Community Corner

Local Resident Authors Work on Historical Home

Kings Park resident, Gail Hessel, recently wrote a booklet on the Obadiah Smith House.

 

Ever curious about the shingled home with the blue and gold lettered sign that she passed weekly, Kings Park resident, Gail Hessel decided she wanted to know more about the home, known as the Obadiah Smith House, and then decided to share what she learned in a booklet she penned.

“The truth is,” writes Hessel in the introduction to the 35 page booklet, “that I pass that house so often that I am hardly aware it is there, it is simply part of the road. And yet I learned that this house is the beginning and the foundation, if you will, of the hamlet of Kings Park.”

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The home, according to Hessel is a historic treasure, not just because it is old, but because it was the first home built on the west bank of the Nissequogue River. The home is owned by the Smithtown Historical Society and is on the National Register of Historic places. It was occupied for 232 years by members of the Smith family and is occupied today, rented by a member of the historical society, who is a caretaker to the home, which helps to ensure the home isn’t vandalized.

Hessel said she had an opportunity to visit the house on a tour and saw that it needed work.

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“I realized the importance of its history, so I wanted to do something about it,’ she said.

She started thinking about writing a booklet, “then I could get other people interested in the house and then they might support it,” said Hessel.

The booklet took six months for her to write. She then had Smithtown Town Historian, Brad Harris look it over, “to make sure all of the facts were correct,” said Hessel. Harris wrote the book’s foreword.

Hessel, a mother of two, a son who is a history teacher and a daughter who is an architect, as well as a grandmother of four, said she would like to see the students of Kings Park visit the home and learn about it’s local history and significance.

"Kings Parkers often think their history is only about the hospital," said Hessel.

According to the booklet, visits by the public and school groups have been halted, due to the necessary repairs needed for the building.

“We don’t have to go far to see a historical building, we only have to go down the block. It is my hope to get the driveway fixed so that the buses can come there. Then we would have the school children come.”

Kiernan Lannon, executive director for the historical society said restoration has started and they are currently working to get it into shape to bring people through. "We are just starting to get into the nitty-gritty of getting the house into shape," he said.

Work has already been done on the porch, cellar doors have been replaced and an access bridge in the back was taken down.

"The interior main staircase is in bad shape. We need to look at load issues on the floor before we start bringing people through," said Lannon who wasn't able to give a firm estimate on when the house will be ready for the public but said depending on money and the condition of the buildings, they hope to have in open in the next couple of years.

Lannon said he is grateful for Hessel's involvement.

"We are very fortunate to have someone as spirited, determined and enthusiastic as Gail to write the book. We are extremely fortunate to have her involved."

The Obadiah Smith House, by Gail Hessel, can be purchased through the Smithtown Historical Society. Donating to the society can also be done at their location or by mail.

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