Jay Gould was a New York business man, reviled as a Jew by those who were of an anti-semite bent, but was a Scottish/English mongrel as I recall. He was one of the main stockholders of the Erie Railroad, and an associate of the infamous Boss Tweed. “Just who was Boss Tweed?” Miss Bronwen asked. […]
A Romantic Getaway At Kings Park Psychiatric Institution
“What could be more romantic than a leisurely stroll through an asylum?” I asked Miss Bronwen as we got out of the car, which was parked along the Nissequogue River, in Nissequogue River State Park, also known as the campus of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center. She arched her eyebrow and handed me my walking […]
The Ghosts of Fire Island Lighthouse
The breeze had picked up, the moon high in the sky and the little fire on the beach was blessedly warm. The older gentleman spoke softly, a gentle lilt to his voice as he retraced the history of Fire Island and the Fire Island Lighthouse. “There seems to be some disagreement about how Fire Island […]
Tales From Head of the Harbor and St. James I: New Thoughts on Mary Hatchet and Mary’s Grave
Top: Mary’s Playhouse at Head of the Harbor. Mary lived with her father in a large rambling house on Stony Brook harbor, in what is today known as Head of the Harbor, New York. One can assume that Mary’s father was anticipating a large family, or perhaps more likely, he inherited the house. But either […]
Tales of Old Stony Brook I: The Haunting of the Stony Brook Grist Mill
When a building becomes a part of a person’s life, there’s a better chance that it will become haunted. This only stands to reason. The more people who are touched by a building, the better the chance. Is this not so? One of the centers of colonial life and the years that followed was the […]
Rosemary’s Farm: “Life’s But A Walking Shadow …”
Top: Bridge to the stage at Rosemary Farm (Conklin Farm), Huntington, New York. “A poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” William Shakespeare, Macbeth Across this bridge, some of the […]
