Women’s History Month: Patchogue’s “Four Sisters”

March 13, 2019 By Gary Lutz

Patchogue’s “Four Sisters” (Augusta Josephine Smith Weeks (1831-1901), Betsey Ann Smith Roberts (1828-1897), Charlotte Goldsmith Smith Keech (1823-1887) and Ruth Newey Smith (1835-1917)) were born and raised in a house built in 1812 on South Ocean Avenue. The sisters, trained tailors and seamstresses, took their skills to Manhattan to first work for others and then open their own successful cloak business, becoming successful businesswomen.

On their return to Patchogue in later life, the Smith sisters owned various properties in Patchogue, and became local philanthropists of great note for their kindness and practical help to the poor and needy. Ruth Smith, an international literary and ice skating figure of some fame, donated land to the Episcopalian Church for Lakeview Cemetery, and a park where the Village pool is located on Great South Bay. She also took over the Smithport Hotel from their father and built the Mascot II Hotel where today’s Lombardi’s Restaurant stands. Augusta Smith owned the Ocean Avenue Hotel at the foot of Ocean Avenue, and, today, part of her property is Patchogue’s Shorefront Park.

Betsy Ann Smith was one of Long Island’s few 19th century women poets to produce a book, Original Poems.

The sisters also famously left their legacy in Lakeview Cemetery, which is dominated by four 20-foot high memorial columns and a large monument erected by Ruth to honor her family. The twenty-two foot tall, five ton monument has four life size statues representing Faith, Hope, Charity and Liberty. They also arranged for burial in Lakeview Cemetery for the deceased sailors of the wreck of the schooner, Louis V. Place, which tragically ran aground on a sandbar on Fire Island in 1895.

Augusta Josephine Smith Weeks
(1831-1901)

Betsey Ann Smith Roberts
(1828-1897)

Three of the sisters beside the graves of the deceased sailors of the Louis V. Place

To find out more about the lives of the Smith sisters and about their influence on Patchogue, contact the Library’s Celia M. Hastings Local History Room.

Photograph Sources: Celia M. Hastings Local History Room, and Picturesque Patchogue ("The Argus", 1898)

Patchogue Village Hall 125th Anniversary Photo

May 29, 2018 By Philip Luppy

The Village of Patchogue will be celebrating its 125th anniversary this year with a number of exciting events. The first is a commemorative community photo to be taken at the historic “Four Corners.” All residents of the Village of Patchogue are invited to take part in this exciting event on Sunday June 10th from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.

Similar historic photos were taken at the Four Corners in 1943 and 1993 to mark the 50th and 100th year incorporation milestones. The original 1943 photograph was taken by the Southern Brookhaven Town [Read more…]

Play Ball!

March 27, 2018 By Gary Lutz

Baseball

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is upon us, with all of the requisite nostalgia, excitement about the blank slate and the promise of a new season, and hopefulness for, and dreams of, a championship year.

From 1937 until the late 1940s, Patchogue was graced with its own local independent baseball team, the Cubs.

1937 saw the organization of the squad, but the second World War forced them into a lengthy hiatus, after which they regrouped under Manager Paul Andrisani. The April 4, 1946 issue of the Patchogue Advance lists the names of the squad’s intrepid nine at that time, along with a request that any other team wishing to play against the team contact Mr. Andrisani. Fundraising was also apparently on their minds, and several ideas were mooted, including, as is commonplace today, showcasing, on the team’s scorecards, advertisements for local merchants.

Although it’s well known that many famous Major League Baseball players served their country in the second World War (among them Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio), this team was, possibly uniquely, composed entirely of veterans of the second World War.

Later in April, 1946, Newsday reported that the team was actively seeking a berth in the South Shore Baseball League, although Patchogue was, also according to Newsday, already represented in the League by an un-named club. But, just a few more days later, Newsday reported that the Cubs were apparently successful in their bid for the berth. The team’s home field, Wiedner’s Park, was located on Medford Avenue (Route 112) in Patchogue.

Soon after, in early May, Newsday listed George Dioguardo of Patchogue as the manager of the squad, and an open appeal to any other team on Long Island interested in playing against them was published. Under what circumstances the team’s story eventually ended is unknown, although newspaper coverage of the team’s activities can be found as late as the summer of 1947.

Also of note is the Medford Athletic Club’s baseball team, seen here in this photograph, taken on May 5, 1929. Can you help us identify its members, coaches, and umpire? If so, contact us.

New Celia M. Hastings Local History Room Website

February 27, 2018 By Gary Lutz

The Library has published a brand-new website for the Celia M. Hastings Local History Room, https://history.pmlib.org, showing the Room, its collections, its services, its policies, and its history, and with a scope including the history of Patchogue, Medford, Brookhaven Town, Suffolk County, Long Island, and New York State.

Curious about what happened here in the past? In East Patchogue, Medford, North Patchogue, Patchogue, the Pat-Med Area, in Brookhaven Town, in Suffolk County, on Long Island (as a region), or in New York State? This website is a great place to start, browse, read, explore, answer questions, do a little research…

It includes:

New York State History, including information on census, naturalization, vital & related records; colleges & universities of New York State; county histories; cities of New York State (New York City and its boroughs); Governors (Colonial & State); and U.S. leaders from New York State (Presidents, First Ladies, Vice Presidents, and Supreme Court Justices).
Long Island History, including Indian prehistory & history, county histories, town histories & records, and village histories.
Patchogue-Medford Area History, including histories of local Associations; biographies; business & industrial history; educational history; Fire Department history; historic buildings & structures; literary history; maritime history; Police (Constabulary) history; and religious history.
Library History, including period histories, chronologies, directories, images, haunts (Library locations), and a walking tour of Library history.
General Research Tools, including Digital PML, the subject headings in the Room's Vertical File, links to where to find historic newspapers, and our index to the Long Island Forum.
Specialized Research Tools, including lists of Long Island Genealogy Reference works; our birth, marriage and death index to the Long Island Advance; information on researching the history of your house; subject guides to Long Island history; historical commemorations & celebrations; and information on Long Island Espionage & Long Island in the Revolution.
Other Useful Contacts, including where to explore more about Patchogue-Medford Area history, Brookhaven Town history, Suffolk County history, New York State history, and Long Island history.

For more detailed information about what's on the site, visit this overview of the site.

Any questions or comments? Contact us.

Women’s History Month: Patchogue’s “Four Sisters”

Patchogue Village Hall 125th Anniversary Photo

Play Ball!

New Celia M. Hastings Local History Room Website

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