NASSAU

Jericho, S.S. Underhill- Mitchell Farmstead

S.S. Underhill/Mitchell farmstead, Jericho JOSEPH ADAMS PHOTOGRAPH

Seen here is an overall view from the road showing the S.S. Underhill barns and farmhouse at 555 Jericho Turnpike in the hamlet of Jericho. This nostalgic scene – so reminiscent of a mid-19th century Currier and Ives print – is endangered by a proposal to sell the property to a developer. Although the developer plans to save the house and perhaps the barn, it is the whole setting that is important. A recent historic structures report on the barn by Zachary Studenroth has found it to be a significant building of great interest.

As J. Lance Mallamo, the Chairperson of theManagement Plan Committee of the North Shore Heritage Area, recently wrote, “The complex and associated outbuildings are a rare example of Long Island’s rural heritage. The fact that the integrity ofthis homestead has been preserved on one of Nassau County’s major commercial thoroughfares makes the property even more remarkable.”The neighboring civic associations are hoping that there will be some way this roadside open-space can be saved, perhaps through the Barn Preservation program of the Preservation League of New York State or the New York State Barn Coalition.

Roslyn Air National Guard (ANG)

On land that was once part of the historic Clarence Mackay estate, for fifty-seven years, from 1943 to 2000, the Roslyn Air National Guard Station has been one of the bases for the protection of the northeast section of the United States as a fighter control center for air defense. It was probably the largest and finest non-flying station in the ANG. In the main building there is a situation room with a 20-foot ceiling looking like something out of a WW II movie. To protect it in case of attack it has steel plated blast doors and a filtration room full of charcoal canisters in the basement in case of a gas attack! The base also has its own generator and a water tower with reinforced concrete cover. It is an interesting Cold War relic now scheduled to be closed.