The Long Island History Project
Stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history.
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Episode 188: Benjamin Tallmadge with Richard Welch
04/15/2024
Episode 188: Benjamin Tallmadge with Richard Welch
The Long Island-born, Yale-educated Benjamin Tallmadge seized his moment to shine in the American Revolution. Whether fighting the British on horseback with the 2nd Continental Dragoons or uncovering their secrets through his agents in the Culper Spy Ring, Tallmadge kept up a hectic pace. You can also throw in maritime battles on the Long Island Sound and daring raids behind enemy lines. Historian Richard Welch documented Tallmadge's eventful life in his 2014 book General Washington's Commando: Benjamin Tallmadge in the Revolutionary War. On today's episode he explains the significance of this important figure in Long Island and American history. He also helps illustrate the nature of British activity in the New York region, the documentary trail he followed, and what questions were left unanswered. Further Research General Washington's Commando: Benjamin Tallmadge in the Revolutionary War by Richard Welch ( via WorldCat) (Google Books) (American Battlefield Trust) (William Clements library) Audio Footnotes
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Episode 187: The Howard School with Dr. Tammy C. Owens
03/27/2024
Episode 187: The Howard School with Dr. Tammy C. Owens
of Skidmore College joins us to discuss her 2019 article "Fugitive Literati: Black Girls' Writing as a Tool of Kinship and Power at the Howard School." Having discovered a treasure trove of letters written in the early 1900s by girls at the Howard Orphanage and Industrial School, Owens was off on a journey to learn more. The research took her from the Schomburg Center in Harlem to Tuskegee University in Alabama and, ultimately, to the doorstep of the Kings Park Heritage Museum. What Owens pieced together was the story of young Black orphans forging connections and support networks through a unique institution known by some as the Tuskegee of the North. The letters she found tell personal and sometimes painful stories, often by the details which they leave out. Owens' research brings to light voices that are often overlooked or missing from archival collections. We hear her thoughts on the process, the historians and authors who inspire her, and the story of her life-changing day riding around Kings Park with Leo P. Ostebo. Further Research Owens, T. C. (2019). . Women, Gender, and Families of Color, 7(1), 56–79. https://doi.org/10.5406/womgenfamcol.7.1.0056 (NYPL Schomburg Center) Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route by Saidiya Hartman ( via WorldCat) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet A. Jacobs ( via WorldCat) The Bondwoman’s Narrative by Hannah Craft ( via WorldCat)
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Episode 186: In Levittown's Shadow with Tim Keogh
02/04/2024
Episode 186: In Levittown's Shadow with Tim Keogh
While Long Island developed a reputation for affluence throughout the 20th Century, there has always been a parallel history of the everyday workers and servants who toiled in the shadow of that reputation. The economic boom of the war years and the subsequent population boom in the 1950s did not change that. , assistant professor of history at Queensborough Community College, delves into this history in his book Levittown's Shadow: Poverty in America's Wealthiest Suburb. He documents the influence of federal spending in the 1940s, the questionable building practices of the Levitts, and a host of attempts to alleviate poverty and fight the dominance of single family housing on Long Island. Further Research (Chicago Press) “.” (NYT) (The Atlantic) Audio Footnotes (related episodes):
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Episode 185: Loyalists on Long Island with Brendon Burns
01/19/2024
Episode 185: Loyalists on Long Island with Brendon Burns
No one sheds a tear for the British Loyalists of Long Island, those inhabitants who remained loyal to the crown during the American Revolution. But genealogist Brendon Burns has spent a tremendous amount of effort tracking them down through libraries and archives across the world. The result is his 5-volume series The Loyal and Doubtful: Index to the Acts of British Loyalism in the Greater New York and Long Island Area 1775-1783. It's a meticulous record of people in New York, Staten Island, and on Long Island, acting in support of King George and the efforts to subdue the patriots. The Loyal and Doubtful is of a piece with Brendon's work as a genealogist at the Daughters of the American Revolution. He helps vet applications for membership, which includes proving that an ancestor demonstrated "unfailing" service to the revolution. This criteria poses a problem on Long Island where swearing an oath of loyalty or other public acts of support could hardly have been avoided. On this episode, Brendon walks us through the DAR process, the challenges of disproving loyal acts, and what the surviving records can tell us about life on Long Island during the war. Further Research (APG) (DAR) by Thomas B. Wilson (via WorldCat) by Christopher Minty (LI History Journal) Audio Footnotes:
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Episode 184: Long Island's Most Endangered Historic Places with Tara Cubie
12/11/2023
Episode 184: Long Island's Most Endangered Historic Places with Tara Cubie
Every other year, Preservation Long Island compiles a list of historic places on Long Island that are endangered. Each list is a mix of structures from different periods of time, each with its own history and own preservation challenges yet all worthy of preserving for future generations. On today's episode, Preservation Long Island's Preservation Director Tara Cubie joins us to discuss the 2023 list. The seven places are: the Stepping Stones Light House (Kings Point), the Coindre Hall Boathouse (Huntington), the Shutt House (Brentwood), Kings Park Psychiatric Center (Kings Park), the Eliphalet Whitman House (Smithtown), the Mill Pond House (Oyster Bay) and the Perkins Electric Generating Plant (Riverhead). Tara talks about the sites, the groups who nominated them, the struggles that each of them face, and the reasons why you should care about their survival. Further Research (Facebook) Audio Footnotes
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Episode 183: Long Island Kansas with Carrie Cox
12/04/2023
Episode 183: Long Island Kansas with Carrie Cox
There is a Long Island just below the Kansas border with Nebraska, between the Elk and Prairie Dog Creeks. It's apparently the creeks that gave the area its name. When swollen with rain, they cut off the land in between until it appeared to be an island rising from the surrounding plains. Long Island is also the home town of Carrie Cox and on today's episode she describes what it was like growing up in a small town on the family farm. We discuss the local sites and legends, the value of history in the tourism industry, and the success of the Northern Valley Huskies. Further Research
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Episode 182: Rockin History with Cindy Schwartz
11/06/2023
Episode 182: Rockin History with Cindy Schwartz
Cindy Schwartz grew up on Long Island and followed her love of history into a long career as a social studies teacher at the Wheatley School in Old Westbury. She has since turned to a new type of classroom - reaching a wider audience through radio and podcasting at WCWP, Long Island University. Her podcast Civics is Dead explored the lack of focus on civics education in schools and ways it can be strengthened. Her radio show Rockin History (Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 AM and 11 PM) mixes classic rock music with interesting stories and facts from history. Further Research (New York State Ed) “” (The Chemical Engineer) Audio Footnotes
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Episode 181: Our Hamptons with Irwin Levy and Esperanza Leon
10/09/2023
Episode 181: Our Hamptons with Irwin Levy and Esperanza Leon
Your idea of the Hamptons on the East End of Long Island may include images of supersized mansions and extravagant parties but there is an older, richer Hamptons history beneath and beyond that glitzy surface. Irwin Levy and Esperanza León bring that history to life in their podcast, Our Hamptons. Their Hamptons is a decidedly personal place, rooted in their love of the people, the landscape, and the lost landmarks of East Hampton, Southampton and everything in between. Starting with their first episode in the spring of 2022, Irwin and Esperanza have wandered the map and covered topics ranging from the Bell Estate in Amagansett to auto racing in Bridgehampton to Jungle Pete’s in Springs. With a soft spot for the 1970s and 80s, they bring to life the stories that have almost faded from memory, providing a place for them to live again. Further Research “” (Mother Jones)
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Episode 180: Larry Samuel and Making Long Island
09/24/2023
Episode 180: Larry Samuel and Making Long Island
Larry Samuel is an author and historian whose latest book looks at the development of Long Island throughout the 20th Century. It was a time of land speculation and rapid growth as real estate developers and their syndicates turned the fields and farms of Nassau and Suffolk Counties into residential neighborhoods. We discuss the role of Robert Moses in abetting this transformation as well as the high (and low) water mark of William Levitt's Levittown that attracted crowds of white homeowners while excluding Blacks in the 1950s. Throughout the book, Larry tracks the Island's social and economic landscape with photographs, statistics, and contemporary accounts. A complex picture emerges of a place so successfully marketed as an idyllic countryside that it was almost developed out of existence. Further Research (History Press) by Larry Samuel (JSTOR) (Newsday) Audio Footnotes from past episodes , whose father poured cement for "old man Levitt." , Fire Island-based, environmentally friendly home builder
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Episode 179: Edward Lieberman's Historic Tours
08/16/2023
Episode 179: Edward Lieberman's Historic Tours
Yes, Edward Lieberman is a former assistant district attorney and mayor of Seacliff but just as importantly, he is a long-time listener of the Long Island History Project. So when he reached out to talk about his own forays into Long Island history, we were all ears. On today's episode you'll hear about his work conducting historic bus tours around the Island, focusing on the Oyster Bay area but also venturing into Jones Beach and Great Neck. Further Research
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Episode 178: The Arthur Murray Girls Baseball Team w Fabio Montella
07/27/2023
Episode 178: The Arthur Murray Girls Baseball Team w Fabio Montella
In 1949 the nine women of the Arthur Murray Girls baseball team took the field against the all-male squad from the Patchogue Athletics. By that year, the Murrays had been together as a semi-pro outfit for some time. Formed out of the sandlots and playgrounds of Queens, they grew under the tutelage of New York Times sportswriter Mike Strauss to become the nucleus of a league that by the late 1940s became the American Girls Baseball Conference. On today's episode, historian and Suffolk County Community College librarian Fabio Montella presents his research into the Murrays, their game with Patchogue, and their full, storied history. Although based out of Cedarhurst in Nassau County, the women traveled a loop that saw them taking the field against the likes of the Glen Cove Clovers, the Perth Amboy Cardinalettes, and the Stamford Nutmegs. Fabio also introduces us to Gloria Del Percio, the last living member of the Arthur Murray Girls. The story of 20th century women's baseball has been popularized by the movie A League of Their Own, but women had their own leagues all across the country. The Murray Girls encapsulate that story at the local level, both as a team and as individual women who loved to play the game. Further Research (Getty Images) "." (Patchogue Advance) "" (LI Herald) Audio Footnotes
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Episode 177: Richard Welch and The Gold Coast Elite in World War One
06/12/2023
Episode 177: Richard Welch and The Gold Coast Elite in World War One
The Gold Coast along Long Island's north shore is most often celebrated as a showcase for the rich and famous in the early 20th Century. A decidedly different aspect of that reputation comes into view when you consider the years leading up to America's entry into World War I. The Morgan Bank, headed by J.P. Morgan, Jr. with his estate in Glen Cove, played a pivotal role in financing and finding supplies for Britain in the early years of the war. Other famous North Shore families, notably former president Theodore Roosevelt of Oyster Bay, pushed for the United States to enter the war. Richard Welch presents this story in his book Long Island's Gold Coast Elite and World War I (History Press). He details the world of the Gold Coast and its prominent families, along with their important industry connections and political leanings. From financial dealings to political activism, large scale rallies, and even pushing their own children to serve, these families helped bring America into the war. Further Research Long Island's Gold Coast Elite and World War I ( via WorldCat) The Road Less Traveled: The Secret Battle to End the Great War, 1916-1917. ( via Worldcat) "." (Smithsonian Magazine) (Internet Archive)
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Episode 176: How the Bayport Blue Point Phantoms Got Their Name
05/30/2023
Episode 176: How the Bayport Blue Point Phantoms Got Their Name
Today we team up with Stephanie Eberhard-Holgerson's journalism class at Bayport Blue Point (BBP) High School to try to solve a mystery. At the suggestion of BBP's librarian Pam Gustafson, the class has spent the last year looking into the school's mascot, The Phantoms. The takeaway is that the straightforward question "where did the name come from" has yielded a very convoluted answer. Digging into the research, the class combed school yearbooks, local newspaper archives, Board of Education minutes, and more. Their investigations took them down many paths, touching upon early aviation history, the foundations of ghost stories, local legends, and rival high school teams. They debunked some myths and found compelling evidence for others. They've also discovered a new appreciation for Long Island history and for the need of documenting school decisions for future generations. Further Research (NY Heritage) (NYSPHSAA) (NYS Board of Regents) Audio Footnotes
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Epiosde 175: Remember Liss with Claire Bellerjeau
05/15/2023
Epiosde 175: Remember Liss with Claire Bellerjeau
We're returning to Revolutionary War era Long Island on this episode. And while the Culper Spy Ring does play a part, we are turning the focus to a woman whose story and connections to the Ring were ignored and misrepresented across time until reconstructed by Claire Bellerjeau. Her book with Tiffany Yecke Brooks, Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution, brought to life the meticulous research Bellerjeau conducted over years to illustrate Liss (Elizabeth), a woman surviving through tumultuous times. Their latest book (and non-profit organization) is Remember Liss which brings the story to students and educators. Combined with primary sources through the New York State Archives, Remember Liss is a fascinating journey through the late 17th and early 18th centuries on Long Island, New York City, and South Carolina. It uses documents, letters, and similar records to show the struggles of a woman born into slavery in Oyster Bay, her ties to Robert Townsend (Culper Jr), General John Simcoe, Major John Andre, and the lengths she would go to in order to gain her freedom. Further Research ““ (Boston Massacre Historical Society) Audio Footnotes Episode 46 :
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Episode 174: Al Smith with Dr. Robert Slayton
05/01/2023
Episode 174: Al Smith with Dr. Robert Slayton
Al Smith was many things during his political career: reform champion after the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, four-time governor of New York State, the first Catholic presidential candidate. But he was always a New York City boy at heart. On this episode we talk with another New York City native, Dr. Robert A. Slayton. His book, Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith (Free Press 2001), documents Smith's rise from the Lower East Side to the top of the Democratic Party ticket in the "dirtiest presidential election in history." Along the way we learn more about progressive reforms in the early 20th century, the career path of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the influence of the KKK in 1920s America. We also touch on Smith's influence on Long Island history, mostly through his elevation of Robert Moses in state government. Further Research Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith by Robert Slayton ( via WorldCat) (OSHA) "" (Chronicling America) (VCU Libraries) (British Pathe, YouTube) (NYC Parks)
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Episode 173: Long Island Mill North Carolina
04/10/2023
Episode 173: Long Island Mill North Carolina
From time to time on the podcast we like to explore the histories of other Long Islands, those far from New York. Today we focus on the story of Long Island Mill and the Long Island Mill Village in North Carolina. We have a number of guests to help us tell the story. Jennifer Marquardt, site manager of Murray’s Mill in Catawba County, has researched the Long Island Mill and its 19th century past. Chuck McShane, writer and economic data consultant, authored A History of Lake Norman, a body of water that factors heavily in the Long Island Mill story. Most importantly, we include a number of oral histories collected by Richard Eller, professor of history at Catawba Valley Community College, as part of the project Spinning Yarns: The Long Island Cotton Mill Family. Conducted in collaboration with the Historical Association of Catawba County, the project included the voices of Gerald Robinson, Gerald Sigmon, Fletus Poston, Carroll Gilleland, Una Mae Brown, Regis Barnhardt, Gene Fisher, Gail Eades Sigmon, and Sylvia Cannon. Further Research (Catawba County Community College) (Davidson College)
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Episode 172: The Lexington Steamship with Bill Bleyer
03/27/2023
Episode 172: The Lexington Steamship with Bill Bleyer
On a frigid night in January 1840, the luxury steamboat Lexington burned and sank in the middle of the Long Island Sound with over 140 people on board. What followed were harrowing tales of survival, tragic deaths, and a media sensation that dominated the headlines for months. Historian and journalist Bill Bleyer compiled all of the details in his book The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound, out May 1st from the History Press. Today we unpack the whole history with Bill, from the ship's creation by Cornelius Vanderbilt to its glory days on the Sound, to the various attempts through the years at raising it from the deep. It is an epic story of technological progress, maritime dangers, and Long Island's transportation history. Further Research (Facebook) (History Press)
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Episode 171: Grumman Test Pilot Bruce Tuttle
03/16/2023
Episode 171: Grumman Test Pilot Bruce Tuttle
Jet fighters once roamed the skies above Long Island. Grumman, the aviation powerhouse behind such planes as the Hellcat and the Avenger, turned its attention to jets by the end of World War II. And to test those jets, they turned to men like Bruce Tuttle. Tuttle dreamed of flying from an early age. From his family's farm on the north shore he witnessed Charles Lindbergh passing overhead on the first transatlantic flight. Tuttle became a pilot and a Marine, flying in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he went to work for Grumman, along with many of his fellow veterans, to fly jets. Today on the podcast we learn more about Tuttle and a very specific test flight he took in an F9F Panther over Long Island Sound on December 10, 1951. It was the day that every test pilot dreads. With us are Amy Tuttle, Bruce's daughter; Chris Ryon, Port Jefferson Historian, Bob Laravie, and John Hiz, Belle Terre historian. We discuss life as a test pilot, the importance of Grumman in Long Island history, and what to do when your jet flames out at 33,000 feet. Further Research (from TBR News Media) (Cradle of Aviation Museum)
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Episode 170: The Culper Spy Ring with Bill Bleyer
02/27/2023
Episode 170: The Culper Spy Ring with Bill Bleyer
Today we welcome back former Newsday reporter Bill Bleyer. Bill is an author and historian with a number of Long Island-related history books to his credit and today we dive into his work on the Culper Spy Ring. Published in 2021, George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide is an analysis of the Culper Spy Ring. In it, Bleyer synthesizes what is known and has been written about the Ring. He incorporates and evaluates primary sources such as the 194 extant letters regarding the spy ring as well as the works of Morton Pennypacker, Alexander Rose, Brian Kilmeade and others to tease out fact from fiction from downright fabrication. The book also includes a comprehensive guide to sites on Long Island related to the Culper Spy Ring story. Further Research (Facebook) (SBU Special Collections & Archives) (Instagram) Audio Footnotes
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Episode 169: Bellport Restoration with Victor Principe
02/06/2023
Episode 169: Bellport Restoration with Victor Principe
A tree-lined street running gently down to a flat blue bay, flanked by over two hundred years worth of American architecture. Bellport in all its glory, from its founding by the Bell brothers through its growth as a waterfront resort destination and the ensuing years as a sleepy, forgotten village. But there came a time when the old place needed saving - when all the Greek Revivals and Victorians could have been razed or replaced with McMansions. Victor Principe's new book, Unhampton Preservation and the Happiness of Place in Bellport Village and Environs, documents the history of preservation in the area. On this episode, he discusses the importance of preserving a sense of place in an area, protecting streetscapes and historic districts as well as conserving the natural landscape. We also talk about the careful balance of forces needed to make historic preservation work, from dedicated individuals to willing political leaders to a commitment over time to following the plans and specific codes hammered out at the local level. Further Research Unhampton Preservation and the Happiness of Place in Bellport Village and Environs () Bellport Village and Brookhaven Hamlet ( via WorldCat) Bellport Revisited ( via WorldCat) (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
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Episode 168: Bayport History with Rob Walch of Libsyn
01/23/2023
Episode 168: Bayport History with Rob Walch of Libsyn
Bayport and its immediate vicinity in Islip on the south shore of Long Island have some deep ties to history. There's the Bayport Aerodrome with its vintage airplanes, the Meadowcroft estate of John Ellis Roosevelt, and the roadside sphinx of the Anchorage Inn from the early 1900s. But what would all this mean to a teenager in the early 1980s? Today we find out with Bayport native Rob Walch who grew up in the area during the age of video games and the Islanders dynasty. It's local history through one man's life, from a part-time job at Satelite Pizza to a position on the high school rifle team to clandestine forays into the Girl Scout camp next door. Further Research Audio Footnotes: The Sphinx: Bayport Aerodrome: La Salle Military Academy:
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Episode 167: Raymond Buckland in Brentwood
01/09/2023
Episode 167: Raymond Buckland in Brentwood
If you lived in Brentwood in the late 1960s and 70s, you may have encountered a charming, transplanted Englishman named Raymond Buckland. You many not have realized it at the time, but Buckland was in the process of establishing Wicca as a religion in America. A private practitioner at first, introduced to Wicca by Gerald Gardner, Buckland was soon thrust into the public eye by the press. He then helped popularize Gardnerian Wicca through television appearances, newspaper interviews, and his own numerous writings on the subject. He went on to found his own museum and his own tradition of Seax Wicca. On today's episode, we talk with Peter Ward (Brentwood Public Library) and Ellen Edelstein (Brentwood Historical Society) about Buckland's time in Brentwood, his connections to the library, and his position in the area's long history of the colorful and spiritually-minded. Further Research (1971) (Buckland Museum) Articles (The Wild Hunt) (Llewellyn 2003) "." (NYT, 10/31/1971) (Open Library)
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Episode 166: The Aftermath of the Hurricane of 1938 with Jonathan Bergman
12/05/2022
Episode 166: The Aftermath of the Hurricane of 1938 with Jonathan Bergman
Much has been written about September 21, 1938, the day that a massive hurricane hit Long Island. For Jonathan C. Bergman, the more interesting story began the day after. His extensive research focused on the cleanup and disaster relief efforts orchestrated by a shifting network of Red Cross officials, New Deal workers, Suffolk County agencies, churchgoers, and volunteers. On today's episode, Bergman takes us through those efforts and the impact the hurricane had on South Shore communities like Southampton and the North Fork fishing industry at Montauk. We also discuss the scope of disaster relief in the United States, from the early days of the Republic up through the emergence of FEMA in the latter 20th century. Further Research Bergman, Jonathan C. 2008. “.” Dissertation. State University of New York at Buffalo. email: [email protected] "" (The American Experience) (National Weather Service) "" (American Heritage) Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean, 1624-1783 by Matthew Mulcahy () Audio Footnotes: : first person accounts of the Hurricane of 38
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Episode 165: The Ferguson Brothers with Christopher Verga
11/21/2022
Episode 165: The Ferguson Brothers with Christopher Verga
Two Black men were shot and killed by a police officer in Freeport on a cold winter morning in 1946. Another was wounded. All three were brothers, two were World War II veterans dressed in their military uniforms. The ensuing outcry and investigations would spread far beyond the south shore of Long Island and bring the story of racial tensions on Long Island to the national level. Christopher Verga returns on this episode to discuss that night, the Ferguson brothers, and the conditions on Long Island that led up to the deadly confrontation. His latest book, The Ferguson Brothers Lynching on Long Island, details not only a particular family's tragedy but the deeper history of racism on Long Island including the prominence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. Further Research (July 28, 1946) (Newsday) (WNYC) (Raymond Crooke) Audio Footnotes: Christopher Verga episodes
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Episode 164: Revisiting Robert Moses with Kara Schlichting and Katie Uva
11/07/2022
Episode 164: Revisiting Robert Moses with Kara Schlichting and Katie Uva
Robert Moses is the man most New Yorkers love to hate. This is in no small part due to his own hubris and the impact he had on the people living in the path of his massive construction projects. Add to that Robert Caro's hard hitting 1974 biography The Power Broker and you've got a reputation that is hard to live down. Kara Schlichting and Katie Uva, both teachers and urban historians, have been contending with Moses in their works and in their classrooms. On today's episode they discuss the challenges of teaching Moses and of broadening our understanding of the man and the times in which he operated. We also discuss the undeniable impact of The Power Broker and how historians work to bring context and understanding to this very important figure in New York history. We also discuss the crucial early years of Robert Moses relating to Long Island and the creation of wildly popular parks and beaches. Did he work to exclude minorities from Jones Beach? Was there anyone to stop him running roughshod across Nassau and Suffolk Counties? The answers in the historical record may not be as simple as you expect. Further Research "" (via WorldCat) Audio Footnotes : The Barbash family leads the fight on Fire Island : Journalist Karl Grossman covering Robert Moses
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Episode 163: Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum with Mark Sternberg
10/24/2022
Episode 163: Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum with Mark Sternberg
Today we dive back into a discussion of the Culper Spy Ring, turning our attention to the area of Port Jefferson or, more appropriately, it's original incarnation of Drowned Meadow. The village of Port Jefferson is opening the Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum inside the 18th century home of Culper ring member Phillips Roe. Mark Sternberg, the museum's Culper Spy Ring Historian, walks us through the focus of the museum, the background of Roe, and the deeper context of the Culper Spy ring in the Setauket area. For instance, Mark's recent article in New York State Archives magazine lays out documentary evidence on the activities of Selah Strong in regards to the Revolution and spying. You'll also hear about Mount Misery, Old Man's, petticoats, and the late, lamented AMC series Turn: Washington's Spies. Further Research "" (NYS Archives magazine) (via WorldCat) (National Archives) (Clements Library) (Stony Brook University Libraries) "" Audio Footnotes
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Episode 162: Gilgo Beach and Bottles with Mike Cavanaugh
10/10/2022
Episode 162: Gilgo Beach and Bottles with Mike Cavanaugh
Long Island's barrier beaches are fascinating places. Stretched along the south shore of the island, they persist through much of Long Island history as wild natural landscapes constantly shifting and remolded by the Atlantic Ocean. And despite the storms and shipwrecks and isolation, people have persisted in thinking "I want to live there." On today's episode we talk to Mike Cavanaugh, whose curiosity brought him to Gilgo Beach over twenty years ago. Through deeper research he has tracked the history of his cottage and the Gilgo Beach community back to the 19th century. You'll hear about eccentric hermits, the lost colony of Hemlock Beach, and the complicated legacy of Robert Moses. You'll also hear about Mike's other passion, collecting old bottles from the Great South Bay that tell stories about the people who lived here before. Further Research
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Episode 161: Betsy Gulotta and the Hempstead Plains
09/26/2022
Episode 161: Betsy Gulotta and the Hempstead Plains
The Hempstead Plains were once a defining feature of Long Island. Covering some 40,000 acres, the Plains stretched from the Queens border in the west to the Suffolk border in the east, creating a sea of waist-high grass in the middle of what is now Nassau County. Remnants of the Plains still remain, most notably in a 17-acre segment on the campus of Nassau Community College preserved by the Friends of Hempstead Plains. Betsy Gulotta standing before the last remnants of the Hempstead Plains on the campus of Nassau Community College. On today’s episode, Betsy Gulotta, former conservation project manager of the Friends, takes us on a walking tour, pointing out the grasses, trees, and endangered species that have continued to thrive for centuries. She relates the history of the Friends and their conservation efforts, as well as some of the storied history of the Plains. That history includes the earliest horseracing in the state, numerous staging areas for soldiers like Camp Black during the Spanish American War, and sites like Mitchel Field that helped make the area the Cradle of Aviation. Further Research Neidich-Ryder, C., Kennelly, P. . Environ Monit Assess 186, 3011–3022 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3597-1 Watson W. C. (1860). . Printed by C. Van Benthuysen. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.31824.
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Episode 160 William Sidney Mount: Long Island People of Color on Canvas
09/12/2022
Episode 160 William Sidney Mount: Long Island People of Color on Canvas
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Episode 159: Long Island Beach Ohio
06/14/2022
Episode 159: Long Island Beach Ohio
We continue our exploration of Long Islands other than our own. This episode takes us inland from the East Coast to the banks of the Whitewater River in western Ohio. Sharon Pope Lutz tells us the story of Long Island Beach and how the Pope family turned their property from idyllic piece of farmland to a 1920s roadside attraction featuring swimming, bingo, a dance hall, and home-made amusement park rides. Today she and her family keep the flame alive, operating Green Acres Kayak from the same spot. Further Research: Whitewater River Foundation
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