~ January 2024 Newsletter ~ Happy New Year!

 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: Once again, Christmas at Meadow Croft was a great success! Even the rain could not dampen the holiday spirit at this event. None of this could happen without so many people volunteering their time and efforts.

First I need to thank my fellow board members; 

Mary Bailey, Laura Amato, Beth LaMarca, Craig Clare, Frank Giebfried, Jen Economos, Denise Coscia, Sandra Iden and Rebecca Church. 

 Thank you for all you do, mostly for this event. It is my honor and privilege to work with such an incredible team!

Secondly, thank you to all of the volunteers who put in their time, whether it's as a docent, decorator, musician, or even clean up, you'll never know how much your efforts are appreciated!

Lastly, thank you to all of our guests at this event. We truly hope that you enjoyed it and it brought you some holiday spirit!

Here's to a happy and healthy 2024!!

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, Anna Dugan, Adriane Balsam, Angela Stelling, Bayport Homemakers, Sayville Garden Club, Karl Auwaerter of Bayport Flower Houses, and Erich Haesche. Also to our favorite wood carver, Joe Novak.

Angela Stelling was our fundraising coordinator and she did a fabulous job this year! Thank you to those generous businesses who donated items for our raffles. Thank you to The Fish Store in Bayport for a $50.00 gift card. Thank you to Stella Trattoria & Bar who donated three, $50.00 gift cards. Thank you Paris Street Market for donating candy and a $25.00 gift card. Out of the Blue in Sayville donated three $10.00 gift cards. Some lucky children won a "kids basket" that was donated by Beth LaMarca. The Pizzeria generously donated a $50.00 gift certificate. Thank you to Jen Economos who donated an Art Basket for our raffle. Annette O'Brien from Coldwell Banker Real Estatedonated garland, 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 Troop 130 of Bayport who weathered the weekend outside as directed by Craig Clare: Thank you Matthew Bollerman, Tyler Doris, Lisa Doris, Kyran Duggan, Kevin Duggan, Landon Hedstrom, Luke Hedstrom, Lars Hedstrom, Michael Maiorano, Sal Makely, Tyler Reese, Theresa Robertson, Zachary Teufel, Tom Teufel, Bill Vogel, Billy Vogel, and Jeanine Vogel. In addition to Troop volunteers we were also helped by Charlie Iden.  

 

Thank you all for your help and support getting our guests in and out of the property safely.

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, Denise Corsica, Jen Economos, Anna Dugan, Laura Amato, Sandra Iden, Erich Haesche, Joe Novak, Linda Loker, Tom Condra, Lynn Clark, Roy Fedelem, Jedy Piletti, Kathy Heinlein and her mom, Doug Shaw and Aileen McCluskey.

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, Alyssa Maher & John Maher and Gina Geraci for acting as Santa's helpers. And a BIG shout out to M & T Bankfor donating the hot cocoa and cookies to our guests in the carriage house. The trains were marvelous and we need to thank The Long Island Garden Train Society for setting them up and having them running for this event. Thank you to Fawn Silver from "Graze and Go" for putting together the beautiful charcuterie boards for our two nights of Aglow. 
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 and her students, Maurice Kemp, Lisa Patrinicki, Paul Wright, and Stephanie and her students. 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!

 

 

 Monthly Membership Meeting

 

Award-winning photographer and author John Lazzaro will present a slideshow on the history of Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Combining rare, archival images as well as his own photography, Lazzaro will discuss his work and the approach to his creative process behind his 2019 book, The Walls Still Talk: A Photographic Journey Through Kings Park Psychiatric Center. 

The author made dozens of trips to Nissequogue River State Park to photograph the remaining buildings of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center which has been sitting idle and abandoned since 1996. Vast, melancholy, and aesthetically overwhelming, Kings Park Psychiatric Center was once the pride of the local community of Kings Park, NY and treated 10,000 patients at its peak operation in the 1950's. This project stemmed from the author's interest in and his emotional obligation to document this historic relic of Long Island. In turn, these images show the result of decades of neglect and decay after de-institutionalization.

Date: February 18, 2024
Time: 2:00
Place: Bayport - Blue Point Library

No fee or registration required. Open to all!

 

 

Nominations for BBPHA

The nominating committee is looking for members for the 2024 year. Any current paid BBPHA member may serve on the board. It requires only one meeting per month. If you are interested in serving or volunteering in some capacity, 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.

 

  

Tony's Barber Shop: 50 Years in Blue Point

 

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

Holiday 2011

Tony's Barber Shop, located at 259 Blue Point Ave., is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Tony Arpino opened the shop on November 13, 1961. It's one of the oldest, same-owner, continuously-running businesses in Blue Point in the same location. In 1961, the price of a haircut at Tony's was $1.25. Tony has probably logged in over one million haircuts over the past 50 years.

And Tony remembers many of his former customers and has so many fond memories of each of them: John Foley the politician; Joe McCarthy the writer; George Speed the greenhouse owner; Joe Yablonski the butcher; the Nickelsens; Bob Brown the grocer; Joe Tmay owner of the local liquor store; Clare Rose the Budweiser distributor; the Bannerman family; Tom Oakers currently director of Brookhaven Hospital; and Gene Packey just to name a few. Tony got to know just about all the priests from Our Lady of Snow Church in Blue Point; he especially remembers Fr. Nuss and Tony counts Fr. John Kafalas of St. John's Greek Orthodox Church in Blue Point among his friends. 

"Customers become friends," Tony recently commented. "They become like family." People come from all over Suffolk County to get their haircut at Tony's Barber Shop. Tony's customers include doctors, lawyers, politicians, some of whom started going to Tony's when they were boys. Even when old-time customers get ill, house-bound or in a nursing home, Tony will go out of his way to visit them and cut their hair. He's gotten so many nice letters of thanks over the years for all he's done for so many people.

Tony has been married to Anne for fifty-two years. They have two grown sons and five grandchildren. "It's been a good experience," Tony commented. "I learn a lot from my customers. I'm blessed." Luckily for us, Tony has no plans to retire. He enjoys his work and his customers. Tony is also a veteran of the US military. He eventually returned stateside, met and fell in love with Anne and the rest is history.

 Congratulations Tony and many more years!

December 2023 Newsletter

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 2023. We are so grateful to be able to open this home, once again, for the holiday season.

On Saturday December 2nd and Sunday December 3rd 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 $10.00 per person.

Both nights of the Christmas Aglow have been sold out. 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

The nominating committee is looking for members for the 2024 year. Any current paid BBPHA member may serve on the board. It requires only one meeting per month. If you are interested in serving or volunteering in some capacity, 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.

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Sayville HS; Community Connect Day

On Tuesday, November 21st 2023, students from Sayville High School, along with faculty & staff members, learned the importance of volunteer work and giving back. They held a Community Connect Day. A large group came to Meadow Croft to do some raking and to clear out some invasive species in the historic rhodendrons on the property. This opportunity allowed the students, staff & faculty to be involved in some facet of community service. And we THANK them for all of their hard work and efforts to help beautify the Meadow Croft Estate. Thank you!!

                                                        Save the Date!

Our first general membership meeting of the 2024 year will be on February 18, 2024. These meetings are open to all and start at 2:00. They are held in the BBP Library.

The Walls Still Talk: A Photographic Journey Through Kings Park Psychiatric Center

A Conversation with Author/Photographer John Lazzaro

SAVE THE DATE: February 18, 2024

Award-winning photographer and author John Lazzaro will present a slideshow on the history of

Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Combining rare, archival images as well as his own photography,

Lazzaro will discuss his work and the approach to his creative process behind his 2019

book, The Walls Still Talk: A Photographic Journey Through Kings Park Psychiatric Center.

The author made dozens of trips to Nissequogue River State Park to photograph the remaining

buildings of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center which has been sitting idle and abandoned since

1996. Vast, melancholy, and aesthetically overwhelming, Kings Park Psychiatric Center was

once the pride of the local community of Kings Park, NY and treated 10,000 patients at its peak

operation in the 1950s. This project stemmed from the author's interest in and emotional

obligation to document this historical relic of Long Island. In turn, these images show the result

of decades of neglect and decay after deinstutionalization.

Blue Point Fire Department Basketball Team

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

December 2011

This undated old photo dates back to around the late 1940s. It shows some of the members of the Blue Point Fire Department basketball team and the businesses that sponsored them. Sad to say, just about all of players and all of the businesses are gone today.

In this photo, to row (L-R) : Dick Barthelme, Charlie Stroh, George Staudt, Bill Fechter and Ed Schaefer; front row (L-R): Mahlon Fechter, Ev Fuchs, Carleton McCarthy and Bill Rooney. The businesses that sponsored the team are indicated on the back of the players' team jackets.

The Blue Point Fire Department team would practice in the Blue Point Fire House but play their home games in the gym at Blue Point School. After serving their Country in World War II, a lot of young men returned home to their communities and became active in organizations such as the local fire department. They eventually formed sports teams and played competitively with other communities and organizations.

The Blue Point Fire Department Basketball team was the Suffolk County League Champion, 1946-47. The trophy they won is proudly preserved in one of the showcases at the Blue Point Fire Department.

 

 

BBPHA
www.bayportbluepointheritge.org
    
Happy Holidays! Hope to see you at Christmas at Meadow Croft!
our email is: bbphistorical@gmail.com

 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/BBPHeritage 

~ November 2023 Newsletter ~

General Membership Meeting

November 19th, 2023

Rum Running on Long Island

Presented by Amy Folk

Author, Southhold Town Historian

November 19, 2023

2-4pm @ BBP Library

Prohibition and rum running impacted the entire nation during the early 20th century. With its proximity to New York City, smugglers brought cases of liquor from offshore and through coastal communities in Suffolk County. Violence from criminal outfits disrupted previously quiet towns and locals were often swept up in dangerous, unintentional activities with bootleggers. Join author and Southold Town Historian Amy Folk and listen to the stories of rum running in Suffolk County.

Digital Tapestry Augmented Reality Experience

Introducing a NEW experience now offered at Meadow Croft!

Thank you to Linda Leuzzi from the Long Island Advance for the coverage of this unique experience! Check out the article here.

The Meadow Croft Estate, managed by the Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association, introduces an Augmented Reality (AR) tour starting in the Fall of 2023. This unique experience is accessible via the TRAR™ app on both Android and Apple devices. The app is free and allows visitors to engage with 3D AR models of the Roosevelt family, including former President Theodore Roosevelt.

This technology was developed by 360XR™, a startup company specializing in historical AR and Virtual Reality (VR). Amazingly, this technology makes history tangible. Visitors use the app to interact with 3D versions of the Roosevelts, who guide them through the Estates landmarks. There are five main scenes, with each stationed at specific spots on the grounds of Meadow Croft, marked for easy identification.

At the beginning, John Ellis Roosevelt welcomes visitors, recounting the times his cousin, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Meadow Croft. The AR figures of Teddy, John, and Nannie Roosevelt, positioned as they would have been over a century ago, narrate tales of their experiences within the very estate visitors now explore. Teddy Roosevelt delves into the history and architecture of Meadow Croft, and his voice, carefully modeled after renowned impersonator Joe Wiegand, adds authenticity.

The AR tour takes guests through various stops: Teddy discussing his affinity for Meadow Croft, John reminiscing about his father, Robert Barnwell Roosevelt, their adventures, and finally, Nannie detailing Teddy's local excursions using the family’s car, leading to tales of the Roosevelts participation in motor car races.

The Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association and the Meadow Croft Estate express enthusiasm about their partnership with the TRAR™ project. Mary Bailey, President of the BBPHA, emphasized the advantage of collaboration between different Roosevelt sites via the Digital Tapestry platform. This venture is funded by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and seeks to enhance engagement at Long Islands historical venues. The Digital Tapestry™ initiative features over 60 AR experiences across 11 Long Island locations, each providing a unique insight into significant events and encouraging visitors to explore further.

To immerse yourself in the TRAR™ experience at Meadow Croft Estate, download the app from your device’s store, visit the grounds, and let the Roosevelts guide you through history.

Thank you!

I’d like to say thank you to everyone involved on this TRAR Augmented Reality project. We all worked so well together and it was such an amazing experience.

Thank you Kathy Curren, Director of the Robert David Lioin Gardiner Foundation for considering Meadow Croft for this project and giving us the wonderful opportunity to work together to share the iconic story of Teddy Roosevelt’s visit to Meadow Croft.

Also a huge thank you to the 360XR AR design team for all your hard work and dedication to the project. And especially thank you to Jack Stevenson from 360XR for everything you did and continue to do. You took time away from your family to be there for us every step of the way. You went and continue to go above and beyond. Thank you.

I cannot forget to thank my team; Mary Lou Cohalan, Frank Giebfried and Richard Martin. We spent nearly a year working together writing scripts, choosing voice actors and finalizing the digital images. Thanks Richard Martin, Director of Historic Services for Suffolk County Parks, for doing the homework and keeping us on track. This was an amazing experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with.

Thank you,

Mary Bailey, President

Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association

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Long Island Harvard Alumni Visit Meadow Croft

On October 1, 2023, the BBPHA gave a private tour to the LI Harvard Alumni Club of Long Island. The 17 guests were met by BBPHA docents who gave them a tour and walked the grounds. Melissa Struck, who serves on the Harvard Club of Long Island's Board of Directors shared, "We loved our tour of Meadow Croft. It is a Long Island gem! We are grateful to our docents, Leanne, Jerry, Beth and Frank for sharing their extensive knowledge with us and giving so generously of their time. They really brought John Ellis Roosevelt and his family to life. It was also very interesting to learn about the Bayport Blue-Point Heritage Association's extraordinary restoration efforts over the last few decades."

If you have a group who would like a private tour, please reach out to us. We love to show off our community's history!

Pollinator Garden at Meadow Croft

It was a beautiful fall day on October 10th, when members of the Long Island Conservancy, along with support from Suffolk County Parks Department, planted a pollinator garden at Meadow Croft. The work that The Long Island Conservancy performs is project-based. Drawing from their extensive expertise in habitat restoration, they work with local communities to identify places where they can for instance turn a sump into a bird sanctuary, or clear out acres of porcelainberry, wisteria, mugwort, oriental bittersweet, Japanese multiflora rose and English Ivy, and return to those places the flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees that are native to that place.

Meadow Croft was a perfect place to plant a pollinator garden! Many native species were planted to entice creatures to help pollinate at our estate. There were over 50 native flowers and plants embedded into a small patch of garden. Thank you to all the volunteers who showed up to help with this project. We can't wait for the spring!

🎅 Christmas at Meadow Croft 🎅

It's almost time for our Annual Christmas at Meadow Croft! This year's event will be held on Saturday & Sunday, December 2nd & 3rd, 2023. There will be special exhibits, electric trains, dolls, wood carvings, and of course St. Nicholas will be there. Hot cocoa and family pictures with St. Nicholas will be in the Carriage House. The Roosevelt piano will be filling the air with holiday music and the festive decorations and baskets will be raffled off. The theme for this year will be;

Jolly Ole St. Nick!

Christmas Aglow: Back by popular demand, 2 special preview nights on Friday & Saturday, December 1st & 2nd 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. These tickets are not interchangeable so when purchasing tickets on our website, please specify what night you would like to attend. We have sold out quickly the last two years so don't wait! Tickets are limited to 50 people per night and can be purchased on our website here .

Volunteers needed: We are in need of some parking attendants to help with the traffic on both Saturday and Sunday. If you have some time to spare and would like to help, please call Craig Clare at 631-921-5245.

Get in the holiday spirit!

Gifts available for purchase!

Gift Baskets & decorations to be raffled off!

Save the dates! December 3rd & 4th from 12:00-4:00.

Admission: $10.00 per person

Boy Scout Troop 130

Special thanks go out to Boy Scout Troop 130 for recently helping to bring down all of the many Christmas decorations and Christmas trees down from the attic at Meadow Croft. This is usually a job that takes all day but with the help and support of this local troop, it was done in no time at all! We appreciate all of your help and muscles!

Thank You Docents!

A very special Thank You goes out to the many men and women who volunteer their time to share the rich history of John Ellis Roosevelt, his family and the grandeur of the Meadow Croft estate. Every weekend, from June through October, the estate is staffed to give guided tours, share facts and answer any questions our guests may have. Rain or shine we are staffed and ready to go. Special Thank you goes to Jen Economos who organized the docents and Jerry McCluskey who is our special, welcoming greeter to all! Thank you to: Dave Ort, Denise Coscia, Erich Haesche, Beth LaMarca, Frank Giefried, Joe Novak, Leanne Berg, Mary Lou Cohalan, Sandra Iden and Lenore Ringer Prezioso.

Bayport Blue Point Chamber of Commerce

This past week we had the pleasure of hosting the Bayport Blue Point Chamber of Commerce for their October general meeting on the front porch at Meadow Croft. Legislator Anthony Piccirillo and Councilman John Lorenzo were there to answer everyones questions and fill us in on what’s going on in our communities.

We gave tours of Meadow Croft to the group in attendance and introduced them to the Theodore Roosevelt Augmented Reality project just launched on the property at Meadow Croft. Then we enjoyed hot cider made by the Chamber’s VP, Gina Geraci.

Thank you all for coming!

"Along the Shore...Blue Point, L.I."

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

September 2004

This old postcard view shows Blue Point Beach, which was immediately west of Blue Point Avenue dock, as it appeared in 1913. Those old cars, all lined up, look like Daytona Beach! Many summer visitors flocked to Long Island's south shore communities such as Blue Point between the 1900's and the 1930's. People from the City spent July and August here in our summer boardinghouses & hotels to enjoy the cool summer breezes and the sparkling waters of the Great South Bay.

 

 

BBPHA
www.bayportbluepointheritge.org
    
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope to see you at Christmas at Meadow Croft!
our email is: bbphistorical@gmail.com