The Long Island History Project

PJ Novak wrote the history of Huntington on a postcard. A librarian, archivist and dedicated deltiologist, she is also the author of Huntington from the Postcard History Series of Arcadia Press. On this episode she walks us through the many hamlets and villages of Huntington at the turn of the last century, pointing out the buildings, the bobsleds, and the people who made up the community. We also discuss the history of the postcard itself, a simple yet fascinating message from the past that can tell us many things today.

The Long Island Ducks personified an era and a brand of hockey. From 1959 to 1973, they fought, checked, and slashed their way through the Eastern Hockey League and the Long Island Arena in Commack. If this sounds vaguely familiar, think back to the 1977 film Slap Shot with Paul Newman. Newman's character, Reg Dunlop, was based on the Duck's defensiveman John Brophy. Chrs Vaccaro, head of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, relates the story of this storied franchise. Connie Currie tells her own story of watching the Ducks play and what it was like inside that big drafty barn of a stadium when the pucks were flying.

We've been tracking the history of the Culper Spy Ring for a while on the Project but today we go to the source - two primary sources to be exact. Kristen Nyitray, Director of Special Collections and University Archives at Stony Brook, and Chris Filstrup, former Dean of SBU Libraries, discuss their pursuit and acquisition of two letters by George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge about the operations of the spy ring. You'll hear about Washington's hands-on approach to spycraft and the dangers the Ring faced operating out of enemy territory. Kristen also describes the Culper Alliance that formed betwen Stony Brook, NYS Assemblyman Steve Englebright, and local cultural heritage organizations from the Three Village Historical Society to Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay. From the shores of Setauket to the auction room at Christie's, this story reveals the continuing evolution of the Culper Spy Ring's historical significance. Further Research George Washington and the Culper Spy Ring (SBU Libraries) Spies in the Archives: Acquiring Revolutionary War Spy Letters Through Community Engagement by Kristen Nyitray and Sally Stieglitz Raynham Hal Museum Three Village Historical Society Music: Fife and Drums by Kevin MacLeod licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose (find in a library) Past Culper Spy Ring/TURN episodes on the Long Island History Project

Gil Bergen was the long-time superintendent of the Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale. His association with the park goes back to 1945 when he started working at what was then the storied South Side Sportsmen's Club. This intervew, recorded in 2007 at the Park, includes Sallie Kachell and Rhoda McManus of Oakdale. You'll hear Gil describe the men who made up the membership of the club: heads of state, captains of industry, and all devoted to the preservation of this one slice of Long Island's natural heritage.

Mary Lou Cohalan and friends bought the Suffolk County News in the late 1960s. Hear about the trials and tribulations of running a hometown paper on Long Island, from the every day of school votes and local government to the extraordinary catastrophes that drop out of the sky. Further Research The Suffolk County News Sayville Cabinet for the Sick

Chris Bodkin concludes his visit to Sayville past with this third installment. We talk about his mother's trips out here during the Great Depression, Father Divine and the African American community, and Dr. Bard, dentist to the stars and first ladies.

Longtime Sayville resident Chris Bodkin continues his look back at Sayville's history. Today we talk about his time as a captain on the Fire Island Ferries and his move into local politics. Then we look at a few of the stories behind Sayville's war veterans memorialized in Sparrow Park. Chapter 3 of Chris' story is coming soon.

Long-time Sayvile resident Chris Bodkin discusses his childhood in 1950s Sayville: life on the bay, Main Street, and the unexpected thrill of the first pizza store.

Special feed-only episode! Six stories of learning to drive on Long Island.

Henry Livingston came to Babylon in 1869 and founded the South Side Signal. He made an immediate splash advocating for Babylon to split from the town of Huntington and went on to lead the paper into the 20th century. On this episode, Babylon Town Historian Mary Cascone relates the history of the paper: its influence, evolution, and style. We also trade stories of newspaper research, microfilm readers, and the glory of digitized collections. As a little side experiment - help us document the noble yet forgotten microfilm machine. Send us a picture of a microfilm reader in the wild to longislandhistoryproject [at] gmail.com Further Research South Side Signal at NYS Historic Newspapers Brooklyn Daily Eagle (from Brooklyn Public Library) Town of Babylon Historic Services Mary Cascone Amazon Author Page