Floyd Jones Cottage

It's crystal clear that the descendants of Thomas Jones, the first white settler of the Massapequas, defined the area's character until the early part of the twentieth century. Among their legacies were several mansions built on either side of Merrick Road from the border with Seaford to the border with Amityville. Mansion building spanned more than a century, from Tryon Hall in 1770 until the early 1900s and included Elbert Floyd-Jones's estate and servants' cottage. The latter building is the setting for today's exploration of Massapequa's history, since it remains with us to this day.

Elbert Floyd-Jones was one of the more influential members of the Jones/Floyd-Jones family. He was born in 1817 and died in 1901. He was a New York State Assemblyman and a candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States. He was also responsible for construction of Old Grace Church in 1844 and of his private estate in 1870. This estate, which did not have a name, was constructed on the south side of Merrick Road, slightly west of Harbor Lane. In addition to the main building, there was a servants' cottage for Elbert's resident employees. The main building burned down sometime in the early twentieth century, apparently as the result of a fireworks celebration that went out of control. The ruins were leveled and the cottage remained in the rear of the property, northwest of the present day Bar Harbour Library. It was owned by various people and rented out to several tenants. Among the more famous residents were the Baldwin family, of acting fame, who lived there briefly while their house was under renovation. Originally little more than a shelter, it was improved when electricity was installed in the 1940s and when indoor plumbing was installed in the 1960s.

The cottage fell into disuse in the 60s and 70s and was in very poor condition when the Massapequa Historical Society approached the owner and indicated they wanted to save the building by moving it across Merrick Road to the site of Old Grace Church and the Floyd-Jones Library. While the Historical Society was raising the funds needed for the move, the Cummings family bought the property. As was the case with the previous owner, they were quite willing to allow the Society the time it needed to raise funds to move the cottage. By 1986 the Society had raised the $7,500 needed for the move. Although the building was small and the distance was short, there were significant steps involved in the move: the need to raise and relocate wires, divert traffic and ensure public safety along Merrick Road, and, more importantly, the need to brace the cottage so it would arrive in one piece. One official familiar with the move confided that his greatest fear was that the cottage would collapse in the middle of Merrick Road.

Despite these concerns, the cottage was moved uneventfully on July 8, 1986 and put down on a parcel of land north of the Floyd-Jones Library that was donated to the Historical Society by the Library's Trustees. The foundation had been dug by Society members and the building was secured by their efforts. Because of its poor condition, Society Officers and Trustees realized it would take significant amounts of money, time and labor to stabilize the cottage and refurnish it. They were helped by the Town of Oyster Bay, which declared it a historic site in 1989, enabling it to raise funds and attract supporters. Over the next twenty years, many volunteers, under the Historical Society's aegis, gutted and rebuilt the interior, reshingled and painted the exterior, installed a new roof, ran a gas line and an electric line, and furnished the cottage with many items of historical interest.

The present configuration has a room on the right (looking in from the door) dedicated to Massapequa's history and filled with many pictures and artifacts, including arrowheads from Native Americans who lived in the area more than 4,000 years ago. The rooms on the left are a sitting room furnished with a small piano and early twentieth century period furniture, and a kitchen, complete with icebox, gas stove, and a sink with a water pump. The hand pump is for decoration only, as the cottage does not have a water source. The aim was to present the cottage as it would have looked toward the end of the Floyd-Jones family's ownership around 1920. There are two rooms upstairs that are used by the Historical Society, and a basement, currently unfinished.

The cottage is now part of the Massapequa Historic Complex and is open to the public on the third Saturday of each month from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. and during the Historical Society's Strawberry Festival, which is held the third Saturday in June, and its Apple Festival, held the third Saturday in October. Special viewings can be arranged by calling the Historical Society at 799-2023.