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. Read More
Presbyterian Church
The Yaphank Presbyterian Church had its beginnings according to church and county records in the late 1700s. In 1817 the local Millville (Yaphank) schoolhouse on Sundays hosted a Sunday School mission of the Middle Island Presbyterian Church. After a number of years of worshipping in homes and in the schoolhouse, the present church was built as a chapel in 1851. In October 1871 the Yaphank Presbyterian Church was officially recognized as an individual church by the Long Island Presbytery. more
Haybarn
In 1871, the county hired Charles Hallet, a well-known builder who practiced in the Town of Riverhead, to construct the main almshouse, nearby Children's Home, and the large hay barn. Today, the Almshouse Hay Barn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic Trust of Suffolk County, and is one of the few remaining double bay hay barns in New York that is still used for its original purpose. more
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
Summer House Tours 
Get Benjamin Tallmadge Trail Guide & Map
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
>> Get Full Upcoming Events Calendar <<
>> Docents Needed for Busy Summer Season <<
If you can donate a few hours on 1 or 2 Sunday afternoons, in July & August, you can
welcome visitors to one of our Historic Houses. We have docent documentation for each house, which you can refer
to during the tour.
If you are interested in learning more or want to volunteer,
please call Tom Skapinski @ 631-732-1825
If you are interested in learning more or want to volunteer, please call Tom Skapinski @ 631-732-1825