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By Barbara LaMonica  Lockwood Marble Yard on Main Street  John Freeborn Lockwood was born in Newark in 1815, the son of David Lockwood who was a soldier in the War of 1812. John Lockwood came to Huntington as a young man, and later worked as a clerk for a mercantile house in New York City. In 1837, he returned to Huntington and established a marble working yard on Main Street, eventually adding undertaking to complement the tombstone carving. Before retiring in 1879, he admitted his sons to the business, and John F. Lockwood & Sons became the largest marble cutting and undertaking business on Long Island. When he died in 1898, the sons took charge of the business under the name H & C Lockwood. In 1900, Henry Lockwood bought out his brother Charles and took in his son Everett. The Huntington Historical Society Archives holds the accounting records of the Lockwood Family Marble Works from 1837-1875. Lockwood was a precise record keeper and his entries provided detailed information on funerary practices. He often included sketches of designs he created for tombstones as well as exact measurements and costs, including who paid the bill. He listed all the products he provided; caskets, funeral clothes for the deceased, transportation to and from railroad stations as well as hearse and horse rentals. He also carved stone benches and marble posts to section off larger family plots. The account records and gravestone writing are often a treasure trove for family research. They can give information on exact dates, other family members, status in the community and even, in some cases, the circumstances of death.  Lockwood Family Plot Huntington Rural Cemetery
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By Barbara LaMonica  The Huntington Historical Society archives contain several hundred business and farm account books from the 18th to the 20th century. Notable examples include Lockwood Marble Works, Funnell’s Pharmacy, Henry Carll Farm, Crossman Brick Works and various general stores. Account books are a valuable primary source for historians and other researchers because they furnish a detailed description of Huntington’s economic history. We can learn about early occupations, systems of payment and barter, hiring and wages, and the flow of goods and supplies that reflect patterns of consumption as well as changes in the material culture. Early bookkeeping required two books; a day book and a ledger. A day book resembles a diary in which daily transactions (or what would later become daily register receipts) were entered in chronological order. At the end of each day that data would be recorded in the ledger. The ledger keeps track of each individual account and shows all debits and credits.  By Barbara La Monica 
The North Shore Land Alliance, the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York State, the Village of Lloyd Harbor, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception have combined their advocacy efforts to insure the preservation of the seminary’s 200 acres of forest, fields and wetlands. In addition to its environmental importance, the property is linked to the past of Gold Coast Mansions and wealthy financiers because the seminary sits on the site of the former Rosemary Farm estate of Roland Ray Conklin (1858-1938).
Roland Ray Conklin, a descendant of John Conklin who settled in Huntington in 1653, was a successful real estate promoter and banker. Born in Huntington, his family soon moved to the mid-west where Conklin, shortly after graduating from the University of Illinois, founded a successful real estate business. He also invested in public work projects including irrigation canals and electric street railways. Eventually he moved his company to New York but was forced to liquidate due to the 1893 financial panic. But Conklin, ever resourceful, reorganized into the North American Trust Company, a general banking business. In 1898 he was appointed fiscal agent for the United States government in Cuba where he was one of the founders of the National Bank of Cuba and the Havana Telephone Company. In addition to other business ventures in Cuba he owned a 3,000-acre plantation. After his marriage to Mary Macfadden and the birth of their first child Julia Conklin, like many wealthy businessmen, he decided to establish a county home on the North Shore. Returning to his birthplace, Conklin purchased over 200 acres of property on West Neck in Lloyd Harbor. In 1907 he hired architect Wilson Eyre, well known for Shingle style architecture, to design an estate house with a barn, stables and formal gardens. Eyre drew inspiration from the simpler New England architectural style rather than the ornate European style which many of the Gold Coast estates mimicked. However, Rosemary Farm had one unique architectural structure- an outdoor amphitheater seating over 3,000 people. No doubt inspired by his wife, a former opera singer and patron of the arts, Conklin, using a design by the Olmstead Brothers firm, built a replica of a Greek amphitheater. Set into the wooded hill on the south side of the house the amphitheater, with its terraced seating and central moat, would serve as a venue for musical and dramatic productions. Eventually such luminaries of the day such as John Barrymore and Sarah Bernhardt would perform there. The most famous event was the 1917 National Red Cross Pageant designed to sell war bonds and support America’s entry into WWI. With a cast of over 500 performers of stage and screen the event was filmed and had a theatrical release in December 1917. However, as of today the film has never been found. After the death of his wife, Conklin sold Rosemary Farm to the Diocese of Brooklyn, (today Diocese of Rockville Centre) in 1924. The diocese built a Seminary for students of the priesthood. At first the seminary used the original house as a retreat center and residence for nuns. But the house was abandoned and fell into disrepair when the seminary was not able to afford improvements to bring it up to fire code. Predictably, the mansion became a major attraction for vandals, and it burnt down in 1990. In 1987 the amphitheater, now crumbling and overgrown, was semi-restored by a group of local volunteers including the seminary who lent their tools, the Town of Huntington Department of Parks and Recreation who donated benches and the Huntington Fire Department who filled the moat. Soon thereafter the Riverside Shakespeare Company put on a performance attended by over 500 people. In the ensuing years the amphitheater once again returned to nature when in 2018 the seminary invited the North Shore Land Alliance to discuss the purchase of land for conservation purposes. Eventually North Shore Land Alliance, together with supporters from the town, county, state, and Lloyd Harbor Village got involved. The result was the largest New York State land acquisition ever made on Long Island. The original plan called for New York State Parks to purchase 180 acres as a preserve, Lloyd Harbor to purchase 20 acres which contained remaining outbuildings and amphitheater, and the Seminary would retain 16 acres. Today the amphitheater has been restored to its former grass terraces, and stone steps and arches overlooking Long Island Sound. Perhaps someday performances will once again be staged in this magical environment. 
Honored by Steve Stern and the Huntington Historical Society By Barbara LaMonica 
Co-founders Vic Sklonick and Charlotte Sky in front of newly renovated Cinema.
On Sunday, July 28 the Cinema Arts Centre and the Huntington Historical Society co-sponsored a brunch to celebrate the Cinema’s 50-year anniversary and its inclusion on the New York Historic Business Registry. Assemblyman Steve Stern had nominated the Cinema to the Registry which honors businesses that have existed for at least 50 years and have a positive impact on the community. In addition, Assemblyman Stern presented the Cinema with a $125,000 legislative grant. The Cinema Arts Centre has had a storied history on its way to becoming a cultural landmark. The year is 1973 and in a small room above a dance studio on East Main Street two transplants from Brooklyn, Charlotte Sky and Vic Skolnick, had set up a borrowed 16mm film projector, hung up a white sheet for a screen, and introduced Huntington to their passion: films –independent, classic and foreign-that were rarely shown in suburbia. Soon outgrowing the space, they moved to a second floor gym at 235 Main Street. Finally, in 1977 the Cinema moved to the former Village Green School on Park Avenue. In 1988 the Huntington Town Board approved a lease and in 1991, with a half a million dollar grant from the Hoffman Foundation for renovations, the Town Board granted the Cinema a new long-term lease. The founders of the Cinema Arts Centre have more than met their original goal to create a premier film art house on Long Island. They evolved from a "bring your own chairs and pillows" venue to a 2,200 square foot, state of the art three screen theater with a combined seating capacity of 315 serving over 100,000 visitors per year. In addition, there is the Sky Room Lounge serving coffee and snacks plus beer and wine. The lounge also opens up to outdoor seating in a lovely garden with tables and chairs. But there is also an interesting piece of history in the garden. The stone benches were originally part of a serpentine wall designed by Frederick Olmstead, (designer of Central Park), for the Jennings estate in Lloyd Harbor. Cinema’s co-directors Charlotte Sky and her son Dylan Skolnick (Vic Skolnick passed away in 2010) still program independent films and documentaries in addition to special film series with guest directors and actors. Many classics, including a silent film program with live music are also shown on the big screen, as they were originally meant to be seen. The Cinema Arts Centre is supported by foundations as well as local and state grants. Most importantly, the Cinema is membership funded. If you join the Cinema you can see films and attend special events at a reduced price. For more information https://cinemaartscentre.org By Barbara LaMonica An act banning the importation of slaves to the United States was passed by Congress in 1807. While prohibiting American ships from engaging in the international slave trade and from leaving or entering American ports, the act did not outlaw the slave trade within the United States. Many European countries also banned the slave trade, but there was still a demand for slaves in their overseas colonies, especially in Cuba, which became a major port of call for African slaves. And many slaves were smuggled into the southern states through Texas and Florida before these territories were admitted to the Union in 1845.
It was hoped the law would eventually lead to the abolition of slavery altogether, but enforcement was lax and underfunded. Even though Congress did grant federal monies to create naval anti-slaving patrols, the Confederate states often blocked sufficient funding, while slave traders and ship owners devised several methods for circumventing the ban. In addition, because of U.S. limited ability to enforce the slave trade, many foreign slave vessels utilized the American flag. It was not until the Confederate states left congress in 1861 that it became feasible to provide more funds to police the ports and high seas. One of the main methods of evasion utilized by slave traders was to disguise slave ships as whaling vessels. Former whaling ships easily lent themselves to be repurposed as slavers. The large hold of a whaling ship could easily accommodate extra lumber which was converted to a slave deck. Try-pots, which were large pots used to render oil from whales became cooking pots to feed the slave cargo. Large supplies of food and water would not arouse suspicions since whaling vessels were often gone for years. New York City became the slave traders’ base of operations for financing and outfitting vessels. Several downtown firms were actually covers for illegal offices financed by Cuba to send vessels disguised as whalers out of New York to the African coast. It was estimated that within one year over 80 slavers left from New York. By extension, the smaller harbors of Long Island such as Sag Harbor, Greenport and Cold Spring Harbor provided refuge for slave traders due to the absence of US marshals and lenient port officers. Local historian Frederick P. Schmitt found the records and papers of Jacob C. Hewlett who was Cold Spring Harbor’s customs inspector. Hewlett was somewhat notorious for not noticing “odd supplies” on board such as multiple water casks, extra planks, hatches with gratings, and shackles. Schmitt observed an entry in Hewlett’s records for the ship Romulus which cleared port on October 31, 1860. However, being an expert on Cold Spring Harbor’s whaling industry, he never came across the name Romulus. According to an American vessel database the last voyage she made was May 9, 1860 out of Mystic. Previously Romulus sailed out of Mystic on whaling voyages. She was later sold to an anonymous buyer in Cold Spring Harbor. She was often observed receiving odd supplies under the cover of night from a tugboat from New York. Custom officer Jacob Hewlett was rumored a “decided old fogy-never without a pipe in his mouth- and that it is no difficult matter for any vessel to get “papers” from him.” (Whaleman’s Shipping List Nov, 1850.) There were very little abolition sentiments in the maritime industry as the profits from the slave trade were too much of a temptation. According Schmitt whale ships netted an average of $16,000, but a cargo of 600 slaves brought to Cuba or Brazil averaged $250,000 or more. Eventually British squadrons closed off Cuban ports and by 1864 the trade was all but suppressed. Works cited: Reilly, Kevin S. Slavers in Disguise: American Whaling and the African Slave Trade, 1845-1862. The American Neptune, Salem, Mass., http://hdl.handle.net/2027/ien.35556022866412 Schmitt, Frederick P. Satan’s Ships. Undated article found in Andrus & Harriet Valentine Papers, Box 26, Folder 4. Huntington Historical Society Archives. 
By Barbara LaMonica 
Once upon a time there were over 70 commercial dairy farms in the Town of Huntington. In the early years, when Huntington was an agrarian community, people relied on locally produced goods. Many grew their own food, or patronized local retail shops like butchers, bakers and produce stores-all selling local products. During the 19th century as the town population grew, a larger market for fresh produce developed and farmers began to specialize in certain crops. Many farmers started to raise more dairy cows to meet the increasing demand for fresh milk. Milk would be delivered by horse and wagon. Customers would bring out their own crocks and the milk was ladled out of metal cans in the back of the wagon. By the late 1800s dairies began to bottle their own milk with the name of the town and dairy embossed on the bottle. These early milk bottles used metal caps similar to Ball canning jars, others used a paper cap to seal the bottle.
Some of the earliest dairies were the Frank E. Armstrong Dairy on Woolsey Avenue in Huntington (1890) and the Merrit Dairy in Centerport (1892). Early dairies in Cold Spring Harbor included the Eugene Model Dairy (1911) and McKowen Brothers (1914). For the most part local dairies were small with only about 10-15 cows. However, there were some much larger operations. On Park Avenue the two large dairies were the Brush Dairy at 575 Park Avenue (1911) and the Swezey Brothers, also know as the Park Avenue Diary, at 471 Park Avenue, (1911). Both of these dairies had over 50 cows. By the 1940s the Brush Dairy had 10 delivery trucks and produced 3,989 quarts of milk per day and had 1,612 customers. The Swezey Brothers sold approximately 1,400 bottles of milk daily. Their customers included Huntington Hospital, Huntington Yacht Club, and the Huntington Fire Department. As an interesting aside many of the local estates had their own dairies, including Marshall Field (Caumsett) and Oheka. They provided milk for their workers, and sometimes sold excess milk to other local dairies. 
By the 1970s most of the local dairies had closed. There were many factors which led to their decline. Primarily was the growth of suburbia, the development of industry, and the introduction of supermarkets.
After WWII Long Island saw an increase in population. Farmland was often sold off to accommodate housing and industrial development. It became more difficult for the dairy farmers to find help to meet the increasing demand since many workers gravitated toward manufacturing jobs. Long Island’s King Kullen is designated as America’s first supermarket (although it has been contested that Piggly Wiggly in Tennessee came before). Customers were attracted to markets because of self-service, all products conveniently in one place, and most importantly the markets could undersell local producers by dealing with large dairy companies such as Bordens. Another blow came to the local dairies when the Department Health mandated all milk be pasteurized. Many smaller dairies could not afford the equipment to meet this requirement. Finally, the famers could not afford the wages demanded by milk delivery drivers during the milk strikes of the 1960s and 70s. If you have any memories of these local dairies feel free to share with us! 
By Barbara LaMonica Did you know that your family papers or artifacts can contribute to the social history of the Town of Huntington community? Family letters, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, fliers and brochures donated to the archives reflect interactions between individuals and families with local organizations, businesses, special events, charities, and general social trends. Historians have long acknowledged how family stories can intertwine with not only local but national events. For example, histories of wars are augmented by family military service records, war medals, photographs of soldiers and correspondence.
Family heirlooms such as textiles, ceramics, kitchen items, furnishings, dolls, and tools can be donated to our museum collections. These objects often reveal a family story or a particular individual’s collecting interest or specific skill. Objects made in Huntington such as pottery, tools or milk bottles reveal information on past industries that were endemic to our area such as dairy farms and pottery production. What are the advantages of donating your family papers or heirlooms to the Huntington Historical Society’s archives or museum collection? First and foremost, donating these items makes your family permanent part of local history. Secondly, the preservation of your materials is ensured through closely monitored environment controls such as temperature, humidity, pest control, proper lighting and storage. And even though your family may not be "famous," in future years social historians, genealogists, writers and many other may find your papers or objects interesting and valuable to their work.
If you are going through inherited family materials contact us in advance so we can determine if the items are appropriate for our collections. You do not need to cull or reorganize materials but you should provide background information such as identifying people or places in photographs or stories behind them. There may be incidents when the we cannot accept everything that you offer either due to space constraints or the fact that the materials may not fall within the collecting mission of the Huntington Historical Society. We do collect items from all eras, but we are especially looking for materials from the 50s,(including Korean War era), 60s,( Including Vietnam and counterculture era) 70s and 80s. Since a great deal of work hours goes into processing your collection we cannot accept items on loan. Donors will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift which states that the items will be the property of the Huntington Historical Society. Access to the items is usually open to all researches but if you have concerns about some material being sensitive you can request that they are deemed restricted. Contact information about donations: [email protected] By Barbara LaMonica Assistant Archivist I remember when I was a child my mother would sit me down and insist I write thank you notes for all the holiday gifts I received from my aunts and uncles. Her reasoning was that by taking the time to write a personalized handwritten note on special stationery was a sign of respect and gratefulness. I wonder what my mother would think of today’s instantaneous emails or texts? Well she would be happy to know that letter writing is beginning to make a comeback. And it is not only older people. Millennials are the largest group to buy notecards, and Pen Pal Clubs are springing up everywhere. The LA Pen Pal club meets once a month to create their own stationery and sit down together to write letters. What exactly is the growing appeal of sending and/or receiving a letter rather than an email? One reason is that a letter is unique and tangible. To receive a letter makes the recipient feel important knowing that the sender took the time to write, choose stationery, purchase postage and mail. And the recipient is happy to receive a letter that is not a bill! Reading a letter is easier than scrolling down on a screen. Furthermore, people tend to hold onto letters for a longer period of time rather than an email which is often quickly deleted. More importantly writing, whether letters, notes, or diaries, tends to slow things down in our age of instantaneous digital communication fostering shorter and shorter attention spans. Additionally, recent research seems to verify that the physical act of handwriting has several benefits over keyboard tapping. The most important advantages are improved memory, spelling, and cognition. A 2014 study published in Psychological Science “The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard” by P.A. Mueller and D.M. Oppenheimer compared college students who took notes on laptops vs those who used longhand. The results clearly showed that the students who had written had better retention and test scores. “The present research suggests that even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallow processing.” Most importantly what is the significance of letter and journal writing for historians and archivists? In the past people wrote a great deal of letters and kept diaries. It was an integral part of life and social relations. An etiquette book from the 1890s devotes several chapters on the proper way to write letters for all occasions. “Write letters to relatives and friends very often…the longer you make them the better. The absent husband should write a letter at least once a week. Some husbands make it a rule to write a brief letter home at the close of a day.” (Hills Manual of Social and Business Forms by Thos. H. Hill, Hill Standard Book Company Chicago, 1891.pg. 105). Personal correspondences often survive for decades as keepsakes for succeeding generations. Will a substantial number of emails and texts from our age survive? How will future historians view us when most of our correspondence is digital and temporary in nature? And unlike official documents, personal writings are heartfelt expressions giving historians a perspective on the everyday life and social conventions of an era. The special collections in the Huntington Historical Society Archives contains the letters and diaries of several Huntington residents including past doctors, lawyers, homemakers and soldiers from various conflicts. Below is a letter that is part of a WWII collection written by a soldier, Chester R. Koons, to his son Richard. Unfortunately, the father was killed in 1944. The son kept the letters all his life.   Below is an excerpt from a letter dated March 17th 1867 from John B. Scudder to Nettie White.  By Barbara LaMonica Assistant Archivist  The George McKesson Brown Estate, aka Coindre Hall is an example of a Gold Coast mansion built around the turn of the century as a summer residence for wealthy entrepreneurs. Coindre Hall’s history is similar to that of other mansions of its time. Built during an era of great opulence, the estates eventually became untenable due to economic changes and increased taxation. Eventually the mansions and lands were sold off piece by piece by owners and descendants due to unaffordability and disinterest. Many were sold off to developers and torn down, others became public buildings or museums. Many languish as a tug of war between various community factions with differing agendas for their use. George McKesson Brown, heir to the McKesson Pharmaceutical Company fortune, purchased 135 waterfront acres facing Huntington Harbor. In approximately 1906 Brown commissioned architect Clarence Summer Luce to design a mansion inspired by chateaus he had seen while on vacation with his wife in the Loire Valley. The French Chateau style in architecture became popular in the United States around the late 19th century. This style reflected 16th century French chateaus with gabled roofs, conical towers, spires and arched entryways.  Completed in 1912, the estate was known as West Neck Farm. It was essentially a self-contained manor with cows, chickens, pigs and bees as well as vegetable gardens. The out buildings, such as the garage and chauffeur’s quarters (now Unitarian Fellowship), the boat house, and the water tower were designed to reflect the style of the main mansion.  At first a summer residence, West Neck Farm became a full time residence for the Browns by 1917. However, when Brown became financially strapped after losing much of his fortune after the 1929 stock market crash, he began selling off parcels of the estate’s land. In 1939 he moved into the farmhouse and sold the main house and 33 acres to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart who established a boarding school for boys. West Neck Farm was renamed Coindre Hall in honor of the founder of the religious order and the school remained open until 1971. In 1962 the former garage and chauffeur’s quarters, farmhouse and watertower was sold to the Unitarian Fellowship. In 1964 Brown died with no heirs and since then the fate of the estate has been debated.
In 1972 the Suffolk County Legislature voted to purchase the property for $750,000 with the intention of creating a harbor front park. The main mansion was leased to the Town of Huntington and continued to be used as a recreation and cultural center. In 1976 the county closed the park due to expensive upkeep. In 1981 the mansion was leased to Eagle Hill School, a school for students with learning disabilities, but by 1989 the school was struggling and had to close. Among proposals for the mansion were an expansion of Heckscher Museum, a repository for County records, a Gold Coast Museum. In 1980 the boathouse became the home of the Sagamore Rowing Club. During its tenure the rowing club put $73,000 to improve the safety of the boathouse but 70 percent of the building was eventually condemned forcing the rowing club to vacate. In 1985 the estate was listed on the National and New York State Register of Historic Places and in 1988 placed in the Suffolk County Historic Trust. It was given local landmark status by the Town of Huntington in 1990. In that same year Rep. Rick Lazio proposed the property be sold through a public referendum. In response to this the Alliance for the for the Preservation of Coindre Hall was founded with the goals of protecting, restoring and preserving the entire property. The Alliance fought off several attempt by the Legislature to sell the property. Today the mansion, which has undergone some restoration, now functions as a catering venue operated by Lessings. In 2020 the Suffolk County Legislature created an Advisory Board to oversee the rehabilitation of the property including the boathouse, the pier and the seawall. In 2023 the boathouse was put on the list of Endangered Places by Preservation Long Island. However, some residents are concerned that the park’s wetlands will be compromised by the planned renovations. The task ahead is to create a strategy that will include concerns for the natural environment as well as the preservation of an important historical legacy. By Barbara LaMonica Assistant Archivist  From Gilded Age castle, to sanitation union resort, to Merchant Marine training center, to military academy, and finally restored to its original grandeur as a luxury hotel, Oheka castle has a varied and controversial history. Completed in 1919, Oheka was built by investment banker and patron of the arts Otto Kahn. The chateau style mansion was intended as a summer home for his family while they were not in residence at their 80-room Italian Renaissance style mansion in New York City. Kahn’s previous country home, Cedar Court in Morristown, NJ was gifted to him and his wife Addie Wolfe by her father. However, after about 10 years the home burnt down, and Kahn, who had been denied membership in country clubs in Morristown because of his Jewish background, eventually decided to relocate. He bought 443 acres in Cold Spring Harbor where he intended to build a chateau style country home. Desiring to have an overview of the surrounding area, Kahn had a hill built before construction on the home began. It took two years to complete the man-made elevation which made the property the highest point on Long Island. Kahn engaged famed architects Delano and Aldrich to build the French chateau inspired home. Of utmost importance to him was that the home be fireproof, the result being that the Delano- Aldrich design in steel and concrete made it the first totally fireproof residential building.
Upon completion the 112,895 square foot castle had 127 rooms, 39 fireplaces, and employed 126 full time servants. It was the second largest home in the US, second to Vanderbilt’s Biltmore in Ashville, NC. Otto Kahn was born in Mannheim Germany in 1867. His father had eight children and had a career plan for each one. In spite of Otto’s desire to become a musician, his father placed him in a bank as a junior clerk. He eventually moved to London where he became second in command at Deutsche Bank. In 1893, he moved to the United States where he joined Kuhn, Loeb & Co. He became a partner with railroad builder E. H. Harriman in the task of restructuring the Union Pacific Railroad. Kahn gained a reputation as one of the most skillful reorganizers of railroads. He went on to restructure the Baltimore and Ohio, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and other systems. In international finance, he negotiated for opening the Paris Bourse to American securities. A philanthropist and patron of the arts, Kahn was a stockholder and founding member of the Metropolitan Opera Company, and was a collector of paintings, tapestries, and sculptures. He authored several books on varied topics including art, history, and business. A few years after Kahn died in 1934 his wife Addie sold the castle for a mere $100,000 to the Welfare Fund of the Sanitation Workers of New York (Sanita). Oheka, renamed Sanita Lodge, was transformed into a country retreat for low paid department employees to vacation with their families. Addie, a patroness of the Women’s Trade Union League, stated she was pleased that the property could now be used to benefit so many. However, others in the area were not so pleased. The idea that “street sweepers” would use the luxurious surroundings triggered ethnic and class discriminations lurking beneath the surface. The Long Islander, a fierce opponent, ran an editorial on June 9, 1939 that read “…the finest land in Huntington is to be placed in the lowest category…the value of the parcels in the neighborhood will be correspondingly lowered.”
Because the lodge now consisted of a Horn and Hardart cafeteria, a cigar stand and a switchboard, Sanita should be considered a boarding house or hotel, not a strictly a residential building. Furthermore, the union did not get a Certificate of Occupancy. Because the union was a not-for-profit, local residents feared tax exemption would shift the tax burden onto them.
However, Sanita had many supporters among Huntington businessmen and residents. During a period of high unemployment and business depression, Sanita provided somewhat of a solution. The lodge hired local people as construction and service workers. Additionally, the lodge bought supplies from local businesses, and sanitation vacationers shopped in town. The Huntington Businessmen Association started a petition in favor of keeping Sanita open. The first petition had over 1400 signatures. By this time Mayor LaGuardia got involved and offered to act as a mediator. He set up a meeting between the town board and Sanita. He proposed that the Sanitation Union would be willing to pay partial taxes on the property. But the board held firm. It refused a certificate of occupancy and refused tax exemption. “I would not want to be as dead as this proposal” claimed LaGuardia. In the meantime, the union said it would no longer pursue legal means. “We do not want to be somewhere where we are not wanted,” Sanitation Director Carey stated. As of April 1940 the Sanita cause was defeated. Eventually the Sanitation Union, with the support of Franklin Roosevelt, did find suitable property upstate. The property reverted to the Kahn family and almost immediately was subdivided and bought by a local developer. The town approved rezoning to 1/3-1/4 acre plots for the construction of homes. In 1942 the Merchant Marine requisitioned the abandoned mansion and Oheka became a radio operator school through 1945. In 1948 Eastern Military Academy purchased it and ran a boarding school until 1979. For the next four years Oheka fell into ruin. In 1984 developer Gary Melius purchased the home and began restoration. Today, restored to its Gilded Age opulence, Oheka Castle is a luxury hotel and event venue. |
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The Huntington Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the Town of Huntington for its steadfast support.
The Huntington Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the Town of Huntington for its steadfast support.