Halesite
– The Town of Huntington and the 1653 Foundation have started a
crowdfunding campaign with a $10,000 match from an anonymous donor to
help cover the costs
of an expanded archaeological study at the Peter Crippen House, a site
significant to Huntington’s African American history.
Based
on findings from the Phase I archaeological study at the Peter Crippen
House, Dr. Allison McGovern recommended an expanded dig, or Phase II
study, to uncover
historical artifacts from the site, which would cost approximately
$30,000. The Town currently has a donation of $5,000 from Empire Auto
Group to cover part of the cost of the expanded study but must find an
additional $25,000 in funding to move forward with
the project.
The
Town has teamed up with the 1653 Foundation to start a crowdfunding
campaign to help cover the costs of the expanded Peter Crippen House
archaeological study.
Donations may be made at https://1653foundation.org/crippen-house/
An anonymous donor has offered a dollar-for-dollar match for the first $10,000 in contributions made through October 31, 2021.
Dr.
McGovern is an archaeologist with VHB Engineering, the firm hired by
the Town to oversee the Peter Crippen House archaeological study. The
Manes Peace Prize
Foundation donated $8,500 to the Town to conduct an archaeological study
at the site, which covered the cost of the Phase 1 archaeological dig
conducted in January 2021 by 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.
The
Town is seeking to retain the archaeologist who started the project to
complete it; her previous field work will inform the process going
forward and if the
Town were to hire a different archaeological firm to conduct the
expanded study, they may feel compelled to replicate the work that has
already been completed, adding to the project costs.
“There
are very few Long Island-based archaeologists, especially none with the
depth of experience Dr. McGovern has working with sites related to the
history of
people of color on Long Island,” said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. “She
is unique in that regard.”
Greg
Wagner, co-founder of the 1653 Foundation stated, "The Mission of the
1653 Foundation is dedicated to restoring, maintaining and enhancing
Huntington's park
lands and open space. Partnering with a local anonymous donor, the
Foundation is facilitating a funding match of up to $10,000 toward the
preservation of the history of the Peter Crippen House and other early
African American settlers. This initiative highlights
the home's historical significance and will continue to celebrate the
Town's deep historical roots."
Donations may be made at https://1653foundation.org/crippen-house/
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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