Historic and Natural Districts Inventory Form

Unless indicated below, this is a transcript of the original Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities/Town of Brookhaven survey form. Corrections to obvious typographical and spelling errors have been made. Corrections to factual errors, updates or comments on the information are either enclosed in [square brackets], or will be clearly indicated as updated material. Since most of the surveys were conducted in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, much of the information reflects that time period. Included in this category are sites for which some documentation may exist but are no longer extant often with little or no modern evidence at the site.

Sites which have a suffix of “S” are supplemental sites not included in the original surveys.

ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY FORM

Holy Trinity Holiday House

Archeological Site Inventory Form

Fire Place Manse or Parsonage Lands

 If checked, this is a Supplemental Form, not in the original surveys.
Inventory Code:   Br09F.1-S 
Prepared Date:   2003-08-10 
Last Modified:   1970-01-01 
Submitter
Submitter Name:   John Deitz
Submitter Address:   7 Locust Rd.

Brookhaven, NY 11719  
Organization:  
Identification
1-Site Name:   Holy Trinity Holiday House 
2a-County:   Suffolk    2b-Town:   Brookhaven    2c-Village:   Hamlet of Brookhaven
Address:    
Ownership
   4a-Public Site    4b-Private Site
4-Present Owner:    5a-Address:  311 South Country Rd., Brookhaven
Historic and Architectural Importance

An example of one of the many summer hotels/guest houses that could be found along the south shore of Long Island, including Brookhaven Hamlet, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

  
6- Description, Condition, Evidence of Site
 

As was the early custom, a large tracts of land (called a manse, or parsonage lands) were set aside by the Town of Brookhaven for the benefit of the ministers of the Town church, in general as a farm to provide for their sustenance. Such a tract was provided in Fire Place for the Church at the South (the South Haven Presbyterian Church).  This tract included the section north of the northern boundary of the Corwin farm (the present LIRR right-of-way), between Old Town Road/South Country road on the west, the southern boundary of the Great Division of Lots (Montauk Highway), and east to Little Neck Run. (See map).

 6a-Standing Ruins

 6b-Cellar Hole with Walls  

 6c-Surface Traces Visible  6d-Walls Without Cellar Hole
 6e-Under Cultivation  6f-Erosion
 6g-Underwater  6h-No Visible Evidence
 6i-Other  
7- Collection of Material from Site
 7a- Surface Hunting By Whom:    Date:  
 7b-Testing By Whom:  Date:  
 7c-Excavation By Whom:  Date: 
 7d-None
7e-Present Repository of Materials  
8- Prehistoric Cultural Affiliation or Date
   
9-Historical Documentation of Site
Church of the Holy Trinity, Brooklyn Heights, New York City, 1922: A historical sketch commenorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the opening of the church, by Rosco C. E. Brown. P. 32.
"In the fall of 1900, the parish raised a fund to establish a holiday house where working women and girls could be invited for short periods of rest during the summer vacation. The house at Brookhaven was purchased and has been maintained ever since. In the twenty years of its use, it has given opportunity for a two weeks' vacation for women and girls who would otherwise have been unable to visit the country."

From the Brooklyn Eagle, 21 Apr 1902:
"The members of the Holiday House Committee of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Brooklyn, of which the Rev. Dr. S.D. McConnell is rector, have purchased a house here [Brookhaven] containing eighteen rooms for a holiday house for self-supporting women and girls. It is to be in charge of Miss Emily Rodman, deaconess of the Church of the Holy Trinity.
"A fund amounting to $4,487 was raised, of which $3,500 was paid on the house. Many members of Trinity Church were among the contributors, including Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. Arnold, Miss Bacon, Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Dreier, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Howard, Miss Howard, Mrs. Hinman, Mrs. Kalbfleisch, Mrs. Knowton, Mrs. Liebman, Mrs. Morgan, Mrs. Noyes, Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. Swan, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. White, Mrs. Ketchum, Mrs. John Gibb, Mrs. Walter Gibb, Miss Bristol, Mrs. Lyndon Sunn, Mr. Noyes and Mr. Peabody.
For two years Miss Rodman has taken parties to the country for a vacation, but this year the plan has broadened and the result has been the purchase of this comfortable summer vacation home. It is partly furnished and will be arranged to accommodate twelve to eighteen women at a time. The house will be open this summer for six weeks, but it is the intention of the deaconess to keep it open for ten or twelve weeks in future summers."

  
10- Possibility of Site Destruction or Disturbance
Razed about 1961: Patchogue Advance, 20 April 1961. "Dr. and Mrs. Erwin Dingman of Bellport are buying the property to the east of the Philip A. Huberts', who own it. Located on South Country Road, it is a piece of land of one-and-three-fifth acres, on which stands a house still referred to as Holiday House, where years ago children from the city came to vacation. The Dingmans plan to raze the building. Dr. Dingman is supervising principal of Central District 4 [now part of the South Country School District]."  «»
11-Remarks
12- Map Location
    [If an original form, the source map images were not reproducible.]
12a- 7 1/2 Minute Quad. Name: 
12b- 15 Minute Quad. Name:   
12c- U.S.G.S Coordinates:   
12d- D.O.T. Coordinates:  (if known):   
Other Maps:   
View Larger Map
13- Photographs
  Photos and images  
Supplemental Material

From the Archives of The Long Island Advance, August 7, 2003. 100 Years Ago:
The barn of Fred Gordon at Brookhaven was destroyed by fire; Gordon's house caught fire but was saved by the neighbors. The house of Constable Bumstead and the Trinity Church "Holiday House" narrowly escaped burning. The Bellport Hook & Ladder Co. responded but could do nothing but protect nearby buildings. The barn was one of the oldest buildings in what was once called "Fire Place."
The fire was started by Mr. Gordon's little boy who slipped away from the house with some matches and was playing with fire in the barn.

The Holy Trinity Church was the sponsor of the Holiday Trinity Holiday House on South Country road, Brookhaven, NY—a summer retreat residence for children and women.

Florence Drinker appears to have been closely associated with the Holy Trinity Holiday House in Brookhaven, NY, as well as social welfare activities in Brooklyn.

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Prepared By
  J. Deitz