Episode 190: Ralph Bunn, Long Island's Jackie Robinson w Fabio Montella
The Long Island History Project
Release Date: 05/15/2024
Episode 211: To Outwit Them All: Agent 355 and Peggy Wirgau
The Long Island History Project
Where history fails to provide, authors of historical fiction can fill the gap. In her new novel To Outwit Them All, author Peggy Wirgau delves into the Revolutionary War history of the Culper Spy Ring. More specifically, she tells the story of the unknown woman referred to in Abraham Woodhull’s correspondence – only once – as “a lady of my acquaintance.” Woodhull supplies her only a number, 355 (Culper code for “lady”). Wirgau provides a name, a family, and a budding romance with British Major John Andre. Wirgau’s 355 is modeled after the historical Betty Floyd, relative...
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Episode 210: Christopher Verga and Nazis of Long Island
The Long Island History Project
Even as Hitler and his Nazi regime ran roughshod over Germany and Europe in the 1930s, there were those in America who championed their rise. And nowhere so much as on Long Island. Camp Siegfried in Yaphank became a focal point for certain German Americans to gather and espouse the Nazi cause. Other groups added fuel to the fire, promoting antisemitism, isolationism, and even the overthrow of the United States government. This is the world that Christopher Verga captures in his new book, Nazis of Long Island: Sedition, Espionage & the Plot Against America (out now from the...
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Episode 209: Three Village Historical Society Oral Histories
The Long Island History Project
Christian Avenue sits at the heart of the Three Village area on the North Shore of Long Island. Surrounded by Old Fields, Setauket, and Stony Brook it has long been home to a community of Black and Native American families. The names of the people date back to before the Revolution and include the Harts, Sells, Greens, and Tobias. They also provide evidence of the perpetual presence of the Setalcott Indians and their ties to the Shinnecock. Now designated as the Bethel-Christian Avenue-Laurel Hill Historical District, it's an area steeped in history. That's what drew Glenda Dickerson to...
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Episode 208: Culper Spy Day
The Long Island History Project
Culper Spy Day has been an annual tradition on Long Island for over a decade. Created by Margo Arceri in conjunction with the Three Village Historical Society, it has grown into a weekend-long celebration of resilience and resistance during the Revolutionary War. I made the trip this year to experience the sights and sounds and mingle with people who share a similar passion for local history. You'll hear from organizers, authors, librarians, historical reenactors, and visitors from near and far. Each has their own story to tell about how they became fascinated with the Culper Spy Ring and...
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Episode 207: Oral History with Erica Fugger
The Long Island History Project
Are you curious about the past and love talking to people? Do you have a keen eye for detail and a persistent yet welcoming demeanor? Then oral history may just be right for you! Today we're talking with Erica Fugger, oral historian and PhD candidate at Rutgers, about the art and craft of oral history. We'll be discussing the development of oral history as a practice since the mid 20th century, detailing how to plan an oral history project, and offering tips for recording that first interview. Along the way you'll hear about the fascinating projects Erica has been involved in, from Queer...
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Episode 206: Natalie Korsavidis and Farmingdale Local History
The Long Island History Project
Chances are that your local public library has a local history librarian who oversees a rich collection of images, artifacts, and information about your community. Today we highlight and celebrate one of this unique group - Natalie Korsavidis. She is the local history librarian at Farmingdale Public Library in Nassau (and a little bit of Suffolk) County. Natalie walks us through how she became a local history librarian and the collection she oversees at the library. From this treasure trove she can tell the story of the early days when the area was known as Hardscrabble, through the years of...
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Episode 205: Long Beach Oral Histories
The Long Island History Project
We continue our tour of Long Island-based oral history collections. This time out, Robert Anen () and I sat down with the Long Beach Historical & Preservation Society. Robert helped digitize their extensive oral history collection. The recordings cover a wide range of memories and experiences from residents of the City by The Sea. You’ll hear about the father of Long Beach, developer, politician, and consummate self-promoter William H. Reynolds. You’ll also hear about the highlights of the city’s Roaring 20s golden age, the political intrigues of a growing city, and the...
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Episode 204: Robert Beattie, Long Island Architect w Richard Beattie
The Long Island History Project
Robert Beattie was many things: an architect, a designer of iconic public buildings on Long Island, and a decorated World War II veteran. But most importantly, he was the father of today’s guest, Richard Beattie. So we’re celebrating Father’s Day by celebrating the life and work of Robert Beattie. As an architect, Beattie’s specialty was mid-century modern architecture. Working with clean lines, natural light, and an appreciation of the surrounding landscape, he designed many iconic buildings in our area. If you live in the town of Islip, you’ll know his MacArthur Airport terminal,...
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Episode 203: Madeleine Bessell‑Koprek and the Paleoecology of Long Island, Australia
The Long Island History Project
There’s a rough stretch of water between Australia and Tasmania called the Bass Strait. Within the strait there’s a group of islands called the Furneaux Group. Within the group lies Long Island, a small, mostly-uninhabited stretch of grass and trees that attracted the attention of Madeleine Bessel-Koprek and her colleagues. We’re traveling far afield on today’s episode, discussing paleoecology with Madeine, a Ph.D. student at Australian National University. Along with Simon Graeme Haberle, Stefania Ondei, Stephen Harris, and David MJS Bowman, she recently published a study unraveling...
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Episode 202: Robert Anen and Manhasset Oral Histories
The Long Island History Project
The voices of the past are all around us, if you know how to listen. And sometimes those voices are trapped on small thin strips of tape wrapped in cheap plastic. That’s where Robert Anen comes in. As project archivist for the Long Island Library Resources Council, he works with historical collections across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Specializing in audio preservation and digitization, he’s rescued a number of collections – copying them to digital media and making them publicly available online. Today we focus on Robert’s work with one of the oldest oral history collections on Long...
info_outlineLibrarian and baseball historian Fabio Montella returns to the podcast to bring us the story of Ralph “Sammy” Bunn. Bunn was a Setauket native who excelled at baseball all his life. A star athlete in high school in the 1930s, he went on to play for decades on a number of teams and leagues in the makeshift world of community baseball in Suffolk County. His short stint pitching for the Brookhaven Highway Department team (starting in 1939) makes Bunn, by Montella’s research, the first documented Black player to break the color barrier on Long Island. (Bunn was soon followed by his Brookhaven teammate Kenneth Sells.)
On today’s episode Montella describes Bunn’s storied career in baseball and his life as a dedicated family man and World War II veteran. Working with Sammy’s son, Ralph Jr., and his nephew Carlton Edwards (an accomplished player in his own right) Montella brought to light many details, including Ralph’s Shinnecock heritage, a fact not mentioned in contemporary accounts. You’ll also hear more about the world of community and semiprofessional baseball on the Island along with other teams like the Suffolk Giants and the Huntington Police Department who make it such an interesting glimpse into local history.
Further Research
- Fabio Montella
- “The Suffolk Giants of Setauket: From Segregation to Integration.“
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame
- Intro music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
- Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0
- Audio footnotes (past episodes with Fabio Montella):