page background

Bayport Heritage Association

~ April 2017 ~

Bayport HeritageAssociation~ April 2017 ~

General Membership meeting

The Bayport Heritage Association will hold its monthly General Membership Meeting on April 9th at 2:00 in The BBP Library. The guest speakers for this meeting will be BHA members; Gene Horton and Jim Connell. The featured presentation for this meeting was developed in the 1990's as part of a New York State initiative to designate historic zones in towns and villages. The project stalled due to lack of State funding but Jim, Gene and other BHA members produced an excellent array of photos and written details about the old homes of Middle Road in Bayport. Come on down to the BBP Library and learn about the historic homes of your local neighbors and friends. Hope to see you there!

BHA Elections

At the March BHA general membership meeting, three new people were voted into leadership positions. Congratulations to Frank Geibfried, Beth LaMarca and Leann Berg as new officers in the Bayport Heritage Association.


The new slate of officers are:

Mary Bailey ~ President

Leann Berg ~ Vice President

Beth LaMarca ~ Recording Secretary

John Amato ~ Treasurer

Laura Amato ~ Corresponding Secretary


Directors at Large:

Dennis Fagan, Dave Harenberg, Tom Maher, Kristi Giacchetto, Frank Geibfried


Thank you once again to the outgoing officers; Jill Hansen, Connie Smith and Joe Novak. Your dedication and countless hours of service are appreciated! Thank you!

zoom_out_map

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Thank you to the members of the BHA for marching in this years St. Patrick's Day Parade. The weather was clear but cold and a merry time was had by all. A special thank you goes to Gene Horton for lending us his 1916 Maxwell, Tom Maher for driving the truck and Frank Cannizarro for use of his trailer. Thanks to director Frank Geibleib, officer Leann Berg and her daughter Emily and Barbara Sherman for dressing in period costumes for the day. Congratulations again to Karl Auwaerter, BHA member and Grand Marshall of the 2017 parade.

An Oral History Project: Voices of Bayport Blue Point

The BBP Library has a wonderful series of video files that feature prominent members of our hamlet sharing what life was like in Bayport Blue Point years ago. This month's video file features Gisbert Auwaerter of the Bayport Flower Houses. We hope you enjoy the show!
Gisbert Auwaerter
zoom_out_map

Spring Garden Cleanup Help Needed

This is what the Meadow Croft heirloom garden looked like mid April of 2016. This year it will probably be in a similar condition and in need of a Spring cleaning. It may not seem a huge space, but there is plenty of room and a variety of tasks to keep people entertained by the wonders of nature. We are looking for hands to help on Friday mornings at 9 a.m. starting April 21st. This is weather dependent...should it be raining or too cold, then the following Friday.

For the initial cleanup we will be raking, cutting and possibly digging or tilling. It is recommended to wear layers, bringing a hat, gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, a kneeling pad and something to keep you hydrated. If you have a leaf rake, hand rake, pruners, trowel, weeding tool, bucket for debris, these would all be useful. Most important is a desire to help, regardless of knowledge or ability. There is something for every level of gardener, so don't feel you can't take part! Contact Lorraine 516-459-0140 with any questions. Looking forward to another beautiful season!
zoom_out_map

What a Shame!

It appears that another one of Bayport's beautiful old homes faces an uncertain future. You probably have seen 230 Seaman Avenue go from the bright yellow beauty to a house in need of serious care over the last several years. This home was once on the popular BHA house tour and was owned by the Ballans. It was sold in 2005 for 1.1 million dollars. Shortly after the sale, various inhabitants resided there. The last tenant who carelessly boarded horses and other livestock, seemed to have little regard for the beauty of the house and property. A fire in 2012 forced these residents out of the house and it has been vacant ever since. The inside of the house is a mess, with evidence of vandalism throughout. The house is currently in lis pendens, which means foreclosure. Every window and door is boarded up with grey plywood which everyone knows is a bad sign for any house.

The house, built in 1888, designed by I.H. Green, is one of Bayport's oldest built by one of the earliest families in Bayport; the Rogers family. Frank Rogers is listed as the owner in 1904. He married Narcissa Seaman, daughter of Capt. Seaman. She died young and then Frank married a second time and had three children with Adelaide Rogers (see www.longislandsurnames.com). The property has 1.9 acres and the house has seven bedrooms and four bathrooms. The home was built when the East side of Seaman Avenue had just three homes including #230. Capt. Silas Seaman owned the house on the West corner on Middle Road and Smith Rogers (Frank's father) owned the house on the East corner. The other homes on the East side were owned by Louis Behman, a NYC theatre owner who owned most of the land on the East side and a small piece on the west side according to a 1904 town map and Albert Payne. Mrs. George Brush owned all the land south of 230 Seaman Avenue all the way to Brown's River Road and west to the river. The Brush land is now developed with homes and town marina spaces. The Rogers family members can be found on the earliest censuses back to 1840. The Rogers family were baymen. Frank Rogers owned several oyster shanties on the bay along with the Brown bothers at the foot of Seaman Avenue. After Frank Rogers, the home was owned by Ralph and Frances Norton in 1909 and remained in the Norton family until 1944. Subsequent owners were Flint, Shaw and Ballan. The Bayport Heritage Association, residents on Seaman Avenue and the community are sad to witness the demise of this beautiful home.

Membership Due

Membership for 2017 is now due. The rates have not increased from last year:

Family $25.00

Individual $15.00

Seniors $10.00


Payment can be made by mailing a check to:

Bayport Heritage Association

P.O. Box 4

Bayport, NY 11705

Please include your name, address, phone number and email address. Dennis Fagan, a BHA director, is now membership chairperson. If you have any questions, you can reach him at dennyz_five@yahoo.com. You can also pay in person at our next General Membership meeting to be held at the Bayport BluePoint Library on April 9th, 2017 at 2:00. We hope to see you there!