The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 3
April 2022
The Trail Mix is the monthly newsletter of The Friends of the Greenway. We established this bulletin to keep the Friends and users of the Greenway current on some of the “goings- on” regarding our Trail and to dispense a mix of bits and bytes of flavorful information. Hopefully, The Trail Mix will help to enlighten, inform, and entertain our readers. The Friends of the Greenway is a committee of our parent organization – The Three Village Community Trust.
Secrets of the Greenway
This is the fifth in a series of ‘Secrets’ we have revealed about the Greenway. In the past, we discussed hidden aspects of the trail, from its vernal pond to notorious sand mining operations. This issue’s Secret is titled –
A COLONIAL LEGACY
The first colonial settlement in Brookhaven Town was along North Country Road, just west of the Greenway’s trailhead in Setauket. It’s there that at you will find the Thompson House (91 North Country Road), build in 1709, a simple, beautiful saltbox structure that was the home for generations of the Thompson family – many of whom played prominent roles in community and town affairs. One of the most well-known members of the Thompson family was Samuel Thompson, born in 1738.
Samuel was very much a citizen-soldier, following a long tradition of individuals willing to switch from their normal, ordinary duties to serve their country in a time of war. Before the Revolutionary War, Samuel was a farmer and doctor. He treated local residents with an assortment of herbs, natural remedies, and whisky. With the onset of the American Revolution, Samuel became a leader in the fight for independence. He became a member of the Long Island Militia and was a part of the Committee of Safety of the Town of Brookhaven. Samuel used his understanding of the local area, and keen observation skills, to accurately survey the different shorelines for use by the Patriot forces trying to pry Long Island from British control. Dr. Thompson likely played a role in Washington’s famous Culper Spy Ring! The code names of its members were found after the war hidden within his Cash Receipt Book.
At the conclusion of the war, the new American government was so appreciative of Doctor Thompson’s contributions that it rewarded him with 1000 acres of land for his exceptional service in the cause of independence.
While few people know it, as you are walk at the western end of the Greenway by the Setauket Trailhead, you are on Samuel Thompson’s farmland. And, if you look carefully at the area east of the midpoint kiosk, you can even make out an old farm road.
Yes, history under your feet!
Earth Day is Here! Join Us for our First Cleanup of the Season
Spring/Summer/Fall 2022
Spring
- EARTH DAY CELEBRATION! Saturday, April 23rd at 9am (Trail Steward’s Breakfast Meet Up at 8am) Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead.
- Saturday, May 14th (To be held in conjunction with the Town of Brookhaven’s 2022 Great Annual Clean Up) at 9am, Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead.
Summer / Fall
- Saturday, June 11th at 9am (Trail Steward’s Breakfast Meet Up at 8pm) Location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead.
- Saturday, July 23rd at 9am, Starting locations: The Port Jefferson Station and Setauket Trailhead.
- Saturday, August 20th at 9am, Starting locations: The Port Jefferson Station and Setauket Trailhead.
- Saturday, September 17th at 9am, Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead
Need more information? Want to become a Trail Steward? Wish to Donate to the Greenway? Want to be on the Friends of the Greenway’s email list?
Email Herb or Charlie:
HJMones@gmail.com
cfmcateer@gmail.com
Time to Ask Again – Are You A Member?
Friends of the Greenway want you to know –
The Three Village Community Trust is our parent organization and is now holding its Annual Membership Drive! Without the Trust, the Friends of the Greenway would not have the needed financial support, the necessary insurance coverage, and the organizational capacity to effectively maintain our stewardship of the trail.
So, if you are a Greenway user, a trail advocate, or simply someone committed to the community, please consider joining the Trust today to “Protect the Places You Love.”
The Three Village Community Trust Annual Membership Drive
The Three Village Community Trust mission is to “Protect the Places You Love.” That includes The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway, Patriots Rock, The Immigrant Factory Worker Houses, the Hawkins Homestead, the Smith/deZafra House, the Bruce House, the Steven D. Mathews Preserve, and the Tyler House.
Through contributions both large and small, the Three Village Community Trust has been able to acquire an impressive number of important properties. These beloved sites are key to our area’s unique identity. Today, they are preserved and protected due to the ongoing generosity of people like You. Help us keep our momentum!
Don’t let your membership lapse! And if you are not a member, help make a difference by becoming one Today! With your membership, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you are a partner in making the Three Villages a better place for tomorrow!
You can’t put a price on that!
Click here for membership information!
Sincerely,
Your Three Village Community Trust Board of Trustees and Advisors
Herb Mones, Peter Legakis, Hope Kinney, Alice D’Amico, Robert Reuter, Dave Tracy, David Prestia, Virginia Brown, Robert O’Rourk, Christine Englebright, Cynthia Barnes, Greg de Bruin, Norma Watson, Judi Wallace, Katherine Downs-Reuter
And Keep in Mind, Every day is Earth Day!
An easy way you can help the Greenway is to carry a small trash bag on your daily or weekly walks. Simply pick up any litter you find and deposit it in the trash receptacles at the trailheads. Every little bit of help you give makes for a Grade A trail experience for countless others.
Yes, We Got the Maps!
As you may know, we just received a batch of updated maps of the Greenway! This is a great little fold-out that not only shows features of the trail, but its history and phased build-out over the past years.
There is also an educational component to the brochure, as well as user rules!
We’ll have the maps available at this month’s Spring Clean Up.
The maps were made possible by a grant from the office of Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn
Wow, it was a great idea!
If you remember, back in the Fall of 2021, we announced we are running advertisements and messages to fund Greenway projects. We wrote:
Want to advertise your business or service, and at the same time help the Greenway?
With the wild popularity of The Trail Mix (or at least we’d like to think so), we have decided to give businesses and individuals an opportunity to advertise in our newsletter. At the end of The Trail Mix, we’ll post advertisements and personal messages for the whooping sum of $25 per issue. All proceeds will go to the care and maintenance of the Greenway – gloves, tools, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other basic necessities for the Trail Stewards and volunteers.
Interested in advertising: Contact hjmones@gmail.com with your content, and the payment method and other details will be emailed back to you!
Well, here are some of our advertisements:
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Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn is our Trail booster! Kara can be found running on the Greenway, picking up litter on the Greenway, and ‘talking up’ the Greenway with her constituents. We thank Kara for her support!
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And, we would like to recognize a special donor to the Greenway:
Emerald Magic Lawn Care’s horticultural consultant, Craig den Hartog has been providing flower bulbs for the Greenway over many years at “no cost.”
We planted 200 bulbs that Craig recently donated. We planted a big bulk of these bulbs at the kiosk on Gnarled Hollow Road, Setauket.
Craig generosity is part of his beautification effort known as Old Town Blooms. Why not support Emerald Magic who supports us!
www.EmeraldMagic.com
631-286-4600
631-804-9205
194-4 Morris Ave
Holtsville, NY 11742
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Want to help the Friends of the Greenway. Here are three ways:
Become a member of the Three Village Community Trust! Join by clicking here!
Click here to donate during our parent organization’s $50,000 Challenge Grant, now in effect!
Please consider the “Care to Share Program” at Investors Bank on Route 25A in Setauket. If you have an existing or newly established account at Investors Bank, simply by designating the Three Village Community Trust as your favorite not-for-profit, we will receive regular donations by Investors Bank to our organization!
Editor-in-Chief: Herb Mones
