Monday, April 12, 2010

Pictures Hamlet Walking Tour April 11, 2010



The Fire Place History Club conducted its 3rd tour of the Fire Place Historic District (Brookhaven Hamlet, NY) on April 11, 2010. About 50 people attended, led by John Deitz, on a leisurely walk from the Memorial Triangle to Painters' Restaurant.
We started at the Gazebo in the Fire Place Park. In the background is the Miller homestead. The park is in the center of a former Miller farm trout pond. The story of the highways, historic Brook Store and other farms in the area, as well as the origins of the Memorial Triangle and park, was told.

The former Valentine House -- Jacob Valentine was the long-time proprietor of the Brook Store in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded by the Ellison family in the early 19th century.

Light refreshments were served by the Ludlows in the yard of the Chapel House.

Among the homes on the tour was the Richard Corwin homestead (below), and the longtime home of his son, Sylvester Corwin.

.. and the homestead of Nathaniel Corwin, another of Richard Corwin's sons. The Corwins were prominent farmers in Brookhaven Hamlet through the 19th century.
The final stop was Painters' restaurant, historically known as the Better 'Ole Tea Porch, founded by vaudevillians William Seeley and his wife Ma'mselle Florrie Rhodesia, "the lady society juggler."


The tour was one of several events in the Town of Brookhaven celebrating the 355th anniversary of its founding.

Photos by Marty van Lith and Richard Thomas

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Brookhaven Hamlet Walking Tour Guide Now Available

The next Fire Place (Brookhaven Hamlet) Historic District walking tour will be held Sunday, April 11, 2010 starting at 2:00 P.M. from the Memorial Triangle/Fire Place Park and will continue north to Painters' restaurant. It will be led by John Deitz and members of the Fire Place History Club.

A free tour guide will be available to accompany the walk. This guide is now available online as a pdf file. This is the third walking tour guide of the Historic District prepared by the history club. The pdf file is formated as a booklet, and is best printed two-sided (duplex) on 8½ x 11" paper.

Other guides of the Fire Place Historic District are available online.

Friday, April 2, 2010

You Can't Get There From Here

30 March 2010 -- yet another Spring Storm. This one dumped 16 inches of rain in 24 hours, with moderate wind. Some minor coastal flooding. I passed by here about noon. Tree must have fallen but a short time later—on Beaver Dam Road at Edgar Avenue. By 2 pm, the Town of Brookhaven highway department had it all cleaned up. Just the stump of a tree—and a neighbor walking his dog staring in amazement—was all you could see. It's so rare these days that something good can be said about Town performance.
Photograph by Marty Van Lith