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KINGS PARK HERITAGE MUSEUM
RJO Building,
101 Church Street,
Kings Park, NY 11754
(631) 269-3305 - Info@KingsParkMuseum.Com
Guided Tour Hours:
Monday thru Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM
Monday & Friday Night 7:00PM - 9:00PM
The mission of the Kings Park Heritage Museum is to
accumulate and display the Kings Park Town's past
through photographs, videos, music, the written word and
artifacts, and make these resources available for all to
enjoy and study with special emphasis on the students
throughout the school district.
The Kings Park Heritage Museum celebrates with pride,
the diverse history of the town, including the Kings
Park Psychiatric Center. Discover your history, discover
your town and be part of our shared experience.
Click
Here to Join Our Friends List
Researching Family Members of KPPC?
To obtain information on
family members who may have been a resident in the Kings
Park Psychiatric Center, there are several resources you
may find useful.
1) Located on this website
are several census documents dating back to the early
1900's, both employees and patients are listed here as
well as important personal statistics.
Click HERE
to access these records.
2) The Town of Smithtown
keeps a record of all deaths including those of patients
residing in the Kings Park Psychiatric Center.
Click
HERE
to Visit the Town Of Smithtown Website.
3) The Official Records of
the Kings Park Psychiatric Center are stored in the
Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center. All requests for
information must be sent in writing via US Mail:
Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
Atten: Medical Records
Building 82
998 Crooked Hill Road
West Brentwood
New York, New York 11717
1980 Kings
Park High School Reunion!
Friday August 13th, 2010 -
Smithtown Landing Country Club
Click
Here
to Download Flyer!
Click Here
to Download Reunion Booklet!
Click Here
to Download 1980 Yearbook!
Kings
Park Family Spotlight!
The Dwyer Sisters!
4 Dwyer Girls,
Photo circa 1940's- 3 sisters and one cousin.
Seated L to R: Peggy, Helen and Cousin Agnes Dwyer.
Standing in back Mary Dwyer.
Two of the Dwyer
sisters - Mary and Peggy married 2 Flynn brothers -
John and Tom. Big John Flynn was a highly
decorated Marine hero who fought on several Pacific
Islands. When he left the Marines he went to work
for the post office. Eventually ended up working at
Kings Park State Hospital as an attendant. Later on
went to the KPSH Recreation Dept and finally chief
of the Volunteer Dept before retiring to Florida.
Peggy married Tom
Flynn who was on the Suffolk County Police Dept.
Helen Dwyer - Married Mattie O'Reilly. Both worked
at Kings Park State Hospital. Agnes Dwyer
married Bob Liebner.
Mary and John were the
parents of Danny Flynn killed in Vietnam.
Danny Flynn
Kings
Park School District Receives
Distinguished Service Award
The United States
Coast Guard Honored the Kings Park School
District with the Distinguished Service Award in
recognition for Leo Ostebo, Kings Park Heritage Museum
and the entire Kings Park School District's support of
the USCG.
Click
HERE
to view Award
Click Image Below to View
Picture:
Pictures By King Pedlar
Joe
Merola's Deli - End of An Era
The
Building in which Joe Merola's Deli operated for decades
was raised to the foundation last week by Joe Merola
himself. This Deli which was located on St Johnland Road
in San Remo was the heart of local community for
decades. Joe explains he will miss the building but
remarked that it was about time for the property to be
renovated.
Mr. Merola recalls that he watched the community grow
and change over the years while working behind the
counter at the popular deli. “When I first came to San
Remo, 81 years ago, there were no paved roads, they were
all dirt roads. Once a year the town would send a truck
out and spread oil on the road. The mostly barefooted
children would have black feet for weeks.”
Some things from the old days Joe says he will never
miss, “Outhouses, we had no bathrooms or running water.
We made our cottages out of the materials which were
available. My uncles made their homes of the wood they
saved from shipping crates. We had no heat and the roof
always leaked.” Joe paused for a moment, shuffled a few
leaves on the ground with his shoe, looked up and
corrected himself, “We loved it, it was the best times
of our lives.”
"I
remember Charlie Gardner", Joe remarks with a kind
grandparent like grin as he recalls the past Kings Park
School Board President and current President of the
Kings Park Chamber of Commerce, "Charlie worked for the
consumer affairs department as a teenager, he would come
by and check my scales. And boy did he love bologna."
"I also remember the time Saint Anthony called on the
phone. I said thee Saint Anthony? That’s my
wife's patron saint, I never spoke to a Saint before.
The Caller on the other end of the line paused and
corrected herself and said that this was actually the
secretary from Saint Anthony's High School; We are out
of bread."
Joe went on to explain the future of the property, 'My
son Craig is going to build a new home on the property,
he is the little boy in the picture and has grown some
over the years as well. He is a medical doctor now and
just celebrated his 50th birthday."
Joe Merola recently celebrated his 83th Birthday, is
President of the Kings Park Heritage Museum, an active
member of in the Kings Park Sons of Italy and enjoys
spending time with his older sisters, who live in San
Remo, just around the corner from our….“Merola’s Deli.”
Story By Steve Weber
Leo Ostebo - KP Museum
Founder
Honored by The Times of Smithtown
Kings Park Heritage Museum
Founder and Director Leo Ostebo was honored by the
Smithtown Times with the 2009 Good Neighbor Award
recognizing Leo Ostebo's lifetime of commitment to the
Kings Park Community
Click
Here
to Read Article
Ecosystems of Life -
Nature Tour!
Video by Steve Weber -
Hosted by Jan Porinchek
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The
Kings Park Heritage Museum is proud to
announce the release of “Ecosystems of
Life”. Produced by Steve Weber and Hosted by
Artist and Naturalist Jan Porinchek; this
documentary explores the varied and fragile
ecosystems of the Nissequogue River State
Park.
There are
many ecosystems within walking distance
inside of the Nissequogue River State Park;
fresh water wetlands, brackish estuaries,
woodlands and the Beaches of the Long Island
Sound, all are treasured habitats which need
to be protected and enjoyed. This
documentary explores these ecosystems.
“The
environment is not an issue, but a framework
under which all decisions are made” explains
the filmmaker Steve Weber, “Jan Porinchek
provides a informative and entertaining
nature tour of the former Kings Park
Psychiatric Center. “
Click Here to View Online!
(requires very fast connection)
Click
Here to Download!
(saves video to your computer)
Also Playing
on Smithtown Cable and Verizon FIOS
on the Smithtown Government Chanel!
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St Johnland Home Letters
Dean was a child living at
the St Johnland Home in the mid to late 1940's. These
letters are the actual letters he wrote home to his
mother. Heart-Wrenching and Heart-Warming, all at the
same time!
Click HERE to Download Letters!
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New Release - New Release - New Release
New Book by Myra Fontana!
The Irish Immigrants
of Kings Park
"The Families"
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The Kings Park Heritage
Museum is proud to announce
the publication of Myra
Fontana's second book on
Irish Heritage entitled,
"Irish Immigrants and Their
Families, of Kings Park".
This is the second
installment in the Irish
Immigrants of Kings Park
Series.
This book is available via
mail order from the Kings Park Heritage Museum for a
suggested donation of $12, which included shipping.
Also available via mail
order are Leo Polaski's Book "The Farm Collonies", Miles
Borden's Book "History of
Kings Park", Myra Fontana's
Book "Irish
Immigrants of Kings Park", Brad Harris and King
Pedlar's Book "St Johnland,
the Forgotten Utopia, David Flynn's Book "Early
Homes of Kings Park - 1690-1917" and George Tiernan's book "Kings Park a
Pictorial History 1870-1960".
Each book has a suggested
donation of $12 via mail
order or you can order all
seven books for a suggested
donation of $70. Shipping
Included.
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Collect all 7 books for a
Suggested $70 Donation
Shipping Included!
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Irish Families
of Kings Park
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The Farm Colonies
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History of Kings Park
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Irish Immigrants
of Kings Park |
St
Johnland
Forgotten Utopia |
Early
Homes of
Kings Park |
Kings Park
Pictorial History |
Send $12 donation for each book
ordered or
$70 for all 7 books to:
Please be certain to indicate
selected books when ordering.
Kings Park Heritage Museum
101 Church Street
Kings Park, NY 11754
for more information email:
info@kingsparkmuseum.com
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(Updated! to include '66, '67,
'69)
Kings Park High School Yearbooks!
1955 -
1956 -
1957 -
1958 -
1959 -
1960 -
1961
1962 -
1963 -
1964 -
1965 -
1966 -
1967 -
1969
Click On Link Above to Download
Yearbook!
Yearbooks Scanned by King Pedlar
and Compiled by Steve Weber
Historic US Census Reports!
Click on Link Above to Download
Census!
Census Forms Scanned by King Pedlar
and Compiled by Steve Weber
Video Release! - Video Release! -
Video Release!
Kings Park History by Bill Walsh
Click Image Above to View!
State of the Art documentary on
the history of Kings Park which focuses on the St Johnland Home
and the Kings Park State Hospital. Bill Walsh, a professor at
the New York Institute of Technology, uses state of the
art filmmaking techniques, historic materials from the Kings
Park Heritage Museum and interviews with Miles Borden, King
Pedlar and Steve Weber to tell this mesmerizing story of the
unique history of Kings Park.
Click
HERE
to Watch Video
Also Playing on Smithtown Cable
and Verizon FIOS
on the Smithtown Government Chanel!
Historic Smithtown
by Maggie Blanck
Visit
Maggie Blanck's Web Site on Historic Smithtown!
Click HERE to Visit Maggie's Website
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