By Danny McCarthy
Being the actual archives assistant at the Southold Free Library Whitaker Historical Collection who is the one that entered archives items on board the Whitaker Historical Collection PastPerfect Program, I was so honored to spot this entry:
“{February 12, 1998} Suffolk Times article re: A Seafaring Wine (as Osprey's Dominion decants proceeds for the Save the Regina Maris campaign). The accompanying photo with the article got cut off when originally xeroxed. Suffolk Times goes back to 1999 with back issues as of September 2007 so this particular article was not available because it is from 1998. However, Regina Maris Foundation Merlon Wiggin is credited in the caption as “holding check” so we have at least one name. I presume Osprey's Dominion general manager Bill Skolnik is to Mr. Wiggin's left. Also noteworthy: on page two where this article continues, there is news that the East End Seaport and Marine Foundation was granted a five-year educational charter by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.”
“FOUNDATION WINS EDUCATIONAL CHARTER
More good news for the East End Seaport and Marine Foundation: The group’s been granted a five-year educational charter by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
It’s the result of a two-year effort, and ‘we’re pretty excited about it,’ said foundation founder Merlon Wiggin. ‘It means we’re now recognized by the State of New York as an educational institution.’ That qualifies the foundation for grants and ‘gives us a lot of credibility,’ said Mr. Wiggin. ‘This is something by every not-for-profit group and museum.’
Mr. Wiggin credited Mattituck attorney Pat Moore for donating her time to lead the foundation through the labyrinthine application process. After the five-year process period, the charter may be permanent, he said.”
YES FOLKS … MERLON WIGGIN
Mr. Wiggin was so definitely resourceful in endless matters for the North Fork. While he was able to “take care of business,” among some of the activities involved was East End Seaport Museum Foundation {EESMF}.
His actual salutes {EESMF}Mr. Wiggin that can be found within the findagrave.com website – I cut-and-pasted the text relating to Mr. Wiggin and the EESMF from that findagrave.com website entry and increased the {letter size} of the original actual font placed within:
“… A tribute on the East End Lighthouses Web site praises Mr. Wiggin for his ‘determination that helped him create and complete so many worthwhile projects in his lifetime. Merlon never gave up anything easily, even when the going was rough.’
One of those rough patches occurred when there was a split between Mr. Wiggin and other members of the EESMF board that led to a long and bitter feud over the ownership of Bug Light. The New York State Supreme Court finally resolved the dispute in 2005, giving ownership of the lighthouse and responsibility for its routine maintenance to the foundation while East End Lighthouses retained responsibility for major repairs and improvements. East End Lighthouses also gained use of Bug Light six days a year on dates of its choosing that didn't interfere with foundation activities.
Once he left the foundation board in 2000, Mr. Wiggin applied his considerable energies to East End Lighthouses, bringing the same enthusiasm he had brought to the Bug Light restoration to efforts to restore Plum Island Lighthouse.”
TO BE OFFICIAL … BELOW IS SOMETHING THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT THAT FAR FROM A MISSING LINK AS IT CARRIES THAT findgrave.com MERLON WIGGIN ENTRY:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42784176/merlon-e_-wiggin
IT WAS A TRUE AND HONEST PLEASURE TO RMEMBER THAT MERLON WIGGIN WAS A CONTRIBUTOR TO The Peconic Bay Shopper ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS!
ANNUAL LIGHTHOUSE TOURS ARE GIVEN VIA EESMF
There happens to be a Ted Webb who hosts the lighthouse tours sponsored annually by EESMF. Well actually: He actually narrates for those on board taking the tour.
Mr. Webb noticed that Plum Island lighthouse is “deteriorating very seriously.”
The Featured Story for the 10/13/2017 The Suffolk Times was titled: Request to preserve Plum Island lighthouse, Fort Terry and was by Kelly Zegers:
“Members of Southold’s Historic Preservation Commission are requesting the town designate the Plum Island lighthouse and Fort Terry as town landmarks to put pressure on the federal government to better maintain the historical sites.”
Southold’s Historic Preservation Commission chairman Jamie Garretson shared just that information that Mr. Webb noticed about the Plum Island lighthouse at a Tuesday October 2017 “Town Board work session. Commission member Anne Surchin also attended the work session.”
The article clarified: “The town does not own Plum Island, but ‘the way the future is going it looks like it’s going to become part of the Town of Southold,’ Mr. Garretson said.
The town did, however, have jurisdiction to pass a law that established two new zoning districts on the island. One is a research district that includes the existing animal disease center — which is set to move to Kansas — and the surrounding 160 acres. The other is a conservation district that does not allow development on the island’s remaining 600 acres.
Mr. Garretson said the commission is following the same logic the town did in changing the zoning when it comes to making the landmark designations.
Local lighthouses are like ‘jewels’ Mr. Garretson continued. The Plum Island lighthouse needs to be preserved for future generations, Mr. Webb said.
Both the lighthouse and Fort Terry are already on the national and state registers of historic places, commission members said.
Mr. Russell said he spoke to facility managers at Plum Island who had a historic preservation specialist look at the lighthouse and found its estimated restoration cost to be $1.5 million. The structure’s iron and bell tower need to be refurbished, the supervisor said he learned. The funds are included in the annual budget, ‘but it just simply gets removed,’ Mr. Russell said, calling it a ‘federal budget issue.’ He said he brought this to the attention of Congressman Lee Zeldin’s office to secure the funding.
The supervisor said the town will look into the legality of making the landmark designations.”
SUMMER 2018 MARKED EESMF 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
How truly remarkable to actually be presented with a description of the EESMF building found in the Nicole Smith column that appeared in The Suffolk Times dated 08/27/2018 titled ~ Take a video tour of East End Seaport Museum: Historic Places:
“Housed in a 19th century train station building, the museum pays tribute to the working waterfront that helps define the history of Greenport and the entire East End.”
The Suffolk Times dated 04/21/2014 carried this article by Cyndi Kennedy: East End Seaport Museum proposes June chowder contest:
Then EESMF president Ron Breuer had come to realize that the clam chowder contests held by EESMF were successful in-a-way held annually during the Maritime Festivals. But in 2014, “Mr. Breuer said the decision to hold the competition as a separate fundraising event prior to the festival was made in order to take some pressure off chefs and allow for more restaurants to participate. …
Last year, Maritime festival organizers said that the logistics of conducting the long-running chowder contest were difficult for chefs, who had a hard time preparing up to 25 gallons of chowder for the contest and keeping up with busy kitchens during the popular festival.
After many festival goers express their disappointment about the museum’s decision to end the popular competition, members of the Greenport Farmers Market tried to bring back the contest in time for the festival, but were unsuccessful due to time constraints.
The Village Board {was}expected to vote on the museum’s request to close village roads for the chowder contest at its regular meeting on Monday, April 28 {2014).”
IT GOES “WRITEFULLY” TO SAY THAT EESMF IS ABLE TO OFFER “MERRY-TIMES” DURING THE ANNUAL MARITIME FESTIVALS
Greenport Maritime Festivals occur as a three-day event in September from a Friday to Sunday.
September 2018 marked the 29th Annual Maritime Festival. Jeremy Garretson snapped photos from that weekend event that were published in The Suffolk Times dated 09/24/2018 and of course, reps from the EESMF attended “the opening Maritime Festival Parade under sunny skies as the Merry Merfolk made their way along Main and Front Streets.”
WELL FOLKS … EESMF IN GREENPORT HAS A BLACKSMITH SHOP AND IT WAS FORMERLY THAT OF PAUL NOSSOLIK – I’M TELLING YOU ALL NOW HOW EVERYTHING DOES CONNECT WITH ME FOLKS ~ I WROTE ABOUT BLACKSMITHS AND TITLED IT: A Different Kind of Artistic Rendering ~ The Craft of a Blacksmith! PAUL NOSSOLIK GOT SPOTLIGHTED AND HIS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH EESMF ~ I WAS SO PROUD TO HAVE HIM FEATURED AND EESMF. IT’S ONE OF MY linkedin.com POSTS! ~ I’VE DONE IT AGAIN!:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/different-kind-artistic-rendering-dan-mccarthy/
WE PROBABLY ALL KNOW OF LONG ISLAND AQUARIUM located on East Main Street in RIVERHEAD and the COLD SPRING HARBOR WHALING MUSEUM that is in Cold Spring Harbor {NY!}
DID YOU KNOW THAT EESMF INCLUDES “the East End Seaport {which} showcases the 2nd largest sea life exhibit on the east end of Long Island by its onsite 750 gallon saltwater aquarium? This {expertly-curated} collection of flora and fauna is taken directly from the Peconic Bay. Through the study of these living creatures, visitors will be better prepared to understand the fragile {eco-system} of the Peconic Estuary.{?}”
Suffolk Times edition 07/28/2019 included this article
By Mahreen Khan -
East End Seaport Museum welcomes new executive director
BARBARA POLIWODA IS GIVING DIRECTIONS @
EESMF ~ KUDOS & BRAVA BARBARA!
I thought to place a link below carrying a related article:
https://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2019/07/east-end-seaport-museum-welcomes-new-executive-director/
JUST SOME FURTHER-RELATED INFO …
Orient resident JOHN HOLZAPFEL has given and again hosted talks on The Hurricane of 1938 in local museums and societies. He let me know that maybe he was going to use MY Hurricane of 1838-related items at his Saturday September 23 {2018} talk on The Hurricane of 1938 at Peconic Landing. I exchanged my Hurricane of 1938 article, my Lewis P. Wilkinson article {as Mr. Wilkinson operated The Hurricane Press at The Traveler Watchman building to print a number of The Traveler Watchman FOUR-PAGE editions during The Hurricane of 1938!}, PLUS the link carrying the November 2015 Peconic Bay Shopper that carries my article on North Fork Whaling and includes discussion about Brecknock Hall and Peconic Landing {!!!}
ONE UPCOMING SUMMER EESMF EVENT
THAT WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019 FROM 6:30 TO 8:00 p.m. WILL BE
“A Virtual Beach Walk” by John Holzapfel
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS ARE ALSO HELD AT EESMF!
IN CASE YOU MISSED THE LINK OF THE EESMF WEBSITE THAT APPEARED IN THAT 07/28/2019 The Suffolk Times paying tribute to BARBARA POLIWODA – WELL … HERE IT IS:
https://www.eastendseaport.org/aboutthemuseum
CHEERIO FOR NOW!
