Newsletter: July 2024

 Happy 4th of July!

Independence Day! Welcome to July! 

Meadow Croft House Tours are happening each weekend from 2:00-4:00 so stop by and check out what life was like in the early 1900s. Lots of updates and improvements to view including updates to the servants quarters, which will now be part of the tour. There is also a John Hodge exhibit. John Hodge was a local artist, among many other things, and his unique style of paintings and artwork are a sight to see.

The BBPHA has many exciting things happening this summer. We have our second FREE concert happening in July featuring The Lazy Bunny Band. 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 again this year, check out the details and more happenings below.

BBP Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Gianna Echervarria who is the recipient of the 2024 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. The candidate must be a graduating senior who has a record of community service and plans to pursue a degree in History. Congratulations Gianna and best wishes in all that you do!

FREE Summer Concert

Join us for our second FREE Summer Concert of the season. The concert will be on July 18th at 6:00 in Bayport Memorial Park and will feature The Lazy Bunny Ukulele 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!

Event Information

FREE Concert in the Park

When?

Thursday, Jul 18, 2024, 06:00 PM

Where?

Bayport Memorial Park, Paulanna Avenue, Bayport, NY, USA

Academy Street Elementary visits Meadow Croft

On Friday June 14th, the 4th grade class from Academy Street Elementary School came to Meadow Croft to learn a little bit about our local history. Thanks to Jen Economos, Mary Bailey, Beth LaMarca, Sandra Iden and Roy Fedelem who helped show the boys and girls the estate and surrounding buildings. The students were clearly excited, well behaved and asked great questions!

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to learn a little bit about our local history!Save the dates!

Check out all of these happenings sponsored by the BBPHA! Information will be on our website and in our monthly newsletter. Share with your friends and neighbors!

June-October: House tours of the Meadow Croft Estate. 2-4 every weekend.

July 18th, 2024: FREE concert; Lazy Bunny Ukulele Band. 6:00pm at Bayport Memorial Park

August 21st, 2024: Historic Summer Boat Cruise. More information in our August newsletter.

TBD: BBP Historic Walking tours ~ new dates announced soon!

TBD: Browns River Environmental Kayak Tour. Starting at the MC estate.

September 21st, 2024: Gatsby Gala; held at MC. 7-9:00pm More info to follow on this event.

Ongoing: Teddy Roosevelt Augmented Reality at MC. See details on our website

December 7th & 8th, 2024: Christmas at Meadow Croft: A Candy Coated Christmas, 12-4:00

Become a member and get our monthly newsletter!

All information on our website and on social media!Student Docents for a Day

We were so fortunate to have the Sayville High School History Club come to Meadow Croft and act as docents for the day! The students had training about the Meadow Croft Estate and the rich history of our community and the Roosevelt family and jumped right in and gave tours to guests on our opening day, June 1st. Bright, articulate and passionate about history! We were so lucky to have them join us. 

Of course, you all are welcome back anytime!

Model A Ford Club visits Meadow Croft

What a treat! On June 15, the BBPHA played host to about 20 members of the Model A Ford Club of Long Island who visited Meadow Croft. They drove in with their beautiful antique cars and enjoyed a tour of the Meadow Croft Estate. It was such a pleasure hosting this group for a fun afternoon! Thank you for visiting and we hope to see you again!

Roosevelt Great-Grandson visits Meadow Croft

We were so lucky to have a surprise visitor take a tour of Meadow Croft, the summer home of John Ellis Roosevelt. On June 9th, Philip Roosevelt, the great grandson of JER came to visit and reminisce about his family, summer memories and more. We were delighted to host and share a special tour for Philip and his guests. Thank you for stopping by and sharing a love of local history and of course, the Roosevelt family!

Christmas at Meadow Croft

We know it's only July, but planning has already begun for this year's Christmas at Meadow Croft! The theme this year will be A Candy Coated Christmas and the dates are 

December 7th & 8th, 2024. 

Our chairperson, Leanne Berg is looking to create a list of volunteers who would like to help with the set-up, and cleaning both before and after the event. If you are interested and would like more information, please call Leanne at 631-235-1702.

Summer Solstice Walking Tour

Residents once again celebrated the first day of summer with a stroll through historic Blue Point, sponsored by the Bayport Blue Point Public Library. The tour was led by Frank Giebfried of BBPHA, who continues the tradition that our great historian Gene Horton began many years ago. Over one hundred Blue Pointers and Bayporters signed up for the tour. It’s great to see so many interested in our heritage!

The tour began at our beautiful library, formerly the site of the South Bay House. Along the way many beautiful homes were visited, as well as the sites of the great summer hotels from last century. Some of the historic spots included Avery’s Five Mile Look Hotel, Grandview Gardens Private Beach, the Monterey Hotel, the Megill estate, and the home of Anna Davis, our former library director for 23 years who also happened to be married to Nobel Prize winner Raymond Davis, Jr. 

We visited the homes of Ballington Booth, jazz clarinetist Johnny Mince, and steamboat pilot Noah Mason. 

Thanks to the homeowners whose lovely properties were highlighted on our stroll. We were welcomed with open arms and are grateful for their enthusiasm for the history of their houses. Special thanks to Mrs. Davis who welcomed us from her porch, the Geoghans who showed us around their unique property, and the Parrot family for creating a beautiful display of historic postcards of their home. We also appreciate Wendy Bennett from the library for her help in organizing the tour.

We hope to see you all next year!

2024 Heirloom Garden Dedication

The Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association has decided to dedicate the 2024 Meadow Croft Heirloom Garden to Sylvia Harenberg, a cherished and devoted member of the BBPHA since its inception. Sylvia's passion for preserving our local history and her tireless efforts in nurturing our community's heritage have left an indelible mark. The garden stands as a tribute to her memory, reflecting the beauty she brought to our lives. We encourage you to visit.

BBPHA

www.bayportbluepointheritge.org🎆 Happy Independence Day! 

Newsletter- June 2024

 Welcome June!

Welcome to summer! Briny breezes, longer days, flowers blooming, graduations and the 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 the year.

Summer House Tours: 

 June 1st & 2nd start the Meadow Croft Estate house tours. They are given every weekend starting in June and running through October. Trained docents will be showing the 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 your experience at Meadow Croft even better. Come check out the work that was done to restore some rooms in the servants quarters. How did the help for the Roosevelt family live? We welcome you to join us and find out. 

If you would like to plan a tour for a group of 10 or more, email us to set a date: bbphistorical@gmail.com 

If you would like to learn more or become a docent please contact Jen at 631-235-9342

 John Hodge Art Display at Meadow Croft Written 

By Gene Horton

The following was written by Gene Horton about the talented artist, John Hodge. An
exhibit of his work will be on display at Meadow Croft. The house will be open from 2-4
on weekends for tours. Stop by and view these beautiful pieces of art.

John Hodge was one of the most talented people ever to reside in Bayport, Long Island. He is remembered today primarily as a local folk artist, painter and wood carver. John Hodge was born in New York City in 1868 but spent most of his life in Bayport. In 1889, he joined the New York City police department. He worked at the Eldridge Street Station as a patrolman. However, he decided early-on to give up that job and return to Bayport.

Throughout his life, John Hodge’s employment was varied and sporadic; a jack-of-all-trades. At various times, he was an interior and exterior house painter. He also painted outdoor signs. In 1897, he opened a bicycle repair shop in Bayport with Sanford Weeks. He joined the Bayport Fire Department and, in 1898, organized and led a fife and drum corps in the department. John Hodge was musically talented. 
On August 13, 1900, John Hodge married Elizabeth Bennett of Blue Point. The Bennetts owned and operated a large greenhouse business (on the site of the present Bayport-Blue Point Public Library). However, Elizabeth Bennett’s parents did not approve of their daughter marrying John Hodge. But John and Elizabeth went ahead and were married anyway. Rev. George T. Freeman conducted the 1900 nuptials in Bayport. Sadly, it would not be a happy, bliss-filled marriage, although they did have four children. The marriage had its ups, downs and separations. John and Elizabeth Hodge’s home, now gone, was located on the northeast corner of Fairview Ave. and Academy St. John Hodge, however, would emerge over the years as a super-talented man known especially for his combined painted and carved works. 

One particular Bayport establishment, Gene Amann’s Bayport House, became the depository of an extraordinary number of John Hodge’s carved images. Gene Amann had befriended John Hodge and eventually employed him as a handyman. The tap room at the Bayport House became John Hodge’s unofficial showcase…everywhere you looked you could see John Hodge’s work displayed on the walls and hanging from the ceiling: birds and ducks everywhere, geese and birds in flight, fish attracted by a shiny lure, a native American in a canoe spearing salmon, hunting dogs pointing, a deer in flight from a fire, brown trout, a moose, hunters in a canoe…all in 3-D… carved and painted on boards and odd pieces of wood or even on the inside of wooden salad bowls…these were all John Hodge’s subjects and his artist’s focal point. 
In 1938, through Gene Amann, John Hodge’s work was displayed at the National Sportsmen’s Show in NYC’s Madison Square Garden. The following year, 1939, John Hodge also had samples of his work displayed at the Long Island Exhibit at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows. Sadly, in 1938, Elizabeth Hodge died, aged sixty. She’s buried in the Blue Point Cemetery. In 1942, John Hodge was appointed a uniformed ‘special constable’ by the Islip Town Board. Later, he was a crossing guard at Bayport High
School. John Hodge continued to carve and paint even as his health began to fail. By 1955, he entered the Firemen’s Home in Hudson, NY due to ill health. John Hodge died at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson on June 19, 1957, at the age of 89. He’s buried in the Firemen’s Cemetery in Hudson, NY.

Do you have artwork from John Hodge? We’d love to hear your story and tell us how you acquired it.
Bbphistoricl@gmail.com. We’ll share the story on our social media pages.

 

FREE Concert in the park

The Bayport Blue Point Heritge 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 13th from 6:00-8:00 (weather permitting) 

for some wonderful music featuring Jack's Waterfall.

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 for our first FREE concert!

Save the date: The next FREE concert will be on July 18  

and feature The Lazy Bunny Band!

 

Event Information
Free Concert
Thursday, Jun 13, 2024, 06:00 PM
Where?
Bayport Memorial Park, Paulanna Avenue, Bayport, NY, USA

 

Merchandise for Sale

Be on the lookout as there will be a table set-up at our FREE concerts this summer where the BBPHA will be selling brand new items for sale! There will be; t-shirts, hoodies and vinyl stickers. All sizes available. Local history books by our late town historian Gene Horton will also be on sale. Make your purchase by cash, charge or PayPal.

Support the BBPHA and purchase one of these items on June 13th at our first Summer Concert. Thanks!Memorial Day Parades
The weather was gray and overcast but the Bayport and Blue Point communities honored all those who served and sacrificed for our freedoms. Special thanks go to members of the BBPHA for marching in the Bayport and Blue Point parades. This is a tradition arranged and started by the fire departments in our communities over 75 years ago. 
Both Bayport and Blue Point have 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 Library visits Meadow Croft

On May 18th, 36 patrons of the BBP library came to take a tour of the Meadow Croft estate and learn about local history. Our trained docents split up the group and shared the rich history of what life was like for the Roosevelt's back in 1901. A good time was had by all!

If you would like to book a tour for a group of 10 or more, please email us to set up a date.

Summer Solstice Walking Tour

On June 20 & 21, once again, our own Frank Giebfried will be the tour guide for an evening stroll that marks the beginning of the summer season. This year's tour will begin and end at the BBP library. Along the way, patrons will explore the sites of historic boarding houses such as the Monterey Hotel, Avery's Five Mile Look, and the South Bay House, which originally stood on the grounds of the BBP library. You will also visit the homes of Edward Megill, Volunteers of America co-founder's Maud and Ballington Booth, jazz clarinetist Johnny Mince, and Nobel Prize recipient Raymond Davis Jr., for whom the library meeting room is named for. Although both dates have reached capacity at this time, you may contact the library to put your name on a waiting list. Rain date for this event is June 24. Enjoy!

 

BBP High School 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 to a graduating senior in the name of our dear friend, local historian, and former director, Gene Horton. More information will be printed in the July newsletter after the award has been presented to the winner at an award ceremony held at the end of June. Good luck and congratulations to all who are graduating!In the News!

The BBPHA recently made headlines as this article appeared in Newsday! Check it out!

www.bayportbluepointheritge.org

 

House tours begin on June 1st! See you at Meadow Croft!

  

General Membership Meeting: MAY 19, 2024

 

~May 2024 Newsletter~

 General Membership Meeting

The Wickedest Man in Bayport

In the late 19th century, New York City businessman Theodore ‘The’ Allen established his summer estate on South Fairview Avenue in our lovely hamlet of Bayport. ‘The’ was beloved by local residents, despite being known as the “Wickedest Man in New York.” His criminal career began as a butcher boy for Bill “the Butcher” Poole, leader of the Bowery Boys, one of the famous gangs of New York. He went on to commit fraud, run bookkeeping rings, pool halls, gambling houses, various saloons and dance halls - not to mention houses of ill repute. ‘The’ eluded the law for decades, survived murder attempts, ran for political office, and acquired quite a fortune during his life. Join BBPHA’s Frank Giebfried as we explore one of the more notorious members of our town.

Date: May 19, 2024
Place: BBP Library
Time: 2:00
Presenter: Frank Giebfried
NO Registration necessary!
Join us for this informative meeting!

 

Connetquot Library Visits Meadow Croft

On April 25, several members of the Connetquot Library staff took a tour of Meadow Croft. Our wonderful docents; Jerry, Frank, Sandra, and Leanne gave a very informative tour of the house and grounds sharing the history of John Ellis Roosevelt and what life was like in 1900 at the Meadow Croft estate. 
We thank them for joining us and learning a little bit of our community's history. If your group would like a personal tour, please contact us!

 

Updates at Meadow Croft

Every year after the tour season is over, the BBPHA starts planning for next year. In a home that was built over 130 years ago, there are many repairs that need to be done.

This year our focus was on the servant's quarters at the back of the great estate. We have been lucky enough to have hired an amazing and talented man to help us with the job. Martin LaVelle is a master at repairing plaster, painting, and making the old look new again. Martin has helped us update many rooms at Meadow Croft and we are thankful that he loves this home as much as we do.
 

Come visit us at the Meadow Croft estate from 2:00-4:00 on weekends from June through October to see it for yourself. Martin LaVelle can be reached at 631-546-8048 or mwlavellepainting@yahoo.com

Another important update to Meadow Croft has been the addition of a video surveillance system located in several places on the outside of the historic estate. This project has been in the works for awhile and it is now complete. Special thanks go to Matthew Juvet of Sayville for his efforts. Thank you!

 

Clean up at Meadow Croft

On April 27th, we had a nice turnout of volunteers to help clean up Meadow Croft Estate's historic heirloom garden. It truly was a team effort and wonderful green-thumb volunteers came together to help preserve a part of local history.

Special thanks go to: Maureen Riordan, Linda Engleman, Steve Jones, Sandra Iden, Denise Coscia, Mary Lou Cohalan, and Mary Bailey. Erich Haesche has agreed to do the planting of the new flowers and they will be planted shortly.

 

Membership Now Due

It's that time of year! The BBPHA is now requesting your membership dues. 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 payment directly from our webpage. Any questions can be directed to bbphistorical@gmail.com. 

Your membership dues go a long way to support and maintain our mission of preserving our hamlet's heritage. It also allows us to provide our communities with free events, like our two summer concerts. Thank you to all of our generous members! New members welcome! Support your communities!

Membership Type
Annual/Family: $25.00
Senior: $10.00
Corporate: $100.00
Donation: $___

 

Save the dates!

Lots of planning going on and some fun activities sponsored by the BBPHA are happening in the coming months. Keep up to date by reading the newsletters, & following us on social media. Here are some of the events planned already:

FREE concerts in the park: June 13, Jack's Waterfall & July 18, Lazy Bunnies
Summer tours: every weekend June through October
Historic Boat Cruise: August 21, 2024
Historic Walking Tour: June 20, 2024 (sign up at library)
General Membership mtg: May 19, 2024 @ BBP Library
Ongoing: Teddy Roosevelt Augmented Reality @ Meadow Croft
Christmas at Meadow Croft: December 7 & 8, 2024

 

 

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

May 2002

This long-gone but handsome LIRR station was located about 200 feet west of Snedcore Ave. in Bayport on the south side of the tracks. The station opened in August, 1903, and cost $8000 to build. The brick and stucco building was 80 feet long and 25 feet wide. Notice in the picture the unique curve in the station's roof-line over the ticket office. The platform canopy roof, supported by slender wooden columns, extended 50 feet from both sides of the main station building. Under the canopy roof, there was a concrete block platform. Cinder platforms extended 300 feet along the track.

Inside, there was a large waiting room with wooden-paneled walls and ceiling. The waiting room was heated in winter and well furnished. Old-timers tell of oriental carpets and wicker furniture among the station's benches. The waiting room could accommodate 50 people. The station and platform were lighted by electricity even in 1903. The photo below was taken in the 1930's.

Sad to say, after World War 2, commuter traffic from Bayport dwindled. In 1964, the LIRR demolished this beautiful building and replaced it with an ugly metal shed. Today, even the shed is gone and there is no LIRR service in either Bayport or Blue Point. Bayport Heritage Association was founded in 1983. Too bad no such organization existed here in the 1960's. Maybe our hamlet's beautiful railroad station might have been preserved.

www.bayportbluepointheritge.org

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