On the latest Long Island History Project podcast Stephanie Eberhard-Holgerson’s journalism class at Bayport Blue Point (BBP) High School in Islip tries 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. [Read more…] about How the Bayport Blue Point Phantoms Got Their Name
Long Island
Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution
We’re returning to Revolutionary War era Long Island on this episode of The Long Island History Project podcast. 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 until reconstructed by Claire Bellerjeau. Her book with Tiffany Yecke Brooks, Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution (Lyons Press, 2021), brought to life the meticulous research Bellerjeau conducted over years to illustrate Liss (Elizabeth), a woman surviving through tumultuous times. [Read more…] about Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution
Long Island’s Early Textile Industry Explored In New Exhibitions
Preservation Long Island (PLI) and the Huntington Historical Society (HHS) have announced “Blanket Statements: Long Island’s Early Weaving Industry,” and “From Farm to Fabric: Early Woven Textiles on Long Island,” a two-venue exhibition focusing on Long Island‘s early textile industry set to open to the public on Thursday, May 25th.
[Read more…] about Long Island’s Early Textile Industry Explored In New Exhibitions
Long Island’s Fireplace Neck Marsh Restoration Complete
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the completion of construction on a marsh restoration project at Fireplace Neck Tidal Wetland Area in the town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, on Long Island. [Read more…] about Long Island’s Fireplace Neck Marsh Restoration Complete
Redeeming Al Smith: New York’s Four-Time Governor
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. [Read more…] about Redeeming Al Smith: New York’s Four-Time Governor
Long Island Pine Barrens Southern Pine Beetle Control
Crews from DEC Lands & Forests and the Central Pine Barrens Commission worked last month in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens to prevent the spread of southern pine beetle. Southern pine beetle (SPB) is a bark beetle that infests pine trees, killing a tree within 2-4 months. Since SPB was first found in Long Island in 2014, DEC has been managing the Central Pine Barrens using forest thinning and prescribed fire. [Read more…] about Long Island Pine Barrens Southern Pine Beetle Control
Fighting Zeros: New York Made Aircraft in World War Two
This week on The Historians Podcast, Patrick Chaisson discusses his multi-media presentation “Wings of Victory: Aircraft Production in New York State during WWII.” Chaisson is a retired (after 26-years) US Army and National Guard Lieutenant Colonel from Scotia. [Read more…] about Fighting Zeros: New York Made Aircraft in World War Two
Unwanted Donation: Man Leaves Old Home Heating Oil At Salvation Army
On March 8, NYS Environmental Conservation Officers Pabes and Smith concluded a four-month investigation into several 55-gallon drums abandoned at a Salvation Army donation site in Elmont, in northwestern Hempstead, Nassau County, NY. [Read more…] about Unwanted Donation: Man Leaves Old Home Heating Oil At Salvation Army
Bryan Erwin Named Chair of State Council of Parks
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul designated Bryan Erwin of Mattituck, Long Island, the new chair of the State Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The Council of Parks consists of the chairs of the eleven regional park commissions, the Commissioner of State Parks, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Chair of the State Board of Historic Preservation. [Read more…] about Bryan Erwin Named Chair of State Council of Parks
The Steamboat Lexington Tragedy in Long Island Sound
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. [Read more…] about The Steamboat Lexington Tragedy in Long Island Sound