The Long Island History Project

“Showing the Inventor in the Effulgent Glory of Myriad Tongues of Electric Flame After He Has Saturated Himself with Electricity.” New York World, July 22, 1894. Nikola Tesla was a bona fide Gilded Age celebrity, pulling front page headlines in the New York press and attracting the rich and famous to his late night laboratory demonstrations. You were nobody until Tesla shot you through with electricity. And now Tesla’s time has come again. We conclude our special Tesla Month here at the Long island History Project talking to filmmaker Joe Sikorski about his documentary Tower to the People: Tesla’s Dream at Wardenclyffe Continues. Co-written with Michael Calomino, Tower to the People tells the story of Tesla and the successful fight to save his Wardenclyffe lab. Bringing Tesla’s story to the screen has been a labor of love of Joe’s for some time and you’ll hear about his original dream: the full-length feature film Fragments from Olympus. We discuss the challenges of documentary film making and reveal more of Tesla’s fascinating life and why it lends itself so perfectly to film. Are you in Los Angeles October 23-29th? Catch a special screening of Tower to the People at the Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd. And tell them the Long Island History Project sent you! http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/JoeSikorski.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Further Research Tower to the People documentary trailer Fragments from Olympus feature film Teslasdream.com (for news and current showings) Crest Theatre on Facebook Interview with Jane Alcorn of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (Part 1 and Part 2) Selected Tesla flimography (from IMDB) Tesla (2016) Pictures of Infinity (2015) Tesla’s Engine (2014) The Prestige (2006) Click to view slideshow.

Corner of the Wardenclyffe site. Photo by Chris Kretz. The historic site you want to preserve is up for sale for $1.3 million dollars. The good news: New York State will give you $850,000. The bad news: you have to raise the same amount. And there are other interested buyers. And the clock is ticking. That’s the position The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (TSCW) found themselves in by the summer of 2012. But don’t worry, there’s a happy ending. In this second of a two-part interview, Jane Alcorn (TSCW president) explains how they turned things around. The secret ingredient: enlist the aide of Matthew Inman, creator of the website The Oatmeal. In the whirlwind of events that followed, offers of help poured in and TSCW was able to meet all their goals. And then the hard work began. Jane recounts it all and lays out future plans for the site and for Nikola Tesla’s legacy of scientific innovation. Remember to check the TSCW website for ways that you can get involved. And stay tuned as our Tesla month continues. Next week on the podcast we interview filmmaker Joe Sikorski on his Tesla/Wardenclyffe documentary Tower to the People. http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/JaneAlcorn2.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Further Research: The Oatmeal Why Tesla Was the Greatest Geek Who Ever Lived Jane Alcorn Interview Part 1 Wading River Branch of the LIRR (via Art Huneke’s LIRR History site) Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Click to view slideshow.

“Nikola Tesla, Dreamer” From The World To-Day, 1901. Jane Alcorn was hooked on science from an early age but it was not until a friend clued her in to the Wizard of Electricity  that she became hooked on Nikola Tesla. A major scientific player at the turn of the last century, Tesla established a lab at Wardenclyffe in Shoreham, Long Island to pursue his innovative experiments in electricity, radio, and broadcast energy. Drawing inspiration from his story, Jane and a dedicated group founded The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. And eventually, they realized the dream of securing Tesla’s lab and have begun to restore it. In the first of a two-part interview, Jane describes that journey and provides background on what made Tesla so inspiring. You’ll hear stories of his inventions and his interactions with the people of Shoreham as well as his connections to people like Mark Twain, Stanford White and George Westinghouse. Look for part 2 next week when we discuss the long and surprising road to purchasing the Wardenclyffe site. http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/JaneAlcorn1.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Further Research: Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade Books on Tesla (via WorldCat) Tesla: Master of Lightning (PBS) The Electric Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla (Marco Tempest Ted Talk)

Longtime radio broadcaster Ray Adell of Ray Adell Media, WGSM, WBAB and more. Photo by Tom Hoffman. Ray Adell is a radio man, from his early days broadcasting down in Virginia to his arrival at WGSM (World’s Greatest Suburban Market!) in Huntington in the early 1950s. But perhaps you’ll remember him best as the voice (and mind) behind “About Long Island,” the long-running radio spot sponsored by the Grumman Corporation. For over twenty years Ray and his staff at Adell Media served up snippets of Long Island history in morning drive time to educate and entertain. In this interview Ray looks back at the people he’s met (Jack Ellsworth and Edmund Hillary to name just two), stations he’s worked at (WCAP, WEST, WKBS, WGSM and WBAB to name just five), and answers the question: is radio dead? Leave a comment if you have memories of Ray or any of the old Long Island stations. And special thanks to Thom Hoffman for arranging this interview. BONUS: The Long Island History Project is now listed in iTunes! If you like what you hear, please leave a review or rate us. If you’re not sure how, read this first. Many great interviews ahead so keep listening! You can bookmark us, use the “follow” button to get email updates, or subscribe in iTunes or your podcast reader of choice. http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/RayAdell.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Further Research More samples of “About Long Island” Ray Adell Media Long Island Radio History Weyman “Sandy” Jones (former Grumman VP of Public Affairs) Jack Elsworth Memories in Melody on Facebook The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996 (find in a library via WorldCat) Then We Set His Hair on Fire by Phil Dusenberry (find in a library via WorldCat) Huntington History (blog of Huntington Town Historian Robert C. Hughes)

Sylvester Manor from Historical Papers on Shelter Island and Its Presbyterian Church, with Genealogical Tables. N.Y, 1899 We’re back for part II of our interview with Dr. Gaynell Stone, executive director of the Suffolk County Archaeological Association and now accomplished filmmaker. Her connection to Stephen Mrozowski’s work at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island led to her first film, The Sugar Connection: Holland, Barbados, Shelter Island in 2012. The story of manors on Long Island is a tale that grows in the telling, however, so Dr. Stone has mapped out an ambitious series of documentaries encompassing Gardiner’s Island, Eaton’s Neck, the Manor of St. George and more. Today you’ll get a glimpse of the stories that were uncovered: alchemists on Fisher’s Island, what lies buried on Plum Island, the forgotten patriot John Sloss Hobart, and pirates sailing out of the Connetquot River. You’ll also hear about the struggles to get these documentaries off the ground and seen by the public. http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/GaynellStone2.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Further Research Sylvester Manor Educational Farm The Archaeology of Sylvester Manor The Manor: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island (find in a library via WorldCat) Dr. Gaynell Stone interview Part I

Dr. Gaynell Stone was instrumental in the creation of Readings in Long Island Archaeology and Ethnohistory, the series of reference books that, starting in the 1970s, pulled together the foundational sources and background information on archaeology in the region. In the first part of this two-part interview, Dr. Stone walks us through the fascinating history of Long Island archaeology, uncovering along the way: the myth of the 13 Indian tribes, the importance of Thomas Jefferson, the gravestones of Southampton, and much more. Look for part 2 in two weeks when we discuss the Manors of Long Island! http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/GaynellStone1.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Further Research: Readings in Long Island Archaeology and Ethnohistory (Click on a title to find in a library via WorldCat) Suffolk County Archaeological Association Silas Wood on the original Long Island “tribes” (via Google Books) Allison Mann describes Freetown [East Hampton] Bert Seides and the Terry Ketcham Inn

James Foote (l. Photo courtesy of James and Joni Foote). President Roosevelt (r. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress) http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/JamesFoote.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. James Foote has some pretty big shoes to fill but he’s been pulling it off effortlessly for decades. Starting with a close resemblance to the 26th President of the United States and adding a passion for research, James has built a career as one of the most sought-after Theodore Roosevelt re-enactors in the country. He’s portrayed Teddy at corporate events, on river boats, at the White House, and most fittingly, at the christening of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. In this interview with Connie Currie and Chris Kretz, you’ll hear how James approaches his role, the research he’s undertaken, and how he’s learned to handle everything from hecklers to heart attacks. We also discuss Theodore Roosevelt’s life, his connections to Long Island, and his enduring place in the American memory. Running time 47:43. And mark your calendars! On Sunday, July 12th, 2015, Sagamore Hill will reopen to the public after a major three-year renovation project. James Foote will be part of the celebration at “the Summer White House” in Oyster Bay. Further Research: The Theodore Roosevelt Association Sagamore Hill The USS Theodore Roosevelt Meadow Croft Estate of John Ellis Roosevelt The Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

Bob Lundquist – Part I http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/BobLundquist1.mp3 Download audio Bob Lundquist – Part II http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/BobLundquist2.mp3 Download audio Robert Lundquist was station engineer at the vast RCA transmitting station at Rocky Point known the world over as Radio Central. In this two-part interview he provides a crash course in the history, development, and technology of radio. You’ll also hear about the history of RCA, David Sarnoff, Guglielmo Marconi, and the role of Sputnik in the demise of Radio Central. Among the memories Bob shares are the the day in 1978 when Governor Hugh Carey accepted the property (along with the RCA station in Riverhead) on behalf of New York State, along with the time he had to decide the fate of Marconi’s shack, an important relic of Long Island’s radio history. Further Research: Rocky Point Historical Society Radio Central Amateur Radio Club The World’s Greatest Radio Station More on Marconi’s Shack Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest Long Island Radio & TV Historical Society

http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/BevTyler.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Historian Bev Tyler of the Three Village Historical Society Bev Tyler, historian with the Three Village Historical Society, walks us through the true story of the Culper Spy Ring that operated out of Setauket and Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. Made up of a small tight-knit group of friends and relatives, the Ring provided valuable information on British activities that helped George Washington outmaneuver and out-spy a much more powerful enemy. All of this was conducted in occupied territory, a Long Island beset by British troops with no love for the population they were meant to protect and raiders from the Sound who preyed on Loyalist and Patriot alike. We also discuss the AMC series Turn which depicts a fictionalized version of the Ring. Find out where the story strays from the history and which facts and characters stay true to the historical record. From Abraham Woodhull to Robert Townsend, Anna Strong, and Caleb Brewster, find out what they were really like and their fate after the war. Turn starts its second season in the spring of 2015. North Shore of Long Island, 1780. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division Further Research: The Three Village Historical Society Turn: Washington’s Spies on AMC It Happened in Setauket…(from the Emma S. Clark Library) Raynham Hall Museum George Washington Letters at Stony Brook University Special Collections. George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose Upon Secrecy by Selene Castrovilla, Jeff Crosby, and Shelley Jackson Fairfield Historical Society Page 288 of Benjamin F. Thompson’s History of Long Island (1839) Morton Pennypacker Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Public Library

http://wwwx.dowling.edu/library/new/GeneHorton.mp3 Stream in the player above or download audio. Gene Horton and friend. “You are on the Merrick Road, not far from Blue Point, the place that made the oyster famous. You look to the right and to the left, and, tacked to a tree, you see a sign and you try to read it, but the top of it has been shot off by a quail hunter. However, on the lower part you decipher, between the birdshot: ‘An inn what is an inn.’ ” Welcome to Ye Anchorage Inn, as described in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1908. Your host is Capt. Bill Graham: huckster, artist, impresario, and roadside entrepreneur. He and his wife Molly ran the Inn from 1897 to 1920, creating a unique amalgam of tavern, hotel, hunting lodge, picnic ground, and Bohemian hot spot on the northwest corner of Montauk Highway and Kennedy Ave. Graham’s clientele ranged from vaudevillians and silent movie stars to politicians, philosophers, and artists. Winsor McCay and Montgomery Flagg left sketches on the walls while early motorists made Ye Anchorage a must-see destination on their Long Island jaunts. Graham kept up a constant parade of promotional events, from his famous Sphinx statue (now in Bayport) to faux bullfights and horse raffles. He chronicled it all in his own personal magazine, The Log, full of stories, poems, artwork, and anything else he could think of. In this episode, Blue Point historian Gene Horton details the history of Will Graham, the Irish immigrant who became a part of the history of the Great South Bay. Drawing on his vast research and collection, Gene paints a vivid picture of the man and his times.   Further Research: Books by Gene Horton (via WorldCat.org) Gene Horton on The History of Blue Point (Dowling Library Omnibus podcast #6. Skip to 11:06) Casa Basso/Theophilius Brouwer (via Westhampton Beach Historical Society) Elbert Hubbard: An American Original (PBS)