The Long Island History Project

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

Primo Fiore was born in Brooklyn but raised his family in Deer Park while working as a physical education instructor in West Islip. His gifted speaking voice, combined with a curriculum involving lessons in square dancing, led him on a path to a prolific side career that took him all over the Island. He wound up calling square dances at campgrounds, churches, and school halls and, most notably, at the Bandshell at Jones Beach for decades. Primo's son Mario reached out to the podcast and the result is this deep dive into Primo's life, including his days as a drill sergeant and his assoication with Dan Durlacher, noted caller and son of New York square dancing legend Ed Durlacher. Mario also helps us understand the place that square dancing held in gym class, the art and science of square dance calling, and the state of Jones Beach in the 1970s. Further Research Square Dance History Project New York State Parks Restoring the Grandeur of Jones Beach

Thornhill's Pharmacy has overlooked the center of Sayville from the corner of Main Street and Gillette Avenue for over a century. This is actually the second location of Sewell Thornhill's establishment, opened in 1918. When architect Matthew La Piana and his wife were looking for an old building to restore and occupy, something about this thin slice of wood and stucco on its odd corner lot caught their eye. On today's episode, recorded over Zoom, Matthew describes the restoration journey - the discoveries in the attic, the problems under the many layers of flooring, and the decisions he made while bringing the building back to life. That includes the iconic neon sign that La Piana restored to its former glory. Further Research Matthew La Piana The Dig with Elle McLogan The Buffalo History Museum Podcast Audio Footnote Episode 49 on Sayville architect Isaac Green

Mark Torres has uncovered a little-discussed chapter of Long Island history, the conditions under which many migrant farm workers labored on area farms from World War II into the early 1970s. His new book from the History Press details the social, economic, and historical factors that led to Long Island’s migrant labor camps being the focus of much attention in their day. These camps, created out of everything from old mansions to chicken coops, housed migrant workers from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the South while operating under a system that often exploited and endangered the workers and their families. Further Research Long Island Migrant Labor Camps: Dust for Blood (History Press) Mark Torres What Harvest for the Reaper? (American Archive of Public Broadcasting) Cutchogue migrant housing from Harvest of Shame (1960)

Since moving to New York from his native Canada, David Griffin has made it his mission to find and document the Revolutionary War-era forts that the British used to help control the length and breadth of the Island. Using primary sources including maps and letters , as well as his knowledge of architecture and British fortification techniques, he has uncovered many locations that are virtually undetectable in today’s modern landscape. Further Research Lost British Forts of Long Island David Griffin Author Page – Journal of the American Revolution The Geometry of War: Fortification Plans from 18th-Century America The Lamar Institute Report –  The Struggle for Long Island : Expanding Revolutionary War Studies in New York. Audio Footnotes Episode 71: Washington’s Spy Letters Episode 48: Richard Floyd, Long Island Loyalist Episode 10: The Truth Behind the Spies: Decoding AMC’s Turn