The Factory Worker Houses or the Immigrant Worker Houses

These three small houses, built in the late 1800’s, represent an important part of the American immigrant experience.

Not far from this site, the Setauket Factory operated as the leading producer of Long Island’s domestic rubber goods.  Hundreds of workers helped manufacture such items as boots and rain gear.

Immigrants arriving from Eastern Europe and Russia were offered steady work and inexpensive housing at the factory.  These new Americans came to this area in the hopes of a better life, although the work was difficult and the pay low.

Housing was provided by the factory in the form of the modest structures before you.  Each of these “company houses” has essentially two rooms – one room on the first floor and one on the second floor.

Yet, despite the poor working and living conditions, the immigrants helped build a vibrant community.  By 1881, there were enough Irish-Catholics in Setauket to hold a St. Patrick’s Day Parade and build the first Catholic Church on Main Street.  The Jewish population, recruited from Ellis Island, was large enough to support a synagogue nearby called Agudas Achim or “Association of Brothers.”

Saved from demolition due to the efforts of NYS Assemblyman Steven Englebright, the Three Village Community Trust and dedicated community volunteers, these Immigrant Worker Houses, or Factory Worker Houses, were moved to this site for the purpose of preservation and restoration.

Today, these small, rustic houses are a visual reminder of the hopes, dreams and struggles of so many of our nation’s immigrants.