Unless indicated below, this is a transcript of the original Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities/Town of Brookhaven survey form. Since most of the surveys were conducted in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, much of the information reflects that time period.

Corrections to obvious typographical and spelling errors have been made. Corrections to factual errors in the original surveys, and updates or comments on the information are either enclosed in [square brackets], or are clearly indicated as updated material from the context of the comments.

Sites with an Inventory Code suffix of “S” are supplemental sites not included in the original surveys.

BUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM

Old 1873 Brookhaven School

 If checked, this is a Supplemental Form, not in the original surveys.

Inventory Code:   Br31.1-S 
Prepared Date:   2003-06-21 
Last Modified:   1970-01-01 
Original Submitter
Submitter Name:   John Deitz
Submitter Address:   7 Locust Rd.

Brookhaven, NY 11719  
Organization:  
Identification
1-Building/Site Name:   Old 1873 Brookhaven School 
2a-County:   Suffolk    2b-Town:   Brookhaven    2c-Village:   Hamlet of Brookhaven
3-Street Location:    
Ownership
 4a-Public    4b-Private
5a-Present Owner:    5b-Address:   40 Thornhedge Rd., Bellport, NY
Use

6a-Original:   School

6b-Present:   Residence

Accessibility
 7a-Visible From Road

 7b-Interior Accessible
7b-Interior Comment:   
Building Materials
 8a-Clapboard

 8b-Stone

 8c-Brick

 8d-Board & Batten

 8e-Cobblestone

 8f-Shingles

 8g-Stucco
8-Other:   
Structural System
 9a-Wood Frame Interlocking Joints    9b-Wood Frame Light Members:   9c-Masonry:
 9d-Metal
9d-Metal Comment:   
 9e-Other
 9e-Other Comment:   
Condition
   10a-Excellent   10b-Good   10c-Fair    10d-Deteriorated
Integrity
  11a-Original Site  11b-Moved If so, when? 1927
11c-Alterations:   Various modifications to its present form as a residence.  «»
Photo & Map
12-Photo Photos and images
13-Map
Threats
[Threats were not evaluated in the original South Shore Estuary Survey.  They are an evaluation by J. Deitz]
  14a-None Known:   14b-Zoning   14c-Roads
  14d-Developers   14e-Deterioration
14f-Other:   
14-Comment:   
Related Outbuildings and Property
 15a-Barn  15b-Carriage House  15c-Garage
 15d-Privy  15e-Shed   15f-Greenhouse
 15g-Shop  15h-Gardens   15i-Landscape Features
15i-Landscape Features:   
15j-Other:   
15-Comment:   
Surroundings of the Building
 16a-Open Land  16b-Woodland  16c-Scattered Bldgs.
 16d-Densely Built-up  16e-Commercial  16f-Industrial
 16g-Residential 16h-Other:   
Interrelationship of Building and Surroundings
17-Interrelationships:    
Other Notable Features of Building and Site
18-Notable Features:      «»
Significance
19-Initial Const Date:   1873 or 1874  
19-Architect:  
19-Builder: A note in the South Side Signal (Babylon), 10 Oct 1874 notes: "James Watkins of this village (Bellport) has the contract for building the new school house at Brookhaven, which is to be 27x34 feet with 20 feet posts."  
Historic and Architectural Importance
20-Importance:   Fire Place had it's first school in 1802. It was on the opposite (west) side of Fire Place Neck Road from the present elementary school. In 1815, a new school was built. And in 1855, the 1815 building was replaced by a third schoolhouse. In 1873, the 1855 school house was replaced by this structure -- the fourth schoolhouse in the Hamlet. The 1855 building became an addition to the Henry Egbert Hawkins (now Watson) house at 310 Beaverdam Road (Br22). The 1873 building lasted as a schoolhouse until 1927, when it was replaced by the present building (see Br31) -- the fifth schoolhouse in the Hamlet. The 1873 building was used for a short while for the Brookhaven Free Library, but was soon floated to Bellport where it became a residence at 40 Thorn Hedge Road.  «»
Sources
21-Sources: Sources: Post card from "Early Photographs of the Hamlet of Brookhaven collected by George Perley Morse." Robert Starke in Post-Morrow Foundation Newsletter, Fall 2003 Schools history from Bigelow (p. 25) and Principe (p. 105). «»
Theme
22-Theme:    
Prepared By: 
  J. Deitz  
Supplemental Material:
  South Side Signal (Babylon), 30 Jan 1875, p. 3:
"Brookhaven has an elegant new Episcopal church. A new union school house two story and other improvements will soon be added. Old Fire Place is warming up."

Robert Starke reports: "… for my first school years I went to the schoolhouse here on Fire Place Neck Road. The old schoolhouse was where the current elementary school is today, but was an old wooden building, two stories, the ground floor had four classes and the upstairs had the other four. Only three people ran the school, two teachers and a custodian."