The Long Island History Project

Over the span of a few short months in 1931, 19-year old Francis Crowley was on the minds of everyone from the Bronx to Long Island. Known for always packing an extra pistol and steeped in life on the streets, Crowley conducted a crime spree that culminated in North Merrick with the murder of Nassau County Patrolman Fred Hirsch. On today's episode, Jerry Aylward relates the whole story as detailed in his book, Francis "Two Gun" Crowley's Killings in New York City & Long Island (History Press, 2020). Aylward, a former Nassau County detective and criminal investigator for the Department of Homeland Security, provides a look at Crowley's life of petty crime: boosting cars, sticking up drugstores, and haunting the dance halls of Depression-era New York. He also details the work of the Nassau County police, founded in 1925, as they confronted the rising violence around them. Further Research Francis "Two Gun" Crowley's Killings in New York City & Long Island Jerry Aylward home page Patrolman Fred S. Hirsch Boy Gunman Caught in New York City (YouTube)

Mary Louise Booth wrote her own story. A single woman from Long Island, she rose to prominence in the world of New York publishing as an acclaimed author, translator, and founding editor of Harper's Bazaar. She was also a friend and champion of many prominent women, from Susan B. Anthony and Louisa May Alcott to Sarah Tuthill and Dr. Marie Zakrzewska. Tricia Foley, a designer and former magazine editor herself, moved next door to Booth's childhood home in Yaphank and became fascinated with the story. What followed was a decades-long hunt to piece together her legacy through archives and special collections around the country. The result is the comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book, Mary L. Booth: The Story of an Extraordinary 19th-Century Woman. Further Research Tricia Foley Mary L. Booth History of the City of New York , 1867 ed. (Google Books) Harper's Bazaar (Cornell University) Louisa May Alcott Susan B. Anthony The Blackwell Sisters Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska Sarah Strong Tuthill Sister Poets - Alice and Phoebe Cary

Allison McGovern has been digging history for a long time. Fascinated as a child with ancient Egypt and visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she went on to become a professional archaeologist, uncovering the past in her own backyard. On today's episode, you'll hear McGovern describe her work at a number of sites on the island, including the Pyrrhus Concer site in Southampton and Freetown in East Hampton. We also talk about what archaeology can and cannot tell us, the importance of Native American and African American settlements, and the need to listen to communities about their ties to the past. Further Research Allison McGovern VHB Race and Ethnicity in Early America Reflected through Evidence form the Betsey Prince Archaeological Site, Long Island, New York by Allison McGovern (PDF) Freetown (Mapping the African American Past) Pyrrhus Concer's Legacy Sails Again New York State Museum Time Team

Robert Ottone is no stranger to the strangeness on Long Island. An Islip native, he has been attuned to the Island's darker hues from an early age and has worked them into his fiction writing and his podcasting. Today we discuss his newest book: Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares. Rob graces us with readings of two of his stories and we dive deeper into the more haunted precincts of the South Shore, including Oakdale and Sayville. We also try to tackle the question: what is scaring kids today? Further Research Robert Ottone @RobertOttone (Instagram) @RobertOttone (Twitter) Spooky House Press Interview with Robert Ottone on the Radio Tower podcast Voices from Gilgo (podcast) A Night of Spooky Fiction with Local Author Robert P. Ottone (Sayville Library) Galactic Terrors (YouTube) Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares (Amazon) Selected Filmography My Amityville Horror (trailer) The Conjuring 2 (trailer) Jaws (trailer) Selected Horror Authors Paul Tremblay John Langan James Chambers Linda Addison Gwendolyn Kiste Music: Moonrise (Chad Crouch). CC-BY-NC 3.0 Bufflehead (Chad Crouch) CC-BY-NC 3.0 Capering (Blue Dot Sessions) CC-BY-NC 4.0

Anyone attempting to invade Long Island Sound at the turn of the last century would have faced a gantlet of artillery guns mounted in forts across the islands that stretch from Orient Point to the Rhode Island coast. With little actual chance of invasion, the men manning these forts had few diversions to choose from: baseball, drinking, or ruining a man's career. On today's episode, we speak with Marian E. Lindberg. Her new book, Scandal on Plum Island: A Commander Becomes the Accused, focuses on the court martial of Major Benjamin Koehler. Accused by a number of his men of immoral conduct, Koehler faced trial on the island in 1914. Compared by some contemporaries to the Dreyfus Affair, Koehler's case reveals much about the military's emerging views of homosexuality and the developing norms of masculinity in America. You'll hear about Marian's research process, her interactions with Koehler's descendants, and her thoughts on preserving Plum Island and Koehler's legacy. Further Research Marian E. Lindberg website The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Library of Congress) Fort Wright, Fishers Island (Henry L. Ferguson Museum) When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan Save Plum Island A World Unto Itself: The Remarkable History of Plum Island (Ruth Ann Bramson, Geoffrey K. Fleming, and Amy Kasuga Folk)

Plum Island is poised between its past and its future. Looking back, it contains evidence of its time as a coastal defense in the Spanish-American War, as well as a 19th-century, National Register-certified lighthouse. Looking ahead, it could become a publicly accessible nature preserve and cultural center, providing a haven for native flora and migrating animals. The pivot point is the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, which has given the Island much if its current identity and whose iminent demise has prompted concern for the Island's fate. John Tuner, noted naturalist and spokesman for the Preserve Plum Island Coalition, explains the issues involved and the push to keep the Island from being sold off to the highest bidder. We also discuss his work in the Pine Barrens and his thoughts on Long Island's natural landscape. Further Research Preserve Plum Island Coalition Plum Island Animal Disease Center Atlantic White Cedar Coastal Barrens Buckmoth Long Island Pine Barrens Society Gardiner's Island: A Visit with Robert David Lion Gardiner (1976) Bibliography Scandal on Plum Island by Marian E. Lindberg A World Unto Itself: The Remarkable History of Plum Island, New York by Ruth Ann Bramson, Geoffrey K. Fleming and Amy Kasuga Folk Exploring the Other Island by John Turner

Banks Smither oversees the publication of Long Island-related books from the History Press. As Acquisitions Editor, he has built up a catalog of the lost, abandoned, haunted, and forgotten corners of the Island from Montauk to Brooklyn. On today's episode he discusses the publication process at the History Press – form pitch to publication to promotion. He also explains what he looks for in a proposal and what he's learned about Long Island history working with authors such as Keriann Flanagan Brosky and Bill Bleyer. If you feel you have your own Long Island history story to tell, visit their website and get in touch! Further Research The History Press Arcadia Press Audio Footnote: Bill Bleyer Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

A July night at Riverhead Stadium in 1950. Two baseball legends face each other without even realizing it. Satchel Paige, fabled Negro League pitcher, is on the mound for the Philadelphia Stars. Young Carl Yastrzemski Jr. is in the stands, cheering for his dad on the Riverhead Falcons. The sellout crowd in a stadium barely a year old is a testamant to the long history and deep popularity of baseball in the area. Fabio Montella of Suffolk County Community College recounts the story of that night and of baseball in Riverhead. Riverhead Stadium was just the latest iteration of a long-standing connection to the sport. Further Research Satchel Paige (Baseball Hall of Fame) Remembering Riverhead (Facebook Group) NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture Fabio Montella Audio Footnote Episode 55: The Cuban Giants of Long Island

Brad Kolodny spent four years documenting every synagogue in Nassau and Suffolk Counties that he could find. The result is his comprehensive coffee table book from Segula Publishing. On today's episode we discuss Seeking Sanctuary: 125 Years of Synagogues on Long Island. Brad discusses the genesis of the project and the complex history of this region's synagogues: the buildings that still exist, those that no longer exist, and those that are now laundromats. Through it all, Brad's fascination with these synagogues endured and allowed him to bring this book to life. Further Research Seeking Sanctuary website Synagogues of Long Island on Instagram Percival Goodman architectural records and papers, 1929-1989 Tuoro Synagogue National Historic Site Audio Footnote: Episode 35 : Rhoda Miller and the Jewish Community on Long Island

We're rebroadcasting our interview with Lillian, Cathy and Susan Barbash about their family and their fight to stop Robert Moses from driving a road down the middle of Fire Island. We were saddened to hear of the recent pasing of Lillian and wanted to share this conversation in her memory.