ANNUAL MEETING HELD AT FORT SALONGA SCHOOL

     Each year the FSA holds an annual meeting as prescribed by our bylaws. This is an ideal opportunity for residents to get a first hand update on items of interest and concern to our community as well as a chance to recognize the contributions of individual directors. We also accept and vote on nominations of new directors who will be serving in 2005.

Our 2004 annual meeting was held at the Fort Salonga school. Originally planned for the auditorium, a scheduling conflict relocated us to the second floor library. Under the able supervision of President Paul Graf and Activities Director Chris Thomas, a quick furniture rearrangement was effected and a refreshment table was set up with IGA again donating an assortment of sweets. The approximately sixty residents who attended were treated to a fascinating history of Fort Salonga by Smithtown historian Brad Harris.

Mr. Harris undertook extensive research on our history. In the course of his forty five minute presentation he traced our roots back to 1695 where the name Bread and Cheese Hollow is first referred to by Sarah Smith, wife of Richard "Bull Smith", the famous founder of Smithtown. (see a related article in the historic section of this issue). Mr. Harris shared information in his talk about the many still existing historic homes along Bread and Cheese and also commented on our local patriot heroes and their contributions to the war effort during the American Revolution.

After this presentation, Paul Graf covered a number of issues we are confronting such as the proposed train yard and power plants as well pending development of the Kings Park Associates property on the corner of Pulaski and Townline Road. He also reviewed our efforts to coordinate repair of  Bread and Cheese. Current directors were recognized and we were reminded of the continuing threats to our zoning codes through the proliferation of zoning appeals as land values escalate. Attendance at ZBA hearings is key to insuring the unique rural character of our community is maintained.

  Finally, Paul thanked those current directors who were retiring after many years of service to the board. They are Bob Desmond, Paul Fichtner and Phil Suriano. He then asked the members for a vote approving our slate of officers and welcomed our three newly elected  directors for 2005. A brief bio of each new director appears in this issue. We welcome Chris Crofts, Cindy Freeman and Linda Henninger and thank them for  their commitment of time and energy in support of our community's interests.

MAKEOVER AT KETCHAM FARM

Area residents have noticed the fresh new look at the Ketcham Farm on the corner of Bread and Cheese and Middleville. We can thank the new owners, Hayley and Toby Carlson, who purchased the Farm in July. Since then they have embarked on a major restoration of this historic property to include a tasteful blend of stone work and large plantings of mums.

Our long time residents may remember Bryant Ketcham who farmed the property in the 1950s. It included an upper and lower field directly across on Bread and Cheese where he grew corn and sold to area residents. The FSA also held our early Fair and Pet Shows here. Bryant died in the late fifties when a new tractor he purchased to replace his aging horse overturned while he was pulling down an apple tree. The house and barn date to 1760 and several years ago were designated historic by Huntington, thereby preserving their future as a Fort Salonga landmark. In recent years up to twenty horses were boarded here and riding lessons provided. Hayley, an equestrian, plans on resuming this business in the future but the barn is now reserved for her horses.

Toby hails from Kings Park where, for over 100 years, his family operated Carlsons, a feed and grain establishment that evolved into a stone supply and rock crushing business. Carlson Avenue and Henry Street in Kings Park are named after his family and many of the bricks in the Kings Park Psych Center are from his family's business. Carlson introduced the concept of pre cast cesspool rings, now the standard. Hayley is originally from Centerport and they met at the Northport Baptist Church.

Their landscaping plans were accelerated since they had only two months to ready the property for their outdoor wedding reception planned for September 18th at the farm with 200 invited guests. They never guessed that Hurricane Ivan would also be attending and this caused them a severe case of wedding jitters. Fortunately, Ivan made an early departure to be replaced by a new crisis when the tent delivery truck knocked out the electrical box, requiring an emergency visit by an electrician. After all these obstacles the wedding came off without a hitch.

Hayley and Toby are skilled multi-taskers. In addition to doing a major restoration in record time at the Farm and creating an enlarged landscaped riding arena, Toby is kept busy at his rock crushing and supply business on Townline Road. Hayley is attending Adelphi University where she is working towards her degree in speech pathology while interning at Nassau University Medical Center. Graduation is planned for May 2005 at which time they plan another outdoor celebration, hopefully less eventful than their wedding. The Fort Salonga Association welcomes this energetic young couple, bringing an historic family name to their historic home and we wish them continued happiness and success.

HISTORIC FORT SALONGA HOUSE TOUR

On Sunday October 17th The Kings Park Heritage Museum sponsored a tour of historic Fort Salonga homes with transportation and lunch included. Approximately forty area residents participated in what turned out to be a most enjoyable and fact filled tour. Our buses departed from the RJO building and we began with an interpretative tour of Kings Park historic buildings and life as it existed when the Psychiatric Center property dominated most of the town. The LIRR originally stopped here to bring supplies to St. Johnland which was established in the mid ninetieth century as an orphanage by a Protestant clergyman. As our guides, long time Kings Park residents David Flynn and George Tiernan explained, the naming of Kings Park may derive from the fact that the LIRR president lived near a park in Queens called Kings Park.

Our next stop was the Lyon -Gardiner house on Bread and Cheese, one of our oldest homes dating to the late 1600's and, since 1957, owned by Hal and Mary Mcartney who gave us a personal tour of their charming home. Hal, a retired schoolteacher, related how many interesting discoveries awaited them during renovations they undertook. In refinishing the ceiling they discovered the builder used our famous Fort Salonga clay and horsehair as a binding agent to make plaster, resulting in a floor covered in hair and dirt when the ceiling was removed. The lath was hand split oak and hemlock, both then plentiful. We then proceeded to the Milemore House on Bread and Cheese where Nigel Lea and his wife shared the history of their home, dating to 1725. The house boasts a trapdoor in the dining room leading to the basement and provided an early escape route from marauding Indians or hostile British soldiers during the Revolution.

Our next stop was at the most elegant of our Fort Salonga Homes, The former Platt House on Sunken Meadow Road. This magnificent home built in 1754 sits astride seven acres with a panoramic view across the Sunken Meadow wetlands. It combines the elegance of age with modern architectural features. The house was originally part of a several thousand acre estate worked by slaves (one slave house still exists).

Sunken Meadow State Park was created by Robert Moses in 1926 by condemning over one thousand acres of the original estate. This house enjoys a rich history. During the Revolution, patriots used the barn to store whaleboats in which they raided British shipping in the Sound. Discovered by the British, Zephaniah Platt was chained to a giant elm tree in the front of the house and then moved to the Jersey, an infamous disease infested prisoner ship in New York harbor. His daughter intervened on his behalf and he was released. Unfortunately, too late. He died in his home several weeks later from smallpox. Descendants later founded Plattsburg, New York.

Our final stop was a tour of the Obidah Smith House on St. Johnland Road (circa 1700) and built by one of the grandsons of the Founder of Smithtown. It is one of the oldest surviving homes in Smithtown and is maintained by the Smithtown Historical Society. Our trip into the past now concluded, we headed back to the RJO building for a delicious hot lunch and a tour of this incredible museum. It captures in period rooms so much of the everyday life in the early days of Kings Park, most of it contributed by area families.

This is the second such tour sponsored by the Heritage Museum and if offered again next year we highly recommend it. The guides were knowledgeable and the homeowners most gracious. Flyers will be available at the Kings Park library branch and at the museum in the RJO building. In the meantime, if you are hungry to learn more about our rich history, pick up a copy of Mr. Flynn's newly published book at the Heritage Museum. It is chock full of old area maps and features many of our historic homes.