Marking Freeport's history on the roadside

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Freeport unveiled three new historical roadside markers last Saturday. Two more will be presented later this month.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Freeport Landmarks Preservation Commission, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, in Syracuse, which provides historic markers at no cost.

Regina Feeney, who serves as both village historian and a librarian at the Freeport Memorial Library, played a pivotal role in securing the markers by applying for the foundation’s grants.

“The applications for these markers are not available every year, so they will be closed out for a number of years,” Feeney said. “We applied for these markers in April 2023, and the entire process from start to finish took about a year and a half.”

The three sites designated last Saturday were the Freeport Police Department, at 40 N Ocean Ave; Christ Lutheran Church, at 61 N Grove Ave; and Freeport Memorial Library, at 144 W Merrick Rd. The library is already the site of a marker; the one being added to the property focuses on the history of Merrick Road.

In order to erect the markers, the Landmarks Preservation Commission had to have the property owners’ permission, and all three granted it.

Each site was selected because of its historical significance, its importance to the community and its age — at least 100 years old.

“The hardest part about the markers is that everything you say in a marker has to be backed up with a primary document,” Feeney explained. “If you want to say that something happened in 1909, then you need documentation from 1909 saying it happened. This is where the process gets more difficult — tracking down those primary documents.”

The Police Department traces its roots back to the appointment of the first village officer — named John Dunbar — in 1893. It officially became a “department” in 1921.

Christ Lutheran Church was established in 1909. Its current building was designed by E.G.W. Dietrich, a noted architect who was also a congregant.

The third marker recognizes Merrick Road, originally a plank toll road — made of wooden planks — that was built around 1852 as part of the Merrick & Jamaica Plank Road. Feeney noted that the road was “vital to the development of the area.”

The markers that will be unveiled later this month will recognize the Excelsior Hook and Ladder Company, Freeport’s first company of firefighters, and the Freeport River, which played a crucial role in the local oyster industry in the 1880s.

The marker ceremonies, Feeney said, aren’t conventional unveilings. “They’re not big productions,” she said. “We take down the covering, the politicians say hello, and there may be a photo op.”

The unveilings may be modest affairs, but that doesn’t make the historical markers any less significant. With these new additions, Freeport continues to honor its heritage and preserve the stories that define the community. The plaques help residents and visitors understand the village’s historical significance.

“Freeport has a wealth of history, and the markers make it a little easier for residents and visitors to access that history,” Mayor Robert Kennedy said. “There are nearly 40 around the village. They’re a great excuse to take a fall walk. Drop by the library and get a list of markers, and take a walk, or drive, and learn about Freeport.”