The Long Island History Project

Welcome to our 150th episode! Connie Currie is back to bring us the story of the Telefunken site in West Sayville and how she and a dedicated band of radio enthusiasts tried to save it back in the mid-90s, how they failed, and how out of the ashes the Long Island Radio & Television Historical Society (LIRTVHS) was formed. You'll also hear from filmmaker Joe Sikorski on his new documentary, Invisible Threads: From Wireless to War. LIRTVHS has been working with Joe to bring the Telefunken story to the big screen and that day has arrived. This Friday, November 12th, you can attend a sneak preview at Lessing's Bourne Mansion in Oakdale. (Tickets available online only here). It's a story of technological innovation, of espionage, local, national, and international politics, and more. It features Marconi, Tesla, Armstrong, the Secret Service, Suffolk County News editor Francis Hoag, and a cast of thousands. Plus - it's all narrated by the great Tony Todd. This episode is a cross-over with The Radio Tower #36, the official podcast of LIRTVHS. We hope to see you on the 12th!

Some may be shocked to find that there are many Long Islands out there, each with its own fascinating history. We've taken up the challenge of finding those who are passionate about their own Long Island and bringing them here. We're starting in Casco Bay, Maine, speaking with Karen Rea, president of the Long Island Historical Society. Rea has family ties to the island going back into pre-Revolutionary times. We explore these connections as well as her own memories of idyllic summers on the island. We also discuss the changing fortunes of the area from the early hardscrabble days to the tourist boom to WWII, secession from Portland, and beyond. All of this preserved by the members of the Long Island Historical Society. Further Research Long Island Historical Society Long Island Ferry Schedule - Casco Bay Lines Town of Long Island, Maine About the Wabanaki Nations (Abbe Museum)

In her first book, The Lost Boys of Montauk, journalist Amanda Fairbanks documents the story of the Wind Blown and the four men who lost their lives aboard it in 1984. Piecing the story together over years of interviews and research, she unraveled a history of close-knit communities, from the working class east end to the wealthy upper east side. She also found a complicated tale of relationships and personalities that still absorbs people in the community to this day. Further Research The Lost Boys of Montauk (Find in a library via WorldCat) Amanda Fairbanks Montauk Historical Society East Hampton Star Golden Tilefish Audio Footnote: Episode 28: Stories of Storm and Sea

Frank Romeo graduated from Bay Shore High School and enlisted in the US Army during the height of the Vietnam War. Despite fighting in the Tet Offensive and participating in secret missions in Cambodia, he maintains that his problems really started when he returned home. Christopher Verga joins us again as we sit down with Frank Romeo to talk about his experiences and struggles with PTSD in the years following the war. Frank found an outlet in art, turning his emotions into striking images. More recently, he walked the length of New York State, staying in homeless shelters and sharing stories with those he encountered along the way. The result is the new documentary Walk with Frank. This episode is an honest and wide-ranging discussion about war, mental health, and the healing power of speaking aloud what is often kept silent. With thanks to the Sayville Public Library where this episode was recorded. Related Research Walk with Frank The Soldier's Story PTSD History and Overview Veterans Resources Joseph P Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project Long Island Cares Veterans Project Wounded Warrior Project Mental Health Association of Nassau County Veterans Services Historical Resources Secret War in Laos Plain of Jars (UNESCO) War Remnants Museum (Ho Chi Minh City) Audio Footnotes Agent Orange on Long Island Joe Giannini and the Vietnam War Jack Parente and the Vietnam War

If you were a corrupt or incompetent official in 19th century New York City, Philip Merkle was your worst nightmare: an idealistic German immigrant with subpoena power. As city coroner from 1881-1885, he investigated murders, suicides, and gruesome accidents, seeking to right every wrong and improve every aspect of the system he encountered. He was also a champion for social order and progress, founding aid organizations dedicated to advancing his fellow immigrants. Implacable foe of Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed, friend to Teddy Roosevelt and Jacob Riis, Merkle's story is ripe for dramatization and greater renown. We are talking today with Suffolk County Community College librarian Bruce Seger, the man who is shining a light on Merkle and compelling us to take an episode away from Long Island to investigate. Bruce's new book, Matters of Life and Death: The Remarkable Journey of Dr. Philip Merkle, is a fictionalized retelling of the five years of research Bruce put into uncovering this eventful life. Merkle is a distant relative along the Seger family tree and once he started looking, Bruce couldn't believe what he found. Further Research Matters of Life and Death: The Remarkable Journey of Dr. Philip Merkle Bruce Seger New York City Research NYS Historic Newspapers database Brooklyn Daily Eagle New York Municipal Archives collections Related New York City-themed shows The Knick The Alienist Copper Jacob Riis: Revealing "How the Other Half Lives" exhibition from the Library of Congress Dan Sickles Trial: 1859 Freinsheim, Germany

We finish out your special three-part series on Long Island's Vietnam veterans by looking at a second battle they faced in the years after the war: the effects of Agent Orange. By the late 1970s the effects of this chemical defoliant were becoming known and veterans began to mobilize. In Stamford, Connecticut former helicopter door gunner Paul Reuterschan, himself dying of cancer, teamed up with fellow vets Jimmy Sparrow and Frank McCarthy to form Agent Orange Victims International (now the HonorBound foundation). Paul's media advocacy and the group's persistence brought the matter to the public. And to Victor Yannacone. From his home/law office in Patchogue, Victor had built a name for himself by litigating against the use of DDT in New York State. In the process, he defined the field of environmental law. But in 1979, another David and Goliath fight against the establishment was the last thing on his mind. Join us and Christopher Verga as we tell the story of how this seminal trial came to be on Long Island, using Christopher's oral history interviews with Victor and Jimmy. Christopher is continuing his oral history project and you can reach him at ChrisV1081[at]hotmail.com to participate. You can catch up on our two past episodes below. thank you to all Vietnam veterans (and their families) on Long Island for their service and sacrifices. Further Research Victor Yannacone and the Agent Orange Litigation HonorBound Foundation 'We were all out of our minds' - When Stamford vets waged a battle against Agent Orange Environmental Defense Fund: Our Story Agent Orange Exposure and VA Disability Compensation MT Vulcanus Audio Footnotes Episode 144: Joe Giannini Episode 143: Jack Parente

We continue our conversation with Long Island historian Christopher Verga, discussing his oral history interviews with Vietnam veterans from Long Island. Today we feature excerpts from Chris's interview with Joe Giannini. Joe was born in Brooklyn, moved to Massapequa and graduated from Hofstra University in 1966. Drafted soon after, he enlisted in the Marines, serving (and surfing) in country. Through his oral history, Joe describes the racial tensions he encoutnered during training at Camp Geiger, his exposure to Agent Orange, and what he experienced on his return to the States. Christopher Verga is seeking to document the histories of more Long Island Vietnam vets. Listen for ways you can get in touch with him and share your story - or recommend someone to interview. Further Research Gung Ho (LTV East Hampton) Soft Targets by Joe Giannini (find in a library via WorldCat) Camp Geiger History of Parris Island China Beach: Surfers, the Vietnam War, and the Healing Power of Wave-riding Audio Footnote: Jack Parente and the Vietnam War

Born and raised in Oyster Bay, Jack Parente found himself drafted into the Army in 1967 and served in Vietnam from 1968-1970 as a member of a reconnaissance unit of the 1st Calvary Division. Today we hear his story courtesy of Christopher Verga, a Long Island historian who has been interviewing the area's veterans in order to document and preserve a generation of soldiers neglected in their own time. This is the first in a series of episodes on the podcast. Working with Chris, we'll be bringing you further interviews and voices from Long Islanders involved with the war. Further Research Vietnam: A Television History The Pentagon Papers Vietnam-era Anti-War Protests Vietnam Veterans of America Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists

Elizabeth Letts has a knack for finding good stories and evoking a time and place. In her New York Times bestselling book The Eighty-Dollar Champion, she uncovers the secluded equestrian world of Long Island's North Shore in the 1950s. It's the story of a Dutch immigrant in St. James with a uniquely talented horse and their attempt to rise to the top of a sport reserved for the wealthy and well connected. On today's episode, Elizabeth discusses how she discovered the story of Harry DeLeyer and Snowball, her insights into writing nonfiction, and her own connections to Long Island. You'll also hear about her new novel, The Ride of Her Life, which follows another journey involvling a woman, a horse, and the hidden landscapes of pre-Interstate America. Further Research Elizabeth Letts The Eighty-Dollar Champion The Ride of Her Life Snowman (Horse Stars Hall of Fame) National Horse Show The Lost "New" Madison Square Garden (Daytonian in Manhattan)

Imagine you were a woman born at the height of the Gilded Age with a passion, not for fashion or society, but for sports. And you grew up riding bareback and driving massive horse-drawn carriages through the narrow streets of Chinatown. Your family's wealth meant you could also sail on the Lusitania and visit Paris every year while you also played on men's polo teams, marched with suffragists, dabbled in race cars, and pursued the women's amateur golf championship. If you can imagine all that (and throw in a reputation for hosting great parties with the Hollywood elite of the 1920s) then you can picture the life of Marion Hollins. We're joined today by Emily Chorba, Rhonda Mohr, and Chris Vaccaro to present the life of East Islip-born golf champion Marion Hollins and celebrate her entry into the 2022 class of the World Golf Hall of Fame. You'll also hear about the Marion Hollins Memorial Project and how you can help fund a fitting monument for her gravesite in Monterey, California. Furhter Research Marion Hollins Memorial Project Outerbridge, David E. Champion in a Man's World: The Biography of Marion Hollins. Chelsea, Mich: Sleeping Bear, 1999. (Find in a library via WorldCat) Pasatiempo (live feed) California Women's Amateur Championships Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame 1920s newsreels of Marion. Fox Movietone News Collection (University of South Carolina Libraries) Marion Hollins: Queen of the Road from The Carriage Journal, May 2021 by Jerry Trapani. World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Loon Hill Studios (vintage photos) East Islip Historical Society Music: Oh! By Jingo! by the All Star Trio