Local History Archives - Patchogue-Medford Library

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.

Downtown Patchogue Walking Tour

December 12, 2017 By clocke

A Patchogue Downtown Walking Tour is available at the Reference Desk and via free cellphone app with audio, text and images at http://history.pmlib.org/patchoguewalkingtour or above on the Local History drop-down menu.

Patchogue is over 250 years old, named for the Pochaug Indians and divided and sold in a 1758 lottery. Over the next 130 years, mills built on creeks along today’s Montauk Highway were centers of commercial activity. By 1900, large mills employ many inhabitants and others work in the shipbuilding and seafood industries. The railroad’s arrival in 1869 revolutionizes travel to and from Patchogue. Hotels and boarding houses accommodate vacationers escaping city summer heat from 1880 to 1930. The resort industry spawns theaters with vaudeville acts, concerts, plays and lectures.

From the 1920’s to the 1960’s, Patchogue’s downtown area becomes a popular regional shopping center. In the 1960’s, shopping malls pull shoppers away leading to a few decades of decline. Patchogue’s current resurgence is due to determined Village officials, businesses and organizations. The renovated Patchogue Theater, new restaurants, music venues, shops and condominiums change Patchogue’s landscape once again.

The Patchogue Downtown Walking Tour describes architecture and history on South Ocean Avenue and East and West Main Street. The text and audio versions have numerous photographs and historic images, covering one era when hotels and a tavern occupied Main Street and another when vacationers took over, enjoying Patchogue’s streets and summer fun. Patchogue’s crowded days as a regional shopping center are reconstructed in stories about particular buildings. Patchogue’s industrial past is also covered in the walking tour.

Today, Patchogue’s vibrancy is reflected in new architecture and modern building facades. The beauty of older buildings decorated with masonry reliefs, Tiffany windows, Greek columns and marble facades is also on display.

The term ‘a sense of place’ describes a collection of visual, cultural and social qualities that provide meaning to a location. The historic fabric of older buildings adds much to a ‘sense of place’ in the built environment. This is what makes Patchogue ‘Patchogue’ and different from other towns or villages.

On the tour are two magnificent churches built four years apart: one Gothic and the other Romanesque. Two banks along the route are covered in white marble. A particular favorite of the tour’s author is the Furman Building, built 82 years ago during the Great Depression.

Once again, the tour is available at http://history.pmlib.org/patchoguewalkingtour.