of Meadow Croft. Make your own schedule, weekends only, two hour shifts, June through October, full training available! Meet new friends, learn local history! We need you. If you are interested or want to learn more, email Jen at jtbudgie@gmail.com Thank you!

Updates at Meadow Croft

While Meadow Croft is closed to the public during the few winter months after our spectacular Christmas event, our work never ends! A recent update which is almost complete, is restoring the nursery next to the master bedroom. This room was developed in the 1980's as a library (see pictures below) but documentation from the original plans showed us that it was a nursery.

The shelves were removed, books cataloged, sorted and stored, walls were plastered and new wallpaper (a replica pattern from the turn of the century) was added. Furniture and a new rug will be moving in shortly and we will update the progress next month. Looking good!

Boy Scouts: Troop 130

The Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association is excited to share with you that we have officially established a partnership with Bayport-Blue Point Boy Scout Troop 130. This partnership will allow us to work together in promoting and preserving the rich history of our community while providing valuable learning opportunities for the scouts.

Troop 130 is the second oldest continuously chartered Boy Scout Troop in Suffolk County. A fixture in the Bayport Blue Point Area since 1935. Like the Heritage, having a long history in Bayport and Blue Point we felt this union would be a great fit.

In this partnership, Troop 130 will be sharing our charter, which outlines our mission to promote, preserve, and celebrate the history of our towns. By doing so, we hope to inspire a new generation of young historians and instill a sense of pride and respect for our local heritage.

We are excited to work with Troop 130 on a variety of projects including preservation of historical buildings and grounds, walking tours, and community service events. We believe that by working together, we can create a stronger, more vibrant community that celebrates and preserves our unique history.

We invite all members and friends of the Heritage to join us in welcoming Boy Scout Troop 130. We look forward to working together and creating meaningful experiences that will inspire and educate both our members and the scouts.

Membership dues!

It's that time of year! The BBPHA is now requesting your membership dues. If you would like to pay for this year, please mail payment to:

Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association

PO Box 4

Bayport NY 11705.

Please include your name, address and email on all correspondence. Make checks payable to Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association.

You can also make a payment directly from our web-page which can be found here . Just scroll down to the membership section on the home page. Any questions can be directed to bbphistorical@gmail.com. All membership fees go toward community events and the upkeep and restoration of the Meadow Croft Estate. Thank you to all of our generous members! New members welcome!

Membership Type

Annual $25.00

Senior $10.00

Corporate $100.00

Donation $___

Corey Creek, Blue Point

These articles were first published in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette. They were written by

Gene Horton and reprinted here with permission.

July 2004

Dane's Creek, Corey Creek, Purgatory Creek: Three names, one creek. The view of "Dane's Creek" on this old postcard was mailed out of Blue Point on August 15, 1910. The view is looking south toward the Great South Bay from Middle Road. Corey Creek wasn't bulk headed or dredged in 1910. It was more like a stream flowing into the Bay.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Bayport Blue Point St. Patrick's Day parade. The BBP Chamber did an excellent job of organizing such a festive event. Congratulations once again to this year's Grand Marshal; Connie Haab!

BBPHA

Facebook @BayportHistory

Please share this newsletter with friends and family. If anyone would like to be added to our mailing list, please email us: bbphistorical@gmail.com

 

Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, USA  

bbphistorical@gmail.com 

  631-472-4625 

  BayportBluePointHeritage.org

---

~ 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."

Facebook @BayportHistory

See you at the parade!

Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, USA 

  bbphistorical@gmail.com 

  631-472-4625  

BayportBluePointHeritage.org

~ 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!

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!

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.

 

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Facebook @BayportHistory

Also follow us on Instagram! @BBPHeritage

Meadow Croft Estate, Middle Road, Sayville, NY, USA

  bbphistorical@gmail.com  

631-472-4625 

  BayportBluePointHeritage.org