The Long Island History Project

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.

Maryann Almes, president of the Oakdale Historical Society, joins us to discuss the organization's role in preserving and celebrating the history of Oakdale. Located in Islip on the south shore of Long Island, Oakdale has a storied past as a gem of the Gilded Age. For decades in the late 19th century, a string of mansions, most prominently William K. Vanderbilt's Idle Hour, lined the Great South Bay and attracted national attention. The Society received Preservation Long Island's award for Organizational Excellence, and Maryann details for us just how much work and effort goes into achieving that excellence. The to-do list includes constant advocacy, innovative public events, and a community committed to the place where they live. Today's episode marks the end of our week-long celebration of the 2020 Preservation Long Island Preservation Awards. We have visited the shores of Sag Harbor and the headwaters of the Speonk River. We have seen inside sawmills and firehouses and traced the mysteries of local preservation laws. I want to thank all the award winners for their time and interviews. I especially want to thank Sarah Kautz and Preservation Long Island for letting us help host this week of celebrations. We hope you've enjoyed listening and that you are inspired to take a look around your own corner of Long Island and get involved in determining what history gets saved and what gets remembered. Further Research Oakdale Historical Society (Facebook) Original Idle Hour Mansion (NYPL) Oakdale Surveys (Long Island Traditions) Preservation Long Island Music BugaBlue Walk That Dog People at a Party

The Fordham Mill (also known as the Tuttle-Fordham Mill or the Brick Mill) in Remsenburg was a local landmark long before it caught the eye of John Kanas. Growing up on the East End, John would pass the brick building that sits across the Speonk River, little knowing that he would one day be the one to save it. Fast forward to 2017 when the John and Elaine Kanas Foundation purchased the property and set about rehabilitating the former sawmill for modern use. Today you'll hear about that restoration effort, which led to the Foundation being honored with one of this year's Preservation Awards from Preservation Long Island. Further Research Fordham Mill Tuttle-Fordham Mill (West Hampton Historical Society) Roslyn Gristmill Music BugaBlue Walk That Dog People at a Party

Welcome back to the awards ceremony. Today we hit the beach to talk to Mary Cascone, Babylon Town Historian, about the Oak Beach Life-Saving Station. Perched between the Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the station withstood the ravages of wind, rain, and Superstorm Sandy. It has been moved a few times and gone through a number of uses but still retained much of its original details when the Town began its restoration in earnest in 2013. You’ll hear about Mary’s quest to uncover the full history of the building, the challenges of the preservation project, and the local, state, and federal support that made it all possible. Further Research   Town of Babylon Historic Services Historic Life-Saving Stations to Visit U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association Black Locust: The Tree on Which the US was Built OBI (The Oak Beach Inn) Music Video by David Ippolito Music BugaBlue Walk That Dog People at a Party Audio Footnote Interview with Mary Cascone Interview with the Barbash family on Robert Moses and Fire Island  

The preservation awards ceremony continues! Today we speak with Erinn McDonnell of the village of Sea Cliff in Nassau County. Erinn managed the restoration of their 1931, Tudor revival-style firehouse on Roslyn Avenue, challegened to restore the building's distinctive steel casement windows without disrupting the operations of a working firehouse. With a mix of funding support from state and local government, the village was able to revitalize this important piece of the local landscape. Erinn tells us about the decisions that had to be made, the story that had to be told, and the stubborness it took to keep it all on track. Further Research Village of Sea Cliff Sea Cliff Firehouse Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) Postcards of Sea Cliff, Sea Cliff Village Museum Music BugaBlue Walk That Dog People at a Party

Learn about the 2020 Preservation Awards and the three historic African American subdivisions in Sag Harbor. Discover the challenges faced in preserving SANS neighborhood and the importance of preserving African American history. Explore a preservation project in the Eastville Community Historical Society and the recognition of history in communities of color.

We travel this week to the Adirondacks (virtually speaking) to talk with John Warren, founder and publisher of New York Almanack. Formerly known as the New York History Blog, the Almanack delivers stories and information about all aspects of New York State history as well as the Adirondacks region. John has pursued history in many forms, including his degree in Public History and his work producing documentaries for the History and Discovery channels. Through the Almanack, he provides a trailhead that can lead you to every corner and era of the state, from Freedomland in the Bronx of the 1960s to the Revolutionary War Forts at Canajoharie. We also talk about researching in old newspapers, Ken Burns, and the upstate view of Long Island. Further Research New York Almanack William G. Pomeroy Foundation Adirondack Experience NYS Historic Newspapers Old Fulton History