Port Washington History / Miscellania Collection

Description of Material

1 box, divided into folders, in the following subject areas:

• African Americans, including a letter from resident Jacqueline Bahn, describing possible sources of information regarding slaves in this area, with xeroxes of pertinent wills and documents.
• Aviation, including issues of Popular Science, Air Service Journal, Sportsman Pilot, and Scientific American. Apparently from the Guggenheim Estate (?)
• Board of Trade, including a pamphlet: "Constitution and By-Laws [of the] Port Washington Board of Trade / Adopted October 10, 1910" 4 leaves, unpaged, in paper covers.
• Boy Scouts, including 6 issues of the Bugle Call, a newsletter devoted to local scouting activities, "printed at the Port Washington News Office." October 1938 - June 1939. Donated by Marie Dodge Ross.
• Carnival, including 2 copies of the souvenir program distributed at the Port Washington Carnival, 1911. Events included a baseball game, track competition, a band concert, fireworks, a balloon ascension, an open air production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pinafore," an automobile carnival, and a fireman's parade.
• Covert family documents, xeroxed, including maps, deeds, letters, "memorandums of conveyance," quit-claims, and invoices involving members of the following local families: Covert, Baxter, Onderdonk, Bird, Cornwell, Payne, Mead, Crooker, Whetmore, and Cutbill. Itemization and complete description in folder. 24 items, dated 1837 - 1900. Originals owned by the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District.
• Fire Department, including a centennial booklet printed by the Protection Engine Fire Company, 1992. Donated by Frank Pavlak.
• Huey Long in Sands Point, including a transcript of a story told by Daniel Whedon of an incident involving Louisiana Governor Huey Long, who received a black eye in the men's room of the Sands Point Bath Club on August 26, 1933. He apparently received some assistance during the altercation, and rewarded the other man involved with a medallion, inscribed: "By Public Acclaim for a Deed Well done in Private." With a xerox of the medallion, which was found years later in New Canaan, Connecticut, and xeroxes of the New York Times index, which contain summaries of articles which appeared at the time.
• Methodist Episcopal Church, including a pamphlet describing and advertising the "Bazaar of Nations," sponsored by the First Methodist Episcopal Church, and held at Liberty Hall, Carlton Avenue, Port Washington, from July 7 - 9, 1904. The brochure describes the exhibits ("at the table of France we are not going to serve porridge but we are going to serve for a nominal cost delicious ice cream that will tickle all the way down"), lists names of persons involved in the planning (Benjamin Pearsall was Chairman), and includes advertisements for local businesses ("A.C. Bayles, Druggist / Rubber Goods / Bathing Suits / Summer Underwear for Men") 10 pages, stapled in red paper covers.
• Military and veterans, including four separate folders, as follows:
• Draft of 1863, as reported in the New York Times of Sept. 3, 1863, under the headline "Names drawn yesterday on Long Island." This copy belonged to L. Mitchell of Port Washington, and lists, alphabetically, all men called to service in Queens County, which then included Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. Men drafted from Port Washington included: T. Allen; H. Betts; W.H. Burmeils; N. Chappet; H. Cornell; J. Callahan; J. Duryee (possibly Duryea ?); J. E. Dickerson; W.H. Dodge; G. Fleet; Peter Hultse; W. Hultse; C. Hults; J. Hyde; E.J. Hyde; R. Jarvis; J.H. Johnson; W.H. Jones; D. Jevvis (Jervis ?); J. Pane; Pat Price; James Smith; G. Tibbets; L. Townsend; J.J. Thompson; P. Van Wicklan; M. Wauser; J.C. Weeks. The Times further reports that "The spectators ... seemed to wear, as a general thing, more jovial countenances than those which thronged the different places of drafting in the City ... and when any one of them was declared to be among the fortunate his name was received generally with laughter and applause."
• First World War, including applications from Port Washington residents to participate in the Home Guard, which was divided into Military, Reserve and Honorary Divisions. Included on each application are answers to the following questions: Name; Residence; Business Address; Phone Number; Height; Weight; Age; Married or Single; Military Experience; Experience with Firearms; Firearms Owned; Automobiles Owned. There are 66 applications, arranged alphabetically A-D; they may have come to the Library via Charles Wysong, who was the secretary of the Citizens Committee, and the recipient of the applications. The whereabouts of the remainder of the alphabet is unknown. Applicants were generally married, experienced with firearms, and owned guns. They varied widely in age (18 - 70) and military experience. Names include: Allen, Baxter, Bieler, Bird, Brooks, Brown, Carleton, Carpenter, Cocks, Crooker, Davis, Dinn, and Dodge. With xeroxed clippings about the activities of the local Home Guard. Also included are clippings about local men in the military, and a memorial plaque from the Belleview Avenue Library in honor of Frank Plant McCreery.
• Second World War, including clippings from the Port News about local men and women in the military.
• New Salem, including real estate brochures which describe the four standard houses (including floor plans) to be built in the New Salem development by the Williams-Harter Corporation. Prices are pencilled in on each brochure. Ca. 1940 (?)
• North Hempstead, including a real estate brochure produced as a supplement to the North Hempstead Record, advertising homes in the area. 30 pages, illustrated with photographs. Also included is a pamphlet: "A Record of Commendable Accomplishments in the Town of North Hempstead for the Public Uplift," published in April 1915, which details the Town's attempts to discourage individuals from controlling land useful to the public, such as Leed's Pond in Plandome and Smull's Pond in Port Washington. 8 pages, illustrated with photographs.
• North Shore Choral Club, including programs from 7 of their concerts, 1928-1942. Each program includes a list of participants, accompanists, a program of songs (including lyrics), and a list of patrons. The concerts were all held at St. Stephen's Church.
• Restaurants, including a sketch of "Louie's Floating 'Kare Killer' Restaurant," 1905, rendered as a souvenir placemat, 1981. Also included are mementos of Bradley's: a sewing kit on a piece of cardboard, dated 1961, which reads, "Do you have all your loose ends sewed up? For luncheon, cocktails, dinner and Sunday brunch, we mean!" Also included is a printed sheet, which reads in part: "You are cordially invited to attend the execution of 'Old Man Gloom' to take place at the 'Morgue' of John Bradley ... We'll expect you to attend as 'Chief Mourner [signed] The Entre Nous Circle / Executioners Extraordinary" Undated, possibly ca. 1940 ?
• Theatrical productions, including 3 programs. The first is from the Great Neck Players, for a production of "A Successful Calamity," season of 1929-1930. The second is from the Hunters Town Dock Theater, 1956 season, for an unidentified production. The third is from the Nassau Theater, Main Street, Port Washington, for a series of productions: "The Gentleman from Indianna [sic]"; "Billy's Bungalow"; "The Prince and the Pauper"; "The Strange Case of Mary Page"; "Half Million Bribe"; and "Hazel Kirke." Printed on one orange leaf, with several advertisements, ca. 1930 (?)
• United States Navy Training Device Center, including six items (brochures and clippings) about the establishment and purpose of the Center on the grounds of the Gould / Guggenheim Estate, Sands Point. The Center was in existence from 1946 - 1967; its purpose was "to contribute to the Navy's operational readiness by improving the effectiveness of the naval training program through research, development, production ad logistic support of training equipments as required by training agencies." (Three aerial photos of the grounds are in the Sands Point binders, with Guggenheim Estate)
• Woman's Christian Temperance Union, including a tag formerly attached to white snapdragons, and sold for charitable purposes, as well as a leaflet published by the American Tract Society, New York City, entitled "Address to the Young Men of the United States on Temperance." Presumably these were distributed locally.

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