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2/11/2022 - [Black History Month] Anonymous Donor Extends $10,000 Crowdfunding Match for Expanded Archaeological Study at Huntington Peter Crippen House Halesite – In honor of Black History Month and the important work being done by the Town of Huntington to preserve Huntington’s Black history, with support from the 1653 Foundation, Bethel AME Church and the Huntington NAACP, the anonymous donor who pledged to match up to $10,000 in donations for the Peter Crippen House preservation project has renewed and extended the match pledge through March 31, 2022. In honor of Black History Month and the important work being done by the Town of Huntington's African American Historic Designation Council to preserve a too-often overlooked aspect of our history, an anonymous donor has pledged to extend the dollar-for-dollar match for up to $10,000 in donations received through March 31, 2022 for the Peter Crippen House project, a site significant to Huntington’s African American history. "We Huntingtonians are proud of our rich history, but in the past, we have failed to recognize the role played by people of color in building our community," said the donor. "I'm heartened to see this changing through the efforts of the African American Historic Designation Council and local historical societies with the support of the Town Board." Donations will be used to fund the completion of the archaeology study begun in 2021, and additional funds would assist in relocating the house to a nearby site better suited to its long-term preservation and restoring the house to its nineteenth century appearance. "We have been fortunate that the house has survived this long. We must act now before our luck runs out," said the donor. To date, approximately $1,600 in donations have been made since the October 2021 announcement of the crowdfunding campaign, all of which are being matched dollar-for-dollar from the original pledge, which expired on October 31, 2021. A renewed pledge in 2022 of up to $10,000 has been made by the anonymous donor for donations made by March 31, 2022. Donations may be made at https://1653foundation.org/crippen-house/ “We have a chance to do something special with this historic home and help rectify the past neglect of Huntington's African American history,” said Supervisor Ed Smyth. “Our residents and businesses have the unique opportunity right now to help save a unique piece of Huntington’s Black history before it’s too late.” Barry Lites of the 1653 Foundation stated, “As a new Board Member of the 1653 Foundation, I am thrilled to be a part of discovering Huntington's rich past, especially as it pertains to the Crippen House. The monies we raise go directly to uncovering and revealing what was once thought to be gone, allowing us to preserve it for generations to come.” The current exhibit at the Huntington History and Decorative Arts Museum at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building includes a display on the Peter Crippen House and plans for its future preservation. 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. PETER CRIPPEN HOUSE PRESERVATION TIMELINE In December 2019, the Crippen House and accessory garage were declared to be structurally unsound and in danger of imminent collapse; the site was secured behind a locked perimeter fence. The Town prepared a resolution for the controlled demolition of the structures in May 2020 with the careful dismantling of the house overseen by the Town’s Engineering Department to ensure any salvageable pieces of the structure would be properly preserved; the contract with the demolition company required 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 passed unanimously at a June 2020 Town Board meeting. In September 2020, the Town Board accepted a $8,500 donation from Dr. Harvey Manes and The Manes Peace Prize Foundation to conduct a Phase I archaeological study to unearth history at the Peter Crippen House. At the same meeting, the Town applied for $4,000 in Preservation League of New York State grant funding for a structural assessment of the house. In January 2021, the Town of Huntington was awarded a $4,000 Technical Assistance Grant by the Preservation League of New York State for an engineering study of the Peter Crippen House to determine to what extent the severely deteriorated building, or its timbers, could be preserved for reconstruction at another site. During the same month, Allison McGovern of VHB Engineering conducted the Phase I archaeological dig at the current site of the Peter Crippen House. Dr. McGovern is a well-respected public archaeologist who works with historical societies and local interest groups to investigate aspects of the past through archaeological investigation. During the archaeological dig, then-Councilman Ed Smyth announced he would propose renaming Creek Road after Peter Crippen. Smyth sponsored the resolution, which passed unanimously during Black History Month at the February 2021 Town Board meeting. The Phase 1 archaeological study recovered a total of 513 artifacts: fragments of 19th through early 20th century ceramics, bottle glass, curved and chimney lamp glass, window glass, corroded nails and unidentified metal, coal, slag, animal bone, and shell; two buttons and two fragments of porcelain children’s toys; and an indigenous-made lithic tool, identified as a quartz biface. Based on findings from the Phase I study, Dr. McGovern recommended an expanded dig, or Phase II study, to uncover historical artifacts from the site, which would cost approximately $30,000. It is the Town’s preference to allow Dr. McGovern to complete the study she started, as her previous field work will inform the process going forward; hiring a different archaeological firm to conduct the expanded study could result in replicating work that has already been completed and add to the project’s costs. The Town of Huntington received a donation of $5,000 from Empire Auto Group for the expanded archaeological study at the Peter Crippen House property. In September 2021, a structural engineering report on the Peter Crippen House was delivered by Steward Preservation Services to the Town. The report concluded that the house can be moved with the proper bracing and supports but the consultant was not able to access the interior of the structure due to safety concerns, so the conclusion comes with caveats. The report estimated the cost of bracing and moving the structure to be between $95,000 and $150,000, plus the costs of disposal for any hazardous materials, moving electrical lines and securing any needed permits. The report estimated a $20,000 cost of pouring a foundation on a new site for the preserved structure. A framing evaluation, which would require access to the interior, is needed to determine the cost of restoring the house. Due to the likelihood that the lower ends of the original seventeenth century posts are compromised, splicing in new timbers and making other repairs were estimated by the report to cost up to $100,000. In October 2021, then-Councilman Ed Smyth led the ceremony renaming Creek Road “Peter Crippen Way,” where the Town announced it had started a crowdfunding campaign with the 1653 Foundation to raise the remaining $25,000 needed for the expanded archaeological study. A $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match from an anonymous donor was announced with an initial expiration date of October 31, 2021. On the same day, an historical marker donated by Town Historian Robert Hughes and his wife Priscilla, was unveiled at the original site of the Peter Crippen House at 61 Creek Road to commemorate its history. ###
Halesite – In honor of Black History Month and the important work being done by the Town of Huntington to preserve Huntington’s Black history, with support from the 1653 Foundation, Bethel AME Church and the Huntington NAACP, the anonymous donor who pledged to match up to $10,000 in donations for the Peter Crippen House preservation project has renewed and extended the match pledge through March 31, 2022.
In honor of Black History Month and the important work being done by the Town of Huntington's African American Historic Designation Council to preserve a too-often overlooked aspect of our history, an anonymous donor has pledged to extend the dollar-for-dollar match for up to $10,000 in donations received through March 31, 2022 for the Peter Crippen House project, a site significant to Huntington’s African American history. "We Huntingtonians are proud of our rich history, but in the past, we have failed to recognize the role played by people of color in building our community," said the donor. "I'm heartened to see this changing through the efforts of the African American Historic Designation Council and local historical societies with the support of the Town Board."
Donations will be used to fund the completion of the archaeology study begun in 2021, and additional funds would assist in relocating the house to a nearby site better suited to its long-term preservation and restoring the house to its nineteenth century appearance.
"We have been fortunate that the house has survived this long. We must act now before our luck runs out," said the donor.
To date, approximately $1,600 in donations have been made since the October 2021 announcement of the crowdfunding campaign, all of which are being matched dollar-for-dollar from the original pledge, which expired on October 31, 2021. A renewed pledge in 2022 of up to $10,000 has been made by the anonymous donor for donations made by March 31, 2022. Donations may be made at https://1653foundation.org/crippen-house/
“We have a chance to do something special with this historic home and help rectify the past neglect of Huntington's African American history,” said Supervisor Ed Smyth. “Our residents and businesses have the unique opportunity right now to help save a unique piece of Huntington’s Black history before it’s too late.”
Barry Lites of the 1653 Foundation stated, “As a new Board Member of the 1653 Foundation, I am thrilled to be a part of discovering Huntington's rich past, especially as it pertains to the Crippen House. The monies we raise go directly to uncovering and revealing what was once thought to be gone, allowing us to preserve it for generations to come.”
The current exhibit at the Huntington History and Decorative Arts Museum at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building includes a display on the Peter Crippen House and plans for its future preservation.
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.
PETER CRIPPEN HOUSE PRESERVATION TIMELINE
In December 2019, the Crippen House and accessory garage were declared to be structurally unsound and in danger of imminent collapse; the site was secured behind a locked perimeter fence. The Town prepared a resolution for the controlled demolition of the structures in May 2020 with the careful dismantling of the house overseen by the Town’s Engineering Department to ensure any salvageable pieces of the structure would be properly preserved; the contract with the demolition company required 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 passed unanimously at a June 2020 Town Board meeting.
In September 2020, the Town Board accepted a $8,500 donation from Dr. Harvey Manes and The Manes Peace Prize Foundation to conduct a Phase I archaeological study to unearth history at the Peter Crippen House. At the same meeting, the Town applied for $4,000 in Preservation League of New York State grant funding for a structural assessment of the house.
In January 2021, the Town of Huntington was awarded a $4,000 Technical Assistance Grant by the Preservation League of New York State for an engineering study of the Peter Crippen House to determine to what extent the severely deteriorated building, or its timbers, could be preserved for reconstruction at another site. During the same month, Allison McGovern of VHB Engineering conducted the Phase I archaeological dig at the current site of the Peter Crippen House. Dr. McGovern is a well-respected public archaeologist who works with historical societies and local interest groups to investigate aspects of the past through archaeological investigation.
During the archaeological dig, then-Councilman Ed Smyth announced he would propose renaming Creek Road after Peter Crippen. Smyth sponsored the resolution, which passed unanimously during Black History Month at the February 2021 Town Board meeting.
The Phase 1 archaeological study recovered a total of 513 artifacts: fragments of 19th through early 20th century ceramics, bottle glass, curved and chimney lamp glass, window glass, corroded nails and unidentified metal, coal, slag, animal bone, and shell; two buttons and two fragments of porcelain children’s toys; and an indigenous-made lithic tool, identified as a quartz biface. Based on findings from the Phase I study, Dr. McGovern recommended an expanded dig, or Phase II study, to uncover historical artifacts from the site, which would cost approximately $30,000. It is the Town’s preference to allow Dr. McGovern to complete the study she started, as her previous field work will inform the process going forward; hiring a different archaeological firm to conduct the expanded study could result in replicating work that has already been completed and add to the project’s costs. The Town of Huntington received a donation of $5,000 from Empire Auto Group for the expanded archaeological study at the Peter Crippen House property.
In September 2021, a structural engineering report on the Peter Crippen House was delivered by Steward Preservation Services to the Town. The report concluded that the house can be moved with the proper bracing and supports but the consultant was not able to access the interior of the structure due to safety concerns, so the conclusion comes with caveats. The report estimated the cost of bracing and moving the structure to be between $95,000 and $150,000, plus the costs of disposal for any hazardous materials, moving electrical lines and securing any needed permits. The report estimated a $20,000 cost of pouring a foundation on a new site for the preserved structure. A framing evaluation, which would require access to the interior, is needed to determine the cost of restoring the house. Due to the likelihood that the lower ends of the original seventeenth century posts are compromised, splicing in new timbers and making other repairs were estimated by the report to cost up to $100,000.
In October 2021, then-Councilman Ed Smyth led the ceremony renaming Creek Road “Peter Crippen Way,” where the Town announced it had started a crowdfunding campaign with the 1653 Foundation to raise the remaining $25,000 needed for the expanded archaeological study. A $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match from an anonymous donor was announced with an initial expiration date of October 31, 2021. On the same day, an historical marker donated by Town Historian Robert Hughes and his wife Priscilla, was unveiled at the original site of the Peter Crippen House at 61 Creek Road to commemorate its history.
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