Ve!Ng, Value, and Valida,On

Veng, Value, and Validaon: An Analysis of plural sites associated with African American historic districts and designaon sites, downstate and upstate

Georgee Grier-Key, Ed.D., Execuve Director, Eastville Community Historical Society of Sag Harbor

Jason Crowley, Preservaon Director, Society for the Preservaon of Long Island Anquies

Jennifer Lemak, Ph.D., Senior Historian and Curator of African American History, New York State Museum The Case of the Pyrrhus Concer Homestead,

Pyrrhus Concer Action Committee Mission Statement • The Pyrrhus Concer Acon Commiee (PCAC) seeks to preserve the historic structure (51 Pond Lane), Mr. Concer’s homestead. We promote the preservaon, enhancement, access, and sustainability of Pyrrhus’s Concer’s House, a rare and diverse historic resource, and to educate the general public on his life, achievement’s and his staon. The commiee is comprised of concern cizens and volunteers.

PCAC Members • Georgee Grier-Key, Ed.D, Tom Edmonds, Brenda Simmons, Sally Spanburg, Lu Ware Pyrrhus Concer: Whaler & Philanthropist

It’s All American History

African American history

Nave AME Zion American Church history Women’s roles and relaonships

Irish and Whaling European families immigrant history

Uphold Codes for All Sag Harbor Code, Chapter 300-13.2 Southampton Village Code, Chapter 65-2 Arcle XIII A. The Board of Architectural Review and (7) Approve or disapprove cerficates of Historic Preservaon shall administer the appropriateness. provisions of this chapter.

L. The Board is charged with the duty of B. The powers of the Board shall include: maintaining the desirable character of (1) Approval or disapproval of applicaons each historic district and of designated for cerficates of appropriateness. historic and cultural landmarks. When (2) Adopon of criteria for the idenficaon reviewing plans relang to property in a of significant historic, architectural and historic district and plans relang to a cultural landmarks and for the delineaon designated historic and cultural for historic districts.(3) Conducng surveys landmark, the Board shall ulize and be of significant historic, architectural and guided by the Secretary of the Interior's cultural landmarks and historic districts. Standards for Rehabilitaon and (4) Designaon of idenfied structures or Guidelines for Rehabilitang Historic resources as landmarks and historic districts. Buildings, as well as the provisions of Arcle XIII of this chapter.

A Pale Comparison

Pyrrhus Concer’s last known homestead. Jupiter Hammon’s last known homestead. The Village of Southampton granted the The Town of Huntington voted to place a Certificate of appropriateness for historic designation on the last home of demolition of noted African-American Jupiter Hammon, the first African- Whaler Pyrrhus Concer’s home. Pyrrhus American writer to be published in the Concer home was demolished in August United States. Oct. 9, 2014. Photo Credit: 2014. Photo Credit: Dana Shaw Barry Sloan At the June Village Board meeting on Thursday night, June 12, Mayor Mark Epley explained that a stipulation of agreement has been signed by both parties involved in a $10 million lawsuit filed by the owners of 51 Pond Lane after the Board of Architectural Review and Historic Preservation denied a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the structure. Under the stipulation, the village is permitted to have an outside preservationist evaluate the interior of the home and has 60 days to remove anything believed to be historically significant. 27 East, 6/18/14 “I think the concern of this board is that it’s too late to go back and preserve the history of this building,” Mr. Brown said. “This should have been done three decades ago. “We’re sensitive to your concerns,” he continued, “[but] I think it’s a bigger issue. The building is compromised completely. I understand the importance of the artifacts, but I’m not sure how that falls under us.” 27 East, 9/19/14 Comparison

The Butler House (11 Eastville Fowler House (97 Springs Fireplace Road) Avenue), was demolished, 2015 in East Hampton Town will be designated as Historic Landmark which will be only official monument to a Montaukett tribe. Newsday, 3/16/15

Tell the STORY! Preserving African American Sites in the Town of Hunngton

1873 Beers Map of Town of Hunngton Joseph Lloyd Manor House, Home to Jupiter Hammon America’s First Published African American Poet

1781 Map of Queens Village or “Lloyd Neck” Joseph Lloyd Manor House, Home to Jupiter Hammon America’s First Published African American Poet

Jupiter Hammon • Born into slavery, October 17, 1711 • Educated alongside Lloyd children • Highly valued by Lloyd family An Evening Thought, published 1760 • A total of four poems and three essays published between 1760-1787 and a fih unpublished poem discovered in 2013 • Died c.1805 in the care of nephew, Benjamin Hammond in Hunngton Town of Hunngton Local Landmark Ordinance & Establishment of African American Designaon Council Booker T. Washington House, Cousins Street, Fort Salonga Booker T. Washington House, Cousins Street, Fort Salonga

• 1911 Booker T. Washington purchases property for use as summer home • 1914 Washington sells property and dies in 1915 • Property purchased by a family from Forest Hills and used as summer home unl 1990s • 2003 Local historian and acvist, Thelma Jackson-Abidally idenfies abandoned and neglected house as Washington’s and peons Town to erect commemorave marker • 2005 Last descendent of the Forest Hills family dies and property put up for sale • 2005 Town designates property local landmark aer property sold to local developer with plans to alter structure with addions • 2007 Developer abandons plans and sells property • 2009 New owner peons Town with hardship case to li the landmark designaon due to coastal erosion so house could be demolished and replaced with a larger house • 2010 SPLIA includes property on inaugural List of Endangered Historic Places John Coltrane House, Candlewood Path, Dix Hills John Coltrane House, Candlewood Path, Dix Hills

• 1964 John and Alice Coltrane purchase property • 1964 Coltrane composes A Love Supreme in second floor guest room, released 1965 • 1967 Coltrane dies of liver cancer • 1967-73 Alice Coltrane connues living in the house and recording her own albums in her basement studio • 1973-2002 House sold numerous mes, eventually Ashley Builders Corporaon purchases property and files for demolion permit to subdivide property • 2003 Dix Hills resident and jazz enthusiast, Steve Fulgoni begins campaign to stop demolion and raise public awareness of significance of Coltrane legacy • 2005 Following two years of negoaons, Town of Hunngton purchases property and transfers it to newly formed Friends of Coltrane Home to be restored and interpreted as educaonal center and museum • 2011 SPLIA includes site on List of Endangered Historic Places to broaden awareness of significance of property and address need for capacity building to raise funds for restoraon • 2011 Naonal Trust for Historic Places includes property on their 11 Most Endangered list furthering public awareness of significance of site Jupiter Hammon House, West Shore Road, Hunngton Jupiter Hammon House, West Shore Road, Hunngton

• 1799 Benjamin and Phoebe Hammond purchase house and land from Stephen Brown (earliest known record of an African American purchasing property in Hunngton) • 1800 Head of household listed in Federal Census is Jupiter Hammon, great uncle of Benjamin Hammond • C.1806 Jupiter Hammon dies and Benjamin loses the income from uncle’s orchard on Lloyd Neck and forced to sell the property • 1920 House altered with massive front dormer in Arts & Cras style • 2014 Designated a local landmark by the Town of Hunngton for its historic and cultural associaons with Jupiter Hammon and African American selement in Hunngton • 2015 Town of Hunngton and African American Historic Designaon Council erect commemorave plaque • This house along with its neighbors overlook former millpond and represent former working class context of this secon of town inhabited primarily by African American arsans and laborers in waterfront industries The Rapp Road Community, Albany, New York

Between 1930 and 1960 twenty-three families moved to Rapp Road. In 2003 the Rapp Road Community received a Naonal and NYS Historic District designaon. Successes, Challenges, Sustainability, and Recommendaons for African American Historic Districts, Sites, and Designaons

• lack of historical documentaon and records • lack of oral history allows folks to tell their own history • appropriate archeology for earlier sites • inclusion of cultural and social history in historic preservaon standards, codes, and laws • access to professional services for groups • unifying codes and enforcement for preservaon Q & A Thank you! • Georgee Grier-Key, PhD, Execuve Director, Eastville Community Historical Society of Sag Harbor [email protected]

• Jason Crowley, Preservaon Director, Society for the Preservaon of Long Island Anquies [email protected]

• Jennifer Lemak, PhD, Senior Historian and Curator of African American History, New York State Museum [email protected]