Historic Yaphank, Where the Past Greets the Present.
"Yaphank is very nearly the geographical center of Long Island and is the outgrowth of one of the divisions of Brookhaven town lands made in 1739. As the little village lies on the east side of Long Islands Connecticut River (corrupted from the Unkechaug Indian dialect of the Algonquin word quonnetukqut meaning a long, tidal river or creek), several waterpowered woolen, grist and sawmills were established there in Colonial times and the village became known as Millville. Sometime about 1844, when the railroad was put through the village, the name was changed to Yaphank, taking the Indian name of a small creek which lies about 3 miles directly south, in Yamphanke Neck, now South Haven." - Osborn Shaw, Brookhaven Town Historian, 1947
Hawkins House
Robert Hewlett Hawkins, was born in Yaphank, in 1817, but it was in New York City that he became a successful businessman. He retired to Yaphank and built this lovely Victorian Country House in 1850. The house was pegged construction with the design probably taken from an architectural plan book of the day. It was an elegant home for the milling village that was Yaphank.
Swezey-Avey House
The Swezey-Avey House officially became the headquarters of the Yaphank Historical Society in August 2014; that date coincided with the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Society. The Swezey-Avey House is one of the oldest structures in Yaphank (the original Swezey Homestead started out in the early 1700s). The House remained in the family from when it was built until 1963,when it was sold to the Town of Brookhaven. The Society negotiated a special contract with the Town: the Society would renovate the house and in return, the Town would lease the building to the Society to serve as its headquarters. The very first meeting of the Yaphank Historical Society was held at the Swezey-Avey House in 1974.
Booth House
Mary Louise Booth, author, editor, translator, women's rights advocate, and abolitionist was an esteemed figure in the worlds of publishing in America and Europe in the 19th century. She wrote the first history of the city of New York, was the founding editor of Harper's Bazar, and translated over 40 books in 7 languages. She was born in 1831 in a small wood shingled house on Main Street, the eldest of 4 children, to William Chatfield Booth and Nancy Monsell, who were both from old Long Island families.
St. Andrews
St. Andrews Episcopal Church was established in 1853 and it reflects a part of our American heritage. It has received the nation's highest historical award, a place in the National Register of Historic Places. more
No General Meetings
for October - December, 2020
Get Directions to Swezey-Avey House, Yaphank
Get Directions to The Hawkins House, Yaphank
Get Carmans River Nature Trail Info & Map
"A Walking Tour of The Historic District"
Get Brochure & Map
The Swezey-Avey House Opening & YHS 40th Anniversary Celebration
>>The Homan-Gerard House Opening<<
>> Get Full Upcoming Events Calendar <<
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Yaphank Historical Society is pleased to announce the receipt of a COVID Relief grant of $1627.34 from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation which helped the Society survive during the COVID 19 pandemic. With annual fundraising activities shut down such as our twice-yearly Victorian teas, seasonal yard sales, and popular Christmas house tours, the Society faced a bleak year depending only on membership dues. Since we also needed to keep our gift shop at the Robert Hawkins House closed, this donation has helped the Society meet general operating costs such as paying utilities and purchasing cleaning supplies to ready our houses to reopen. The Society is grateful to the RDLG Foundation for its continued generosity to Long Island's local historical societies and looks forward to resuming educational programming and exhibits in our four buildings in the Yaphank Historic District in 2021.
Contact: Robert Kessler, president
516-446-4668