- Genre:history
- Sub-genre:United States / 19th Century
- Language:English
- Pages:156
- Hardcover ISBN:9781543900385
Book details
Overview
Over twenty years ago, my wife Bernadette and I purchased a home in Port Jefferson. It was thus we began a journey we never bargained for. The old house needed a tremendous amount of work, but it was close to the water and it simply captivated us. We made an offer, it was accepted and we closed the deal shortly after. At the closing the broker handed Bernadette a slip of paper with “Richard Mather” and a telephone number written on it.
Bernadette called the number on the paper slip and spoke to a woman named Millie Michos. Millie was very knowledgeable about the history of Port Jefferson, and told us she believed we bought Richard Mather’s house.After that day, and many hours spent searching through old deeds in the Riverhead records room, we found a deed that proved Richard and Irena Mather had in fact lived in the house at 121 Thompson Street.
Over the next ten years restoring and living in The Richard Mather house, we found many incredible artifacts and had remarkable experiences. The stories we could tell will perhaps be the subject of another book. In any event we’re forever a part of the history of this house. During our time living in Port Jefferson, we developed a passion for the local history, fueled by the abundance of photographs of life in the bygone days.
This inspired me to produced a book of the finest examples from the genre. I searched through hundreds of rare photos I had scanned over the years, and selected what I felt were the best of the best to include in this book.
Some might wonder why I created a picture book celebrating a town I haven't lived in for well over a decade.
The truth is I left Port Jefferson but it never left me.
I hope you enjoy the book!
Robert Morello
Description
PORT JEFFERSON experienced a renaissance from 1996 through 2006. The driving factors were the strong economy, spurring an influx of young professional couples buying up the old houses and restoring them to their former glory. Further augmenting this, a progressive Mayor named Jeanne Garant was elected to office. She proved to be as adept at raising funds for public works as she was at raising community spirits.
In 2000 then Mayor Garant created the annual Dickens Festival, installing Victorian-style gaslights along East Main Street for the inaugural event, adding more each year since. But the Mayor’s greatest accomplishment, and arguably the crown jewel of Port Jefferson village, was the development of the waterfront into a Harborfront Park complex. This complex included a Harborwalk boardwalk, The Children’s Maritime Museum, The Bayles Boat Shop, a skating rink and the Port Jefferson Village Center. This state-of-the-art facility was built using the remnants of a derelict steel shipyard building that had been rusting away on the waterfront for nearly a century.
Other projects that were completed around this time were, the Tex Spinney Clock Museum on the grounds of The Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson Mather Museum, preservation of The Phillips and Nathanial Roe’s house, championed by the former Town Historian, the late Rob Sisler. Rob researched and proved that the original residents of the home played a pivotal role in the revolutionary war. The house was slated for demolition. Rob and Mayor Garant raised funds to have the house moved to the waterfront on East Broadway, where it now serves as the Drowned Meadow Museum.
These events and public works all combined to create a perfect storm resulting in somewhat of a hey-day for the village of Port Jefferson. I’m very happy we were there to witness it and this book serves as a testament to the rich history and unflagging spirit of the residents of this thriving Long Island village.
