Multiple historic markers, including those highlighting historic streets in Islip Hamlet, were vandalized or removed earlier this year, with replacements still in
the works, according to the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet.
Three historic street markets funded and built by the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet in the late 1990s, two on Historic Union Avenue and one from northern South Bay Avenue, were removed in late winter, and a historic sign on one of Islip’s early schools was cut off, according to the historical society.
The three historic street markers are estimated to cost around $300 apiece to replace, and the snapped-off sign detailing the Little Red School House will cost around $1,700 to replace, according to Historical Society of Islip Hamlet board member Robert H.P. Finnegan.
“We’re funding it internally through our own budget, but I hope people recognize that these signs are important,” Finnegan said. “They’re good for the community, and I actually don’t understand the vandalism associated with it.”
Over the past few decades, the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet has placed 38 historic markers throughout the hamlet, each recognizing important buildings and events that shaped Islip into what it is today.
Most of the roughly 40 historic markers are blue aluminum signs along roadways and in front of buildings, a standard originally set by New York State to honor the country’s 150th birthday in 1926. Since 1966, however, the installation and maintenance of these signs have been managed entirely by local organizations like the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet.
Three markers for historic Islip streets \were removed: one from northern South Bay Avenue and two from Historic Union Avenue. These markers were designed to recognize the hamlet’s architecture ahead of the bicentennial, in 1976.
The Little Red School House historic sign, one of the historical society’s earliest markers, was located on the north side of Main Street near Smith Avenue, and was snapped off its cast aluminum base.
While the historical society is still repairing the recently damaged signs, they’re also looking to add more historic street markers on Grant Avenue and
Union Boulevard, Finnegan said.
The historical society is also hoping to soon place its 39th and 40th markers, honoring the Islip Militia and Capt. Benajah Strong Jr., at Islip Veterans Memorial Park for America’s 250th birthday this year. Funding and support
for the signs came from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, the Suffolk
County Department of Parks and the Islip Fire Department.
“Somebody has said that we’re the most historic hamlet on Long Island, and we got the markers to prove it,” Finnegan said. “I think it’s really good for the community; the people can see what we’re spending our money on. It’s not only researching and purchasing, but installing and maintaining them.”
Finnegan added that the historical society annually repaints and upkeeps its signs, using a cycle so that a selection of the hamlet’s nearly 40 signs are each given attention every few years.
The Historical Society of Islip Hamlet has filed police reports for each of the missing and vandalized signs, and seeks any public information on these markers. For more information, and to read more about the historical society’s markers, visit www.isliphamlethistory.org.
“There’s a level of ownership, and that this is a community [where] we take care of our community, and we appreciate it,” Finnegan said.
