Huntington
– Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Councilwoman Joan Cergol and Councilman
Ed Smyth were joined by Dr. Harvey Manes of the Manes Peace Prize
Foundation,
archaeologist Allison McGovern, Ph.D., VHB Engineering, Town officials
and members of the community during the second day of the archeological
dig taking place at the Peter Crippen House, a site significant to the
Town of Huntington’s African American history,
on Friday, January 8.
Supervisor
Chad A. Lupinacci stated, “The long-term plan is to relocate the
restored structure, if it is feasible to do so, to a more suitable site
to serve as
a museum or use any salvageable timbers in some educational capacity
dedicated to Huntington’s African American history.” Supervisor
Lupinacci’s office has been working closely with the Town Historian,
Engineering Department and the Town’s African American
Historic Designation Council to ensure that the Peter Crippen House,
which is in severe disrepair and is set to be demolished, can be
properly preserved, as the site is integral to Huntington’s African
American history. “We are excited to see what is unearthed
as the archaeological study proceeds over the next week and we will
follow up with any discoveries made during the dig.”
Preserving
Huntington's history is a priority to the Lupinacci administration and
the current Town Board. This past summer, the Town submitted an inquiry
to the
State Historic Preservation Office seeking eligibility for listing in
the National Register of Historic Places. In September 2020, Supervisor
Lupinacci and Town Historian Robert Hughes were able to secure an $8,500
donation from the Manes Peace Prize Foundation
to conduct an archaeological study on-site before any demolition occurs
at the Crippen House. The Town also applied for $4,000 in Preservation
League of New York State grant funding for a structural assessment of
the house to determine to what extent the building,
or its timbers, can be preserved for reconstruction at another site, the
location of which has yet to be determined. In November 2020, the State
Historic Preservation Office determined that the house is eligible for
listing on the National Register of Historic
Places, which makes the property eligible for State grant funds. The
Town awaits a decision on the grant funding.
Councilwoman
Joan Cergol stated, “I’m so pleased to be a part of advancing this
archeological exploration at the Peter Crippen House. Based on the
artifacts that
have already turned up after day one, I remain optimistic that more will
follow to better inform and connect us to Huntington’s African American
history and Mr. Crippen’s personal legacy here.”
Councilman
Ed Smyth made a suggestion to rename Creek Road after Peter Crippen to
honor his achievements as one of Huntington’s early African American
landowners
and as a founding member and trustee of what is now the Bethel AME
Church in Huntington, "I think it's an appropriate monument to the
African American community and to Peter Crippen here at this location to
permanently rename this road in his honor."
Dr.
Harvey Manes, of the Manes Peace Prize Foundation, which donated $8,500
to the Town to conduct an archaeological study at the site, noted,
“African-Americans
made an important contribution to the history of Huntington which needs
to be recognized.” Dr. Harvey Manes’ American Peace Prize Foundation
honors American individuals and organizations for their achievements in
promoting peace and good will to make the world
a better place for future generations.
Dr.
Allison McGovern, an archaeologist with VHB Engineering, is overseeing
the dig; Dr. McGovern a well-respected public archaeologist who works
with historical
societies and local interest groups to investigate aspects of the past
through archaeological investigation. At the press conference, Dr.
McGovern relayed some of her early findings, including pieces of
ceramics and glass, including a glass Vaseline jar dating
back to the turn of the last century. The archaeological study began on
Thursday, January 7, continued Friday and is expected to resume
Wednesday, January 13, pending weather conditions, lasting approximately
4-5 days total.
Attendees
at the press conference included President of the Huntington NAACP,
Reverend Larry Jennings, Pastor of the Bethel AME Church in Huntington,
whose members
were involved in the preservation discussions early on; Irene Moore,
Chairperson of the African American Historic Designation Council and
members Melissa Rousseau, Charleen Francis, and Rev. Glorious Artis;
Sarah Kautz of Preservation Long Island, who has been
very helpful to the Town on this preservation project; Town Historian
Robert Hughes; and the Town’s Deputy Director of Engineering Services
Jim Ahrens, P.E.
Peter Crippen House History
The
north wing of the Peter Crippen House is believed to be the Town's
first mill building built in 1658; the mill was taken out of service in
1672, moved from
Mill Lane to Creek Road in 1674 and converted into a residence.
In
1864, the home was purchased by Peter Crippen, an African American who
was born a free person in 1809 on a plantation in Virginia and came to
Huntington in the
1830s, arriving to work at the Crossman brickyards in Lloyd Neck in
1836. Peter Crippen was a prominent member of Huntington's African
American community: In 1843, he was a founding member of the African
Methodist Ebenezer Church in Huntington (currently the
Bethel AME Church). While the property was not prime real estate, as the
building was old even then and on marginal, marshy land, this purchase
reflected an important achievement for Crippen, as African American land
ownership was rare during this period.
After
Crippen’s death in 1875, the house was expanded to the south. The house
stayed in the Crippen family until the Town initiated a purchase of it
in 2017 and
closed on the property in June 2019. In early 2017, the Town Board
removed the structure’s historic designation because of its deteriorated
condition. In May 2017, a public hearing was scheduled for June 2017 to
consider the acquisition of the property for
use as an additional parking area for the Huntington Wastewater
Treatment Plant, which sits next door to the site. In July 2017, the
Town Board approved the $75,000 purchase of the Peter Crippen House
property; the Town closed on the property in June 2019.
In
December 2019, the Crippen House and accessory garage were declared to
be structurally unsound and in danger of imminent collapse by the Town's
Deputy Director
of Engineering, a Professional Engineer; existing perimeter fencing with
locked gates provides protection for public safety purposes. The Town
prepared a resolution for the controlled demolition of the structures in
May 2020; entry into the house is not permitted,
which requires the demolition project to be treated as a controlled
demolition with asbestos in place. It has been the plan of the Town to
have any demolition or dismantling of the house overseen by the Town’s
Engineering Department to ensure any salvageable
pieces of the structure will be properly preserved; the contract with
the demolition company requires a pre-construction meeting to discuss
options to salvage the timber frame of the oldest section of the
structure to the extent possible. The resolution was
not considered by the Town Board until June 2020, when it passed
unanimously.
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