Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society is a Gem

Tucked away adjacent to an undeveloped lot on the corner of Wiggins Street and Hawkins Avenue, the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society Museum has been doing its part to document and foster interest in the local history of the Sachem community for over 30 years. 

The Museum was once the site of the Lake Ronkonkoma Free Library until 1966, when the Sachem Public Library on Holbrook Road opened its doors. The original library's sign can still be seen on the reverse side of the museum's sign hanging over its doorway.

"I don't think people realize what they have here," said Mary Waka, the museum's curator since 2003. "It's a real gold mine."

The Society was founded in 1976 as part of a bicentennial celebration by area resident Ann Farnum Curtis, a teacher who had worked in the Baldwin district in Nassau County. Aiming to preserve local heritage and "spark a sense of civic pride" according to her book "Three Waves," Ms. Curtis, who died in 1982, conducted extensive research of the Lake Ronkonkoma community which was compiled in the aforementioned book. It was underwritten by the Chamber of Commerce of Lake Ronkonkoma at the time and whose first pressing coincided with the bicentennial celebration. All proceeds from the sale of the book were mandated to be saved to fund the new organization.

"They were looking for projects and that would promote the town, a book of local history," said Patricia Petrovsky, a Society trustee.

At that time the building, which dates to 1917, was being used by the Library as storage. The Library agreed to lease the building and maintain its exterior for one dollar a year provided the Society took proper care of its interior and its requirements, including heating, lighting and restoration.

"The building was not habitable," said Petrovsky. "We spent many, many hours of volunteer labor to make it livable."

The Three Waves

The book's title refers to the successive waves of residents to the area. The first was when Lake Ronkonkoma enjoyed status as a "playground for millionaires" according to the book – mainly during the summer season and arriving mostly by the newly-built railroad, though less-affluent farming families did inhabit the area on a year-round basis.

Among the most notable residents arriving at this time was stage actress Maude Adams, a Utah-born descendant of sixth president John Quincy Adams who was working in New York City - she appeared in the first production of "Peter Pan" in 1905 - and had purchased a swath of nearly 700 acres of farmland near the turn of the 19th century. Originally named "Sandy Garth," Ms. Adams' donated her estate in 1922 to the Sisters of the Cenacle for $1. Today, only 45 acres of the original parcel are still owned by the Sisters, pieces of which were sold off in the intervening years to financially support the convent. Sachem High School North and Samoset Middle School were both later constructed on former Cenacle property.

Ms. Adams also payed for the landscaping of the newly-minted Ronkonkoma station. "She felt that the railroad was a dismal place when she got off there, so she offered to do the lansdcaping," said Petrovsky. "It's very industrial now, you'd never know."

During this time when automobiles were owned mostly by the well-off, the wealthy Vanderbilt family built the exclusive Petit Trianon hotel on the west side of the lake at the end of Motor Parkway, initially a toll road and also built by them. Not long after came the second wave, which can be credited almost entirely to the automobile as a group of middle-class leisure-seekers descended upon the region during the 1920s and 1930s. It was during this era that the number of farms began to decline, and property around the Lake continued its transition from residential to commercial. A number of beach pavilions and clubs were built. Others of note included the first on George Raynor's property in the 1920s, which extended from the lake to Ronkonkoma Avenue and later became Raynor's Beach. According to the book, the area also fell prey to some of the excesses of the Prohibition (1920-1933) era, including speakeasies and brothels that plied their respective trades in secluded areas around the lake.

The third wave followed World War II, coinciding with the baby boom and the growth of suburbia, and gradually the community changed yet again. The summer crowd began to dwindle during the War due to gas rationing, and afterward private owners began to sell their land for public use while places like Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park would eventually siphon off newer generations of beachgoers - Hollywood Beach off Pond Road became a town beach after being purchased for $280,000 by Brookhaven Town in 1962, and Duffield's West Park Beach off Rosevale Avenue just south of Motor Parkway became the Islip Town Beach. Much of the beachfront property surrounding the lake is currently Suffolk County parkland.

Despite the disappearance of a loyal summer crowd, the community did not suffer many setbacks, as a more diverse and permanent economy - MacArthur Airport had been built in the early 1940s, and nearby aviation manufacturer Grumman remained a major employer of local citizens during and after WWII had taken root.

"It was more the other way around," said Petrovsky. "I think time moved everyone away from that era. Local people moved on as well. Jones Beach had opened, and pavilions were not necessary anymore. I don't think we suffered, we'd gotten beyond them."

Many of the once-popular attractions along the lake's shore were destroyed by fires - arson was suspected in some cases but never proven, according to Petrovsky. "I don't think people spoke about it, but I don't think anyone would be surprised," she said. The last pavilion standing was Jack Yerk's on the west side of the lake just north of Richmond Boulevard, which burned down in 1969.

Though it is no longer the tourist draw it once was, the fond memories of those days remain. "All over the country, you'll say 'Lake Ronkonkoma,' and people will say, 'Oh, we came there as kids,' " said Petrovsky.

The Collection

The museum is home to a bevy of artifacts and exhibits, occupying wall space around the perimeter of the larger room and two smaller spaces towards the back of the building. A collection of calendars hearkening back to the lake's summer hot-spot heyday near the door, photos of some of the hotels that once graced its shoreline next to that.

Further down, the display dedicated to Ms. Adams features promotional photographs, posters and the feather-adorned hat she wore from the first production of Peter Pan. The story's author and playwright, Sir James Barrie, wrote it with her in mind for its main character, and it became a pivotal role in her career, which she first appeared in in 1905. Adams was in her early 30s at the time, and several other works by Barrie included "The Little Minister" and "What Every Woman Knows" featured Adams in prominent roles in their staged adaptations.

"People come out of strange places who are really fascinated with Maude Adams," said Petrovsky, bemused.

Also featured is a sizable collection of arrowheads - nearly 2,000 or so, some of which date back several millenia - discovered by Elmer Bassford Hawkins, whose family name goes back to the area's earliest Anglo settlers. His uncle, Charlie Hawkins, was a teacher/principal at the local school and also worked as an assessor for Brookhaven Town. His father, Morris Hawkins, was a local farmer who operated a 26-acre farm for almost 70 years.

"He used to say he liked to go after a driving rain," said Petrovsky, a cousin of the late Mr. Basssford Hawkins.

A baseball exhibit also figures prominently in the museum, devoting space to the area's histroic investment in the sport from the turn of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. "The Hawkins Nine" baseball team, which had six Hawkins brothers on the lineup, played throughout Long Island, travelling to far-flung (for the time) towns such as Hempstead and Bridgehampton. Other teams included the Hollywood Hawks, the Ronkonkoma Pirates and the Ronkonkoma Cardinals – for which a young, pre-Boston Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski once played.

"Someone went out to [Bridgehampton] and hauled him out here when he was a really young kid," said Petrovsky. "They would import, I guess that was allowed," she added, laughing.

The Society's Future

The Society remains passionate about maintaining local history, but sustaining that level of interest into the future does prove a challenge. The need for younger blood is an oft-heard refrain echoed among its members, although Petrovsky said the trend is cyclical.

"It's kind of a strange thing, it goes in spurts," she said. "We've had really wonderful interns in the past. Out of a class, you'll sometimes get four or five that will be interested."

Rachel Davis, 18, of Holbrook, is currently the youngest volunteer at the Museum. Having an interest in history and archaeology since childhood which she hopes to build upon in college, she approached Ms. Waka about lending her time after graduating early from the now-shuttered Academy of St. Joseph in Brentwood. Now helping create PowerPoint presentations for visitors and organize the collections, she said she remains grateful for her decision.

"No one was really out beating the bushes," said Petrovsky of Davis. "She came to us."

"I hadn't heard about it until my last year in high school, but I'm so happy I found it," said Davis, adding that she hopes other people of her generation will take an interest in assisting the Society.

Society memberships range from $20 a year for individuals to $250 for lifetime memberships. Payments should be made payable to the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society and addresses to Anthony Shakesby, 38 Eagle Circle, Bohemia, NY 11716.

The Museum is open to the public from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays or by appointment. For more information, call (631) 467-3152 or visit their Website.