The Long Island History Project

Feb 10 2025 200 ep. 36 mins 532
The Long Island History Project Podcast artwork

Interviews with historians, scholars, authors and anyone with a story to tell and a passion for this unique region of New York.

  History  Education
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Episode 199: Dr. Angela Fernandez and Pierson v Post

Feb 10 2025 29 mins  
When Jessie Pierson and Lodowick Post argued over a fox in early 19th century Southampton, they probably didn’t think the resulting court case would echo down the ages. Yet here we are 220 years later talking with legal historian Angela Fernandez about the odd, improbable history of Pierson v Post. A professor of law and history at the University of Toronto, Fernandez has delved

Episode 198: Mark Torres: Long Island and the Legacy of Eugenics

Jan 20 2025 38 mins  
The science of genetics took a wrong turn in the early 20th century and it ran through Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Here overlooking a former whaling port, Dr. Charles Benedict Davenport created the Eugenics Record Office and served as director of the Carnegie Institution’s Station for Experimental Evolution. From these posts he promoted and pushed the Eugenics Movement in th

Episode 197: Riverhead Stadium with Fabio Montella

Dec 23 2024 28 mins  
Memorial Day 1949 was an auspicious day in Riverhead as it saw the inaugural game at the brand new Wivchar Stadium on Harrison Ave. The brainchild of Tony Wivchar, a local entrepreneur and owner of an earth-moving company, the venue soon came to be known as Riverhead Stadium. Although it only existed for a few brief years, the stadium was alive with excitement. To help drum up inte

Episode 196: Dutch Language in New York with Kieran O'Keefe

Nov 18 2024 31 mins  
The Dutch held on to their New Netherland colony for some forty years. They lost it to the English twice, at gunpoint in 1664 and by treaty in 1674. But although officially gone, the Dutch were not forgotten. In addition to their cultural legacy, the Dutch language held on stubbornly across the region for a long time. How long? That’s the question Dr. Kieran O’Keefe answers in

Episode 195: Dr. James R. Wright and Walt Whitman's Brain

Oct 20 2024 36 mins  
The science of the brain was changing throughout the 19th century. Medical researchers were peering ever deeper into cerebral mysteries and one question piqued their interest more than any other: who has the biggest brain? On today’s episode we turn for answers to Dr. James R. Wright, medical historian and retired professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University o

Episode 194: The Art of Edward Lange with Lauren Brincat and Peter Fedoryk

Oct 06 2024 35 mins  
Edward Lange was a German artist who started his career on Long Island in the late 19th century. He meticulously captured the landscape and built environment across the island from Flushing to Sag Harbor in water color paintings rich in detail and charm. Preservation Long Island has just published Promoting Long Island: The Art of Edward Lange, 1870-1889 by chief curator and direct

Episode 193: Associated Public Historians of New York State conference

Sep 18 2024 32 mins  
The Association of Public Historians of New York State held their annual conference at Danford’s in Port Jefferson this year, gathering public historians from all corners of the state to discuss resources, projects, and to provide a great opportunity for people to talk history. The Long Island History Project was there to hold a workshop, “How to Be a Podcast Guest.” Today’

Episode 192: Broadway to Jones Beach w Richard Arnold Beattie

Jul 17 2024 43 mins  
Robert Moses had a vision for Jones Beach in the 1920s that included a theater to bring high quality entertainment to the people. That theater on Zachs Bay went through a number of iterations but reached its height from 1954-1977 when it was under the direction of Guy Lombardo. Along with his brothers Carmen and Lebert, the Canadian-born band leader/impresario brought Broadway show

Episode 191: The 1914 Freeport Murder Mystery w Woody Register

Jun 23 2024 36 mins  
An obscure bit of early 20th century technology embroiled Dr. Woody Register in a murder mystery. Register, a professor of history at the University of the South (Sewanee), became intrigued by the detective dictograph and followed its trail to the 1914 murder of Louise Bailey in Freeport. Mrs. Bailey was shot in the Merrick Road office of Dr. Edward Carman. Dr. Carman's wife, Flore

Episode 190: Ralph Bunn, Long Island's Jackie Robinson w Fabio Montella

May 15 2024 35 mins  
Librarian and baseball historian Fabio Montella returns to the podcast to bring us the story of Ralph “Sammy” Bunn. Bunn was a Setauket native who excelled at baseball all his life. A star athlete in high school in the 1930s, he went on to play for decades on a number of teams and leagues in the makeshift world of community baseball in Suffolk County. His short stint pitching f