BBP Heritage Association

Summer is rolling by quickly and we are enjoying every moment! Welcome to August! Meadow Croft is open every weekend for house tours so stop by and check out how life was lived by the Roosevelt family in the early 1900's.

Summer House Tours: Tours of the Meadow Croft estate are happening NOW and running through October. Trained docents will be showing the estate on Saturdays and Sundays from 2:00-4:00. There have been many updates and changes in recent months as the BBPHA volunteers work tirelessly to make your experience at Meadow Croft even better. Check out the newly refurbished carriage house! How was life lived in the early 1900's? We welcome you to join us and find out.

If you would like to plan a tour for a group of 10 or more, email us to set a date. Our calendar is filling up with special tours and groups. If you would like to set up a time for a tour or become a docent please contact Jen at jtbudgie@gmail.com We would like to thank some special groups that have recently toured the Meadow Croft estate including: Sayville Library, Connetquot Library, The Seasons at East Northport, the Patchogue Tuesday Ladies Club, and The Women of Northport (pictured below).

Save the date for our first general membership meeting of the new season! In keeping with the theme of when The United States marked its 250th anniversary—the Semiquincentennial—on July 4th 2026, and celebrating 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Title: What Entertained the Founding Fathers

Presented by: Robert Viagas

When: Sunday September 27 2-4 pm

Where: BBP Library

In honor of the America 250 milestone, Robert Viagas explores the authentic dances, songs, and theatrical productions of the era. This presentation offers unique cultural samples to provide a humanizing look at the creators of the United States.

All are invited to attend and a donated item will be raffled off at each meeting. We hope to see you there for this exciting presentation.

The Bayport Blue Point Heritage Association was proud to sponsor two FREE concerts this summer. Thank you to those community members who came out to our first concert to experience Nina Et Cetera and to those who enjoyed The Flat Leavers on July 30th. It was two great nights for all!

Special thanks go to Dave Harenberg for booking our two bands and Jenny Harenberg for the graphic design and signs for these events. We couldn't do it without you both! Thank you!

There are only a limited number of seats to this event so plan early!

On July 11th the BBPHA was lucky enough to have the help and support (as well as muscle) of two community organizations to help clean the basement at Meadow Croft. We are so grateful to the Bayport Blue Point Jr. Civic Association and Boy Scout Troop 130, as well as their supervisors, to lend a hand to clean out some old junk stored in the basement. Thank you to the Suffolk County Parks Department for providing a dumpster to make this job easier.

We love that our special projects have the support of our wonderful community, especially getting the young people involved, to model how to preserve and celebrate our shared history. Thank you to Shannon Voyack, Jen Economos, Leanne Berg and Anna Duggan for lending a helping hand and organizing this effort.

It's time to start planning for our signature event, Christmas at Meadow Croft! This year it will be held on December 5-6th 2026, and we need your help. If you would like to volunteer with set-up or clean-up, or if you play the piano, or would like to volunteer in another capacity, please call or text our chairperson Leanne Berg. Her number is 631-235-1702. Looking forward to A Botanical Christmas!

Tavern Night with Diane Schwindt

Historic Tavern Cook/Educator

August 8, 2026

Diane Schwindt is the resident cook at the Ketcham Inn in Center Moriches. She focuses on different areas of Colonial Life. Diane will be teaching and lecturing within our carriage house about how taverns were vital to a community. She will be showing different tools and materials that were authentic to the time. Come with your appetite since Diane will be sharing samples of the famous George Washington cake as well as honey mead.

This event is for MEMBERS ONLY. Not a member, no problem!

You can join the Heritage Association by clicking here.

Space is limited; we will be selling only thirty tickets. The cost is $35 per person. The link to the ticket sales can be found here. Just scroll down on our website to find this item.

Diane has been featured in the magazine Edible, as well as in Newsday and on News12. She is a wealth of knowledge and will be leaving time for questions and answers.

Event Schedule:

6:00-6:30: Enjoy a refreshing cocktail or mocktail in our Carriage House.

6:30-8:00: Lecture/demonstration.

Signature Drink of the Evening: Gin Rickey

Enjoy a refreshing drink that dates back to the 1900’s. While originally made with bourbon or whiskey it received its name after gin was being made in bathtubs during prohibition which made it easier to come by. A gin rickey starts with nice cold gin followed by some citrusy lime juice and topped off with club soda. A lime garnish will finish it off! Non-alcoholic drinks will also be served.

Save the Date: Coming in September, our final Meadow Croft After Dark…

Saturday September 12th, 2026 6:00-8:00pm

Antiques Roadshow and information session.

We will have Mark Lagnese with us sharing the best ways to find out about both your antiques at home and what to look for while out antique hunting. Each guest will have a chance to bring one item for Mr. Lagnese to appraise and answer your questions about. There will be a signature cocktail and time for questions. Keep your eyes open for ticket sales and information in our September newsletter.

These stories first appeared in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette and were written by Gene Horton. They are reprinted here with permission.

August 2014

"An Inn as in an Inn" "Ye Olde Anchorage Inn dates back to 1897. The owner was a colorful immigrant from Belfast, Ireland, named Will Graham. The Inn was located on the north-west corner of Montauk Highway and Kennedy Avenue in Blue Point.

At the Achorage Inn, there was a large (approx. 2 feet by 3 feet) stone plaque. On this plaque were engraved the names of twenty-five "patrons" of The Anchorage Inn. This plaque today resides in the home of Blue Pointer, Ronald "Butch" Springhorn. Butch actually gave me this photo of the plaque. There are 2 screw holes in the plaque as it was probably mounted somewhere on a wall within The Anchorage Inn (which burned down in 1928).

Capt. Will died in 1920 at the young age of 58. He's buried in Patchogue's Cedar Grove Cemetery. One of the names on the plaque is "Bert" Hubbard. His full first name was Elbert. He was a noted American writer, philosopher, artist and publisher. Elbert Hubbard, a regular patron at The Anchorage Inn, was a

passenger on the ill-fated 1915 torpedoed British Liner, Lusitania, and he drowned. Charles W. Lynde, a local businessman, was rather successful, but a tad eccentric. Would "LInk" North be Abraham Lincoln North of Blue Point fame and a generous benefactor to the Blue Point School, Fire Department and Baptist Church? Ed and Robert Bailey were involved with Bailey's Mill and Lumber yard in Patchogue, c. 1900. Supposedly it was Bob Bailey's job to darken in the names on the plaque when each gentleman died. Bob Bailey lived on Carmen St. in Patchogue and after he died (c.1950's) his house was cleaned out and Butch Springhorn acquired the plaque.

I thought maybe the name "J.M. Dempsey" might have been the famous boxer, Jack Dempsey but that did not match up with Jack Dempsey's biography. Notice too: on the plaque each name has a period carved after it. And there is an arrow between the two columns of names pointing upward. Interesting details! I am glad this artifact of Blue Point's history has survived all these years!