The Long Island History Project

Carol Gilliam is the Black Heritage Librarian at Roosevelt Public Library where she oversees a collection dedicated to black culture and history. On this episode we discuss the growth and use of the collection as well as the Harlem Renaissance, Chuck D and Julius Irving. We also cover the history of Roosevelt, known as Rum Point for most of the 19th century, as well as the challenges and opportunities of preserving its past. Further Research The Black Heritage Collection Roosevelt Year Books Chuck D Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History (find in a library) Zora Neale Hurston Award

Bill Bleyer has a knack for finding history - or maybe it finds him. He had front row seats for Woodstock, did battle with Robert Moses, and got tear-gassed at the 1972 Republican National Convention. Now, after a decades-long career in journalism at Newsday, he writes books about the history of Long Island. Today's interview covers Bill's career, his love for rock and roll, and the interesting corners of the Island's history that he's found over the years. Further Research: Bill's books on Facebook Fire Island Lighthouse Long Island and the Civil War (on Facebook) Sagamore Hill "Marking the Dual Legacy of Robert Moses." (NYT) Newsday: A Candid History of the Respectable Tabloid by Robert F. Keeler (Find in a library) Press Club of Long Island  

It's the summer of 1885 and an industrious and itinerant hotel man named Frank P. Thompson is making history on Long Island. Working for the season at the Argyle Hotel in Babylon, Frank forms a baseball team for exhibition games and barnstorming through the area. Some say they formed as the Black Panthers but they went on to become the Cuban Giants, the first professional African-American team in history. On today's episode, fellow librarian Fabio Montella relates the story of the Cuban Giants and the related history of the Negro Leagues and segregation in baseball up through Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. ]Further Research Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball by Lawrance D. Hogan (Find in a library) Out of the Shadows: African American Baseball from the Cuban Giants to Jackie Robinson by Bill Kirwin (Find in a library) Negro Leagues Baseball Museum "Black Baseball's Rich Legacy" (NYT 4/27/2008) Babylon Historical Society Save

We're looking back to the Hurricane of 1938 on this episode. Called "The Long Island Expresss" by some, "The Great New England Hurricane" by others, remembered by all who lived through it. Today you'll hear five people, recorded back in 2008, recalling their experiences from Brooklyn out to Orient and up into Massachusetts. Children at the time, they all remember that day as if it just happened. Special thanks to Ken Strange, George and Rhea Mitchell, Priscilla Teisch, and John Kalinowski for sharing their memories with us. If you're on the Island, make sure to check out the new exhibit In Harms Way running at the Long Island Museum. It looks at natural disasters on Long Island, how the region has responded in the past, and how we can plan for the future. [caption id="attachment_2274" align="alignnone" width="644"] Front page of the Mattituck Watchman, Sep 22, 1938. From NYS Historic Newspapers[/caption] Further Research A Wind to Shake the World by Everett S. Allen (find in a library) The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 (Nat Weather Service) In Harm's Way at the Long Island Museum Remembering the Long Island Express (New York Times) Save

Sarah Kautz, preservation director of the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, joins us to discuss their new list of most endangered historic places on Long Island. From the homes of African American and Native American workers to the grand estates of the Gilded Age, each site offers a window into the Island's past and to the complex challenges of historic preservation.   Further Research SPLIA's Endangered Historic Places 2017 Friends of Ceadarmere Bethel Christian Avenue Historic District (National Register application) Friends of the Fowler House (Facebook) Indian Fields (from On This Site project) Oakdale Historical Society (Facebook) York Hall (Kings Park Heritage Museum) York Hall Interview with Jason Crowley (2016)  

Apologies to all of our listeners for the lag between episodes! It's been a combination of factors and circumstance but new content is in the works. Connie and I will be back soon with interviews with more authors, researchers, and others involved in uncovering and preserving Long Island history. In the meantime, if you know of anyone who you think has a great Long Island history story to tell, drop us a line at longislandhistoryproject [at] gmail.com. We'd love to hear your suggestions.

Jeremy Dennis is in pursuit of the past, intent on documenting the historical and sacred sites of indigenous people on Long Island. His project, On This Site, restores a map of an old heritage. Jeremy has walked forests, railroad tracks, and backyards to uncover and photograph the often overlooked and forgotten landscape of his Shinnecock ancestors and other Native Americans on Long Island. On this episode, Jeremy discusses the physical evolution of the sites he has visited as well as his travels through the historical record trying to decode long-forgotten place names and often biased accounts. We also talk about the photography projects that inspired him and what he would like to pursue next.   Further Research: On This Site Jeremy Dennis Fine Art Photography "On This Site: The Indigenous People of Suffolk County" Exhibit July 15th, 1:00 PM Opening Reception, Suffolk County Historical Society Running Strong for American Indian Youth Related Episodes: Tales of the Shinnecock A Walk Through Time With The Shinnecock An Island of History Under Our Feet Photography Projects: Vanishing Points, Michael Sherwin On This Site, Joel Sternfeld The Innocents, Taryn Simon       Save Save

Today we talk with Sandi Brewster-walker about her life and her family's history. Not only do the Brewsters have deep ties to North Amityville and the Native American community on Long Island but their story is intertwined with American history on multiple levels.  You'll hear about early slavery on Long Island, letters from John Brown, spying in West Africa for the OSS during World War II, the peculiar fad for Tom Thumb's wedding and more. Sandi is also a practiced genealogist and we go over some of the challenges of researching Native American and African American ancestors. Beyond family research, her current efforts are directed at establishing a North Amityville Historic District and a Long Island Indigenous People & Research Center. For more details, you can check out her book, The Colored Girl From Long Island, and her columns in the Amityville Record. Further Research The Colored Girl From Long Island The Autobiography of Willis Augustus Hodges [PDF] Long Island Indigenous People Museum & Research Institute North of the Village Green (Amityville Record) Bicentenial Moment: Irving W. Underhill 71st Annual Shinnecock Indian Powwow Who Were the Harlem Hellfighters America on the Move: Pullman Porter The Wondrous World of Tom Thumb Weddings

If you needed a house built in Sayville around the turn of the last century, Isaac H. Green, Jr. was your man. To attest to this fact, you can still see many of his buildings on Main Street, off Brook St., along Middle Road, down into Oakdale and beyond. He designed churches and carriage houses as well as summer estates and farm buildings. His client list included the Vanderbilts, the Bournes and the Cuttings. His biggest fan, however, is Connie Currie. On today's episode, Connie describes her over fifty year pursuit of the life and buildings of Isaac H. Green. She started with Meadow Croft, the summer home he designed for John Ellis Roosevelt. Her research odyssey took her to Oakdale, East Hampton and all the way up to Bar Harbor, Maine as she tracked the career of Sayville's favorite son. Further Research Meadow Croft (Bayport Heritage Association) A History of St. Anne's Church The Architecture of Isaac Henry Green Jr. (National Register) Queen Anne. Architectural Styles of America and Europe   Save Save Save

If you were to name the most famous Floyd on Long Island before the outbreak of the Revolution, chances are it would not have been William Floyd. His cousin, Richard Floyd IV, cut a more striking figure: generous, hospitable, refined - with a thriving Mastic estate and powerful connections. Yet today, William has a parkway named after him and his home is part of the National Park system while Richard is erased from history. Wonder why? Join local historian Matthew Montelione as he relates the history of American Loyalist Richard IV and how the Revolution drove him apart from his family, his neighbors and his nation. Richard's story is part of our special series of episodes looking into Revolutionary War-era Long Island in honor of the final season of AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies. It turns out that Richard's fate is woven into that of the Culper Spy Ring. Richard's brother Benjamin lived in Seatauket and had some dubious ties to Abraham Woodhull. And not only did Brewster Caleb make it a point to raid Floyd's estate, Benjamin Tallmadge led a party of dragoons right to his doorstep, besieging the neighboring British Fort St. George on the Mastic peninsula. Hear all this and more, including our predictions on what the last scene in Turn will be. Further Research: Richard Floyd IV: Long Island Loyalist Mastic Peninsula Historical Society Benjamin Tallmadge Historic Trail Memoir of Benjamin Tallmadge Other Turn episodes: Morton Pennypacker: Long Island Spy Hunter Save Save Save