When Historian Antonia Booth Died November 25, 2016 Peggy Murphy Asked Me to Compose Vignettes for Silversmith's Corner Concert Series Programs

By Dan McCarthy

Southold resident Peggy Murphy was Chairman of the Southold Silversmith's Corner Summer Series Concerts! The Silversmith's Corner is located where Youngs Avenue meets the Main Road in Southold. Performers set up at the gazebo on the lawn located there for the concerts. {Or too, sometimes, like when there's rain, the concerts are held at the Southold Presbyterian Church.}

Peggy Murphy made her " song" in 2010 leaving that position as organizer of those events after having served for 20 years. For a while, former Southold Town Historian Antonia Booth was requested by Peggy Murphy to compose the Silversmith Summer Series Concert Series program vignettes. After Antonia Sullivan Booth died November 25, 2016, Peggy Murphy asked me personally to "go write-on ahead" and compose the vignettes for the Silversmith's Corner Summer Concert Series programs. I did my write-up research by taking information from both the Southold Free Library Whitaker Historical Collection as well as the Southold Historical Society. AND - Both archives findings I coordinated were represented separately on the subsequent concert programs. I gladly continued the task for a bit when Amanda Newcomer took over as Chairman and then too when the new Silversmith's Corner Summer Series Chairman Robert Blank held that position.

There "Oughta" Be Discussion ...

There were several automobile dealerships in Southold Town during the 20th century. The first car in Southold was in fact an Oldsmobile. In the spring of 1905, John Van Mater Howell of South Harbor Lane, Southold, purchased one. Howell would often walk to the village instead of driving to save scaring poor horses and their drivers. In August 1951 a request came from the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead for the Olds to be placed in the museum along with old conveyances of various kinds. John Van Mater Howell decided it was a good fireproof location for it to spend its last days and so he would give it to the Society. Howell’s old Olds is downstairs in the basement in the society’s permanent Early Suffolk Transport exhibit!

Speaking About the Postal Service

Joy Bear shared in a December 1983 Long Island Forum?article that the Southold Post Office building had “many lives.” Originally in the 19th Century, a three-story Victorian home was owned by the Conklin family. Two upper floors of the original Conklin house were separated from the ground floor and the Karstens decided “to relocate them as a separate home at the rear of the one-story building.” The remaining floor became the United States Post Office in Southold. On June 18, 1971, Mrs. Loretta DiMaggio bought both the Post Office structure and the home behind it, through her corporation, Southold Equities, Inc. That property was moved to 810 Traveler Street just adjacent to the Feather Hill parking lot entrance and is also just down the road from the site of the present Southold Post Office.

A Different Kind of Artistic Rendering

Let’s go back to a time when local craftsmen worked in North Fork establishments that offered them the chance to serve their community in a special and rewarding business. Let’s put our irons in the fire and take a peek. Among the first trades practiced in Southold were blacksmiths, according to Blacksmiths in Southold and Vicinity?by Frances Booth Petty. The word “blacksmith” means a worker in the black metal — iron. Blacksmith shops dotted the early colonial settlement when the blacksmith was considered the most essential member of the community, ranking next to the minister.

“Food, Glorious Food!”

It’s flower time in Long Island fields in October. Cauliflower farmers race against winter to gather the ivory heads before iron frosts take their toll. Riverhead and Southold streets are jammed with out-of-town drivers and truck drivers. The two sister towns sees the cauliflower crop of the island passing along the auction block in 1942. Back then, Suffolk County was America’s cradle of the cauliflower industry. A million and a quarter cases would be harvested before the season ended.

“Food, Glorious Food - Continued! - 'Seasons' Eatings'"

The year 1955 will be written down in the century-old annals of commercial potato production on Long Island as one of distress and disturbance as well as and heartache. Production “outstripped” consumption. There are some growers that stood to take a loss of between $7,500,000 and $10,000,000 on one of the finest quality crops they have ever raised. Developments that year included a largely successful attempt to unionize the potato warehouses. There was an increased use of combines to cut potato harvest costs. There was also more extensive use of belt conveyors and other labor-saving machinery.

A Home You Could "Bank" On!

From the November 1, 1995 Peconic Bay Shopper: The home of Israel Peck was built in 1852 and was known for its dance parties. Peck beautified Main Road by planting elm trees. Israel Peck built a 1/2 –mile trotting course racetrack near Jockey Creek on Oaklawn Avenue in 1872 called the Spruce Park Trotting Course. Harvest fairs were famous and were the brainchild of Israel Peck. There were six Peck daughters. Israel Peck was one of the first trustees of Southold{The Israel Peck House became the of Bank of America on the Southold Main Road!}

Let’s Take a Walk Back in Time

The Rev. John Youngs organized the church here on the 21st day of October in 1640. The original cemetery here might well be called God’s Acre for it contained about one acre of land and was devoted to the holiest purposes. The first God’s Acre the northwest corner of the present cemetery. It was the site of the meetinghouse for public worship as well as the hallowed place for the burial of the dead on the highest ground in the settlement. Near the northeast corner of this acre the first settlers built their first church edifice. This original public graveyard has been enlarged from time to time, including some eight acres, with five acres being added by 1740.

Barnabas Horton was a right hand man of Rev. John Youngs who served the community in a variety of capacities and public offices. A man of property is evidenced by his holdings that fill three entire pages of the Southold Town Records, including selling his interest in Plum Island on May 12, 1666. He was one of seven men appointed to make certain that Aquebogue meadows and other Southold town lands pay their just share of the town’s assessments. He was constable, and deputy in the New Haven Court, among other positions. Barnabas Horton was a native of Mouseley in Leicestershire. He was born in 1600. He died in Southold on July 13, 1680. He was one of the outstanding first settlers of Southold as well as an overseer of the town. Barnabas Horton was a baker by trade. He was the and right hand man of Pastor John Youngs who served the community in a variety of capacities and public offices. A man of property is evidenced by his holdings that fill three entire pages of the Southold Town Records, including selling his interest in Plum Island on May 12, 1666. He was one of seven men appointed to make certain that Aquebogue meadows and other Southold town lands pay their just share of the town’s assessments. He was constable and deputy in the New Haven Court, among other positions.

Ezra L’Hommedieu, an American statesman, was born in Southold on August 30, 1734, the grandson of French/Dutch settlers, who represented New York in the Continental Congress, the State Assembly, among other local offices, and was the author of the Empire State’s constitution. A patriot of the Revolutionary War era, he was an educator, administrator and humanitarian. L’Hommedieu was one of the earliest graduates of Yale who practiced law afterward in New York City.

The Way Teaching Was and is Now Pursued with Updated Abilities

The one-room Old Bay View Schoolhouse was constructed in 1822 and stood as a school until 1925, the last year it was open. It was moved to the Dickerson property on Jacobs Lane where it was used as a machine shop and for storage. A “Schoolhouse” Quilt was raffled to help defray the cost of building the foundation and relocating the schoolhouse as a memorial. The quilt was planned by Mattituck resident Aurelie Dwyer Stack who also pieced and appliquéd the central motif, a fabric portrait of the Schoolhouse. The design of the quilt was adapted from the book, Pieces of the Past, by Nancy J. Martin. Members of the North Fork Quilters and their friends assembled various parts of the quilt. Some fabric for the raffle quilt was donated from a store named By the Yard of Mattituck. Miss Koke’s attendance book from 1925 and the official District No. 6 seal used to emboss diplomas had been found by Mahlon Dickerson from the Old Bay View Schoolhouse. In 1989, Mahlon Dickerson’s sons, Chester and Parker, presented these artifacts to the Southold Historical Society. When the Dickerson brothers were approached about making the Old Bay View Schoolhouse a memorial, they agreed and signed it over to the town. It became a memorial on the Southold Historical Society museum grounds on the Main Road in 1990 during the 350th Anniversary of Southold. It’s true that their ancestor, Philemon Dickerson, who came to Southold only a few years after the Founding Fathers, would have been proud of them. {Southold's teacher Peggy Murphy arranges and holds classes in the fall in the Old Bay View Schoolhouse with her sensational techniques!}

Shedding a Little Light on the Subject

In 2007, we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the building of the Horton Point Lighthouse. The water surrounding the Horton property was called “Dead Man’s Cove” since the notorious and dangerous coast with rocky waters and sandbars made it difficult for ships. Record has it that in 1756, a young surveyor, farmer and soldier from Virginia named George Washington, of about 25 years of age, thought about the possibility of a lighthouse while traveling on the North Fork with Ezra L’Hommedieu, to be placed on the soundfront site overlooking the bluffs where the present lighthouse is located. The land was not available when Washington commissioned the spot during the time he was the first president of the United States in 1790. The tower and the joined-keeper’s dwelling stand on the Cliff Lot of Barnabas Horton’s original land grant.

There’s a Point to This

July 7, 1945 was the date the old Village House in Orient opened as the home of the Oysterponds Historical Society (OHS) on Village Lane. Village House was the first building acquired by the society and the only one that stands on its original site. Mrs. Jeremiah Vail operated a boarding house there in the 1800s. An 1873 map identifies it as the “Village Hotel.” It was originally the home of Augustus Griffin who built the earliest part of the structure and enlarged it and operated a tavern there. He was a school teacher and Innkeeper who provided room and board to sea captains plus merchants and other visitors.

What's It All A{Boat!}"

New Suffolk was known for being a truly busy shipyard and port years ago. As a matter of fact, the actual location of New Suffolk nowadays has its history stemming back to a special time. Sitting on the dock of Peconic Bay, one can see that it is still now, in its heyday, in a different way, and even more so, even more spectacular, despite the fact that “times have changed.”?In 1827, Ira Tuthill had the first family business begin in New Suffolk ~ a small general store.

A Very, Very Interesting Family Line

According to the Southold Historical Society Guide to Historic Markers from 1960, the Richard Terry House had its origin circa 1653 and is located on West Main Street in Southold. There is a door located at the front of the house that opens on stairs made of stone that lead to a cellar that is the typical small cellar version found among old houses. The Richard Terry House is located on the Main Road by Jasmine Lane today with an historic marker out front. Thomas Terry’s house is located farther south on the Main Road. The Daniel Terry House is on the corner of the Main Road and Mechanics Street in Southold. Daniel Terry acquired the land in 1856 and placed the house “end wise and near his east boundary.” Over the years, the house was turned to the position known today. Now Rothman’s Department Store is on the site and is a fine welcome addition.

Sew What? ~ It's a True Craft!

During September 1960, the Southold Historical Society held a talk on spinning and weaving. Fleece was shown in the raw and scouring and the carding of wool was explained. The flax plant was also shown as was the braking and hatchelling to prepare it for spinning. Society trustee Rosalind Case Newell then followed illustrating the wool wheel, the flax wheel, and a display of homespun products from old Southold families. Linen sheets, tablecloths, wool blankets, a rag carpet, coverlets, as well as the handmade appliances on which they were spun and woven were also displayed.

Did You Know? ...

Both the Southold Historical Society has various editions of Southold High School yearbooks in their respective archives.

Southold Historical Society has original Peconic Bay Shopper tabloids beginning with 1978 issues and they go to the present. The card catalog available has lists of categories of some of the articles.

A Way of "Build-ing" Some Sort of History!

Henry Wells Prince?was born in Southold on November 17, 1839. In 1874,?Henry Wells Prince?and?G. Frank Hommel, occupied the H. W. Prince Building?on the Main Road in Southold. According to the?Southold Historical Society website,?“Hommel occupied the west side of the building where he ran a shoe store and Prince occupied the east where he ran a successful dry goods business.” You can double-check even further on the?Southold Historical Society?website for further information regarding the?H. W. Prince Building?by locating the?Buildings?link on the left-hand side of the website where the?Prince Building?link is located. Plus, there is another?Prince Building?entry on the link titled?Houses 2000,?which is also on the left-hand side of the?Southold Historical Society?website. Henry Wells Prince?died on October 31, 1925, and is buried in the?Old Burying Ground of the Southold First Presbyterian Church.?Just for the sake of it,?G. Frank Hommel died on March 14, 1909. {The Southold Historical Society is located in the former H. W. Prince Building!}

Frankly Speaking

Farming was so crucial to the North Fork. The farming hamlet of Laurel was originally known as Franklinville. The name Franklinville was a tribute to Benjamin Franklin. It was realized that the name Franklinville was taken by another New York State town. And so, the residents changed the name of the North Fork Franklinville to Laurel. Thus, the post office name became the Laurel post office.

Peconic - What Was It Called Before Peconic?

According to Rosalind Case Newell in her book spotlighting Peconic titled A Rose of the Nineties, Peconic had been originally called Hermitage because of an eccentric old man named Daniel Overton who lived alone as a hermit in a little shanty house near the site of the Long Island Rail Road. He made a great fuss since the railroad upset his way of life. Eventually, tracks were laid right alongside his little cottage despite his vigorous fight with the LIRR. The historical committee of the Southold-Peconic Civic Association {now known as the Southold Historical Society} placed markers on old structures in 1960. One marker was placed on the home site of Daniel Overton, the old hermit who lived during the 1800s. The marker was placed near a store called Sterneman’s by the railroad tracks on the north side on Peconic Lane.

He Was Out of Sight! ~ His Eyes Had It!

Famed Peconic resident Henry Fitz was a true believer in making improvements for society. As my November 2010 Peconic Bay Shopper article titled Hats Off to Peconic – A Hamlet Before Its Time has it: “The first American-made telescope lenses were made right here on the North Fork with hand and foot-powered machines. Peconic resident Henry Fitz began making telescopes as a hobby in the 1840s. His contribution to science in the United States took on national significance when he entered the American Institute Fair in New York in 1845. He exhibited a six-inch achromatic refractor telescope that had his own design and was the first refraction telescope to use American-made glass.”

My Hat's Off to Him ...

Peconic resident Frank Davis Smith was a tailor who was also known as the “Man Milliner of Eastern Long Island.” His hat shop was one of the unique places for more than half a century. As you entered the shop on Peconic Lane, you stepped into the front room, which was rather dark, with glass cases filled with trimmings and other things needed by his customers, and chests of drawers filled with more of the same. All around on stands were hats on order in various stages of completion.

It’s Our Civil and Civic Duty to Pay Tribute!

According to the July 1948 Long Island Forum article titled Stella Prince, Lighthouse Keeper by Dr. Clarence Ashton Wood, her father George S. Prince is listed as having “participated in many of the most important battles of the Civil War” and his company was the Sixth Cavalry. The Sixth Cavalry gave “the appearance of which is said to have turned the tide of victory at Gettysburg.” Southold’s George S. Prince was a descendant of Captain John Prince. Captain John Prince was “the first of that family name to become a resident of Southold.” At the war’s end, George S. Prince was given a medal of honor. In 1870, Prince was given the appointment as keeper of the Horton’s Point Lighthouse by President Grant as a reward for his services in the Civil War. Stella and her sister Lucy were residents of the lighthouse. Stella became assistant keeper to Captain Robert Ebbitts after the death of her father. After Captain Ebbitts fell, hurting himself, breaking his ankle, Stella Prince then became lighthouse keeper.

Where There’s a Mill There’s a Way! - This was Worth a Mill-ion{!!!}

I’d Walk a Mill-ion Miles for One of Your Smiles!!!

John and Jeremiah Vail built a windmill on Orient’s South Beach some time after 1700 according to Steve Burt in a June 1, 1989 Peconic Bay Shopper article. The Vail mill stood halfway between Jonathan Truman’s house and Orient Creek and remained there until 1760 when it was dismantled. Amon Taber built the second Orient mill for Noah Tuthill just west of the Orient Old Wharf. It was taken down around 1810. A third 40-ton Orient mill remained until 1898 when it was moved by barge to Glen Island at the head of Long Island Sound. It was reconstructed to provide resort-goers entertainment.

Mattituck-Laurel Historical Society President Norman Wamback provided information to Dr. Merlon E. Wiggin for his February 2004 Peconic Bay Shopper article on Southold’s Grist Mills. Richard Cox of Oyster Bay built the Mattituck tidal grist mill in 1821. He ran it for many years. It lay on the west side of Mattituck Creek. He sold it in 1847 to retired sea captain Joshua W. Terry. In 1902, Yetter & Moore of Riverhead operated the mill before it was converted, a short time later into an eating and drinking establishment. The Old Mill Restaurant became the business there.

The Peconic or Goldsmith Inlet Grist Mill plans commenced in 1836. Construction was started in 1839 and completed in 1840. Some of the materials used included stones, boards, bricks, as well as a day’s work. Some time in 1842 additional work was done on the mill. Evidently, the mill was a good investment for the shareholders. The first Goldsmith Inlet Grist Mill miller was a Cox and about 1870, a Terry was the miller. It was reported that he put on an addition to the building since he could not keep up with the great demand for grinding grain. Now that there was the addition, it was rumored that the mill ground a bushel of grain in one minute. Horse-drawn wagons delivered the grain from local farms. Shallow schooners that sailed across Long Island Sound from Connecticut also carried grain to be delivered to the mill. It is unfortunate to report that on Thanksgiving Day 1898 during a gale, the windwheel was destroyed and it was not considered worthwhile to put up another. In 1906 what remained of the mill was torn down.

"He conquers who conquers himself."

According to The Zenith, which was published by the Southold High School Class of 1916, the members of the class included Myron H. Glover (President), Harold T. Richmond (Vice President), Harold E. Goldsmith (Secretary), Vera L. Petty (Treasurer), Raymond W. Terry, and Teunis S. Bergen Jr. The class flower was decided upon to be the lily. “He conquers who conquers himself” was the class motto. Purple and gold were chosen as the colors, and “The Zenith” was the name of the class paper and the class yearbook.

From the November 1, 1995 Peconic Bay Shopper

I discussed about the home of Israel Peck which was built in 1852 and was known for its dance parties. Peck beautified Main Road by planting elm trees. Israel Peck built a 1/2 –mile trotting course racetrack near Jockey Creek on Oaklawn Avenue in 1872 called the Spruce Park Trotting Course. Harvest Home Fairs were famous and were the brainchild of Israel Peck. There were six Peck daughters. Israel Peck was one of the first trustees of Southold Savings Bank. ~ According to Peter Stevens in the April 14, 1966 Traveler, Israel Peck was the grandfather of retired head of Southold Savings Bank Israel P. Terry. The Israel Peck House was owned after Peck’s time by Samuel Dickerson, George Wells, and Charles Grigonis. The Israel Peck House was demolished April 14, 1966. {The building became the site of the Bank of America.}

Honoring a Civil War Veteran – Baldwin T. Payne

According to a?1916?Traveler?obituary, Southold resident Baldwin T. Payne had “enlisted in the armies of the North for the preservation of the Union in Co. H. 127th?Regiment, N.Y.” After the Civil War having served with much credit, he was a farmer, and he taught school for several years. Baldwin Payne was principal of the Southold public school as well. He contributed numerous and very well-written columns to the?Traveler?and consistently maintained a winning style. As a matter of fact, the Whitaker Historical Collection has original handwritten Baldwin T. Payne Diaries in the archives. The dates include 1857, 1858, 1859 plus one that runs 1867-1870.

Another Type of Paradise - And yes, There's a Point!

A well and favorably known old-time resort located on Paradise Point under the management of Mrs. Charles Gaynor was to be open for the season on Decoration Day, May 30, 1917. Mrs. Gaynor thoroughly understood the business of catering to her patrons and no one ever went away dissatisfied with the shore dinners, clambakes, or the service. A dinner of her serving could be under the trees or within doors, and would be a delightful feature of any day. However, Mrs. Gaynor would prefer to be notified beforehand. When you tried one of Mrs. Gaynor’s dinners you would be sure to come again. Once a patron, always a patron, was the rule. The aim of the management is to please. Mrs. Gaynor was assisted by her sister, Mrs. Bullock. Mrs. Bullock was a past master in serving the public as she had charge of this resort for many years.

Preserving History Was His Quest ...

Rev Dr epher Whitaker devoted himself to preserving Southold’s past, improving its present and insuring its future. Dr. Whitaker wrote the History of Southold’s First Century, among other volumes, and was instrumental in preserving town records, honoring its founders, educating its youth, and celebrating the anniversaries of its founding. The Whitaker Historical Collection is a permanent and ever-growing historical collection of books, records, documents, and pictures focusing on the people, scenes, events and changes that make up the complete history of Southold.

Rev. Epher Whitaker started the movement for an Academy in Southold in 1866. The lot, not quite an acre, the property of Epher Whitaker, was purchased on Horton’s Lane. Through Whitaker’s efforts, the town records of Southold from 1651 onward were preserved and published. He was designated pastor emeritus and often called “Suffolk’s Grand Old Man.”

This Place Was "For The Birds" {!!!}

A group of Old Crows, as they called themselves, met in Peconic at a place known as the Seagyan Club that was founded in 1902 by a family known as the Applebys. The Old Crows were a group of farmers who caught fish to be used as fertilizer. The Old Crows used the Seagyan Club for picnics and social gatherings. Seagyan was the name of the last Indian who lived at Indian Neck in Peconic.

Just a Friendly & Theatrically Speaking Reminder ...

Among some of the performers who appeared in the 1948 Southold Playhouse (Belmont Hall/Community Hall) summer season of shows included: Jack Warden, Anne Meara, Walter Matthau, and oh so many more. Robert Earl Jones (father of James Earl Jones) was also among the list of stellar Broadway tremendous talent. Vinnette Carroll was there, too. She went on to write the book for the Broadway rousing gospel song and dance show Your Arms Too Short To Box With God.

Arshamomoque's Sage & Sanford ...

In 1887, DeWitt Clinton Sage came to Southold Town, buying 212 acres of fine clay soil at Arshamomoque (between Southold and Greenport). He began producing bricks on a massive scale, and his brickworks grew until it had a capacity for 24 million bricks a year. In 1889, Capt. Charles Louis Sanford on Mill Creek midway between Southold and Greenport found that Greenport had both rail and sea shipping possibilities for his brickmaking company. The brickyards of Arshamomoque provided jobs for Irish, Scottish and Italian immigrants. Both major brickyards prospered until the Hurricane of 1938, which lashed Long Island, causing severe damage in the Greenport area. Today, Goldsmith’s Boat Shop and Marina is located on the east side of Mill Creek on a man-made inlet or cove that was created out of flooded clay pits, the site of the former Sanford Brick Yard that had been abandoned after the Hurricane of 1938.

Dates of Occasions that Happened in Southold Town:

October 21, 1640 – Southold First Presbyterian Church was organized.

September 7, 1802 – The first Post Office at Southold was established.

1857 – Horton Point Lighthouse built.

February 13, 1886 – Southold Fire Department was created.

1896: A Southold police Constabulary was formed. In 1932, the Town completed a building on Peconic Lane and the area on the North side facing the lane consisting of three rooms housed the police department.

From my Peconic Bay Shopper April 2010 article titled Below Sea Level But Ultimately Shining: “In 1899, New Suffolk residents saw something unusual: what looked like two masts moving through the water at about five knots. The masts belonged to the country’s first submarine launched from an unlikely spot — the hamlet of New Suffolk — where the J. P. Holland Torpedo Company became its principal industry until 1905."

On April 11, 1900, the U.S.S. Holland was accepted into the fleet becoming the U.S. Navy’s first submarine. April 11 is celebrated to this day as National Submarine Day.