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From the trades to courts and church, Central Islip launches historic tour

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By Miya Jones

Central Islip is home to a new historic tour.

Last month, a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the beginning of the Central Islip History Trail and Historic Heines Homestead Tour at the nonprofit Central Islip Civic Council on Wheeler Road.

“This trail will give us a sense of our history,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. “We have a tremendous trail system throughout Suffolk County. We are adding to that trail system today in a historic community that’s on the move.”

The process of putting this tour and trail together was 20 years in the making, according to Nancy Manfredonia, who serves as the special projects coordinator for the Central Islip Civic Council.

She also served as the executive director for 35 years.

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“I thought about it and said, ‘Why don’t we have a walking trail where people could walk into the downtown and see a lot of interesting things, including history,’” said Manfredonia. “It will introduce even residents to the history that they don’t know about.”

Residents and visitors alike will be able to walk the 28-stop tour and trail and access information about each landmark by scanning QR codes placed at each historic stop. Once the QR code is scanned, tour-goers will have access to a written and verbal description of each landmark. The tour will eventually be translated into Spanish as well. 

Key stops on the trail

One major stop on the tour is the Heines home and homestead. The modest little home was purchased in 1996 by the nonprofit and restored. The home was built in 1888 by Charles Heines, a carpenter who emigrated from Germany.

There’s also an old blacksmith’s shop that’s still on the property.

The other seven stops on the Heines Homestead trail include a replica of Central Islip’s first one-room schoolhouse built in 1861 — and the old hospital gate from the Central Islip State Hospital from the late 1880s.

The other 20 stops continue on the Heines property and south through downtown Central Islip to the old state hospital grounds and stretches down to the federal courthouse with stops like Ducks Stadium along the way.

One of the oldest landmarks on the tour dates back to 1870, and that is the Old Methodist Church. The land was donated by George Hubbs, Central Islip’s first non-indigenous settler. The church also has a cemetery, which is the final resting place for many of Central Islip’s earliest settlers. 

Kenneth Quarles, of Sayville, who is the president of the Central Islip Historic Preservation Society, worked with the Central Islip Civic Council to create this tour. He is also working to restore the church and hopefully turn that stop into a museum.

“We were afraid that the steeple would end up in the middle of Wheeler Road,” said Quarles. “We’re using volunteers and we’ve been working on that church for about 20 years. We want to tell the story of Central Islip, the hospital and of immigration, which has become a difficult word for society right now, but we’re a country of immigrants.”

A more modern stop on the tour is the federal courthouse, which opened in 2000.

It is the second largest federal courthouse in the country.

Funding and Community Support

Town, county and local leaders and volunteers gathered last month to mark the start of the new Central Islip historic tour. (Credit: Miya Jones)

A $2 million grant that was given to revitalize downtown Central Islip helped to partially fund the tour with around $19,900 of that money going directly towards the project. Other donations assisted the rest of the way.

“Our private donors, mostly developers that are now new in the community, helped us out so that was great,” said Nany Vargas-Johnson, board president of the Central Islip Civic Council.

Joan Minniti, of Central Islip, who serves as the Central Islip Civic Council executive director, said during the press conference that this will encourage people to learn more about where they live while fitting in some exercise by walking the trails.

“This trail represents an investment in our community’s future,” said Minniti. “It will showcase historic sites that tell the story of Central Islip and what a wonderful story it is. It’s been designed with everyone in mind whether you’re a history enthusiast, a family looking for an afternoon adventure or someone seeking an active lifestyle.”


The author, Miya Jones is contributor for Greater Long Island, as well as the founder, editor-in-chief and executive producer of Shades of Long Island. All photos by Miya Jones.

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