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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEM-35 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY BUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM UNIQUE SITE NO. AID 60 11S DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION QUAD NEW YORK STATE PARKS AND RECREATION SERIES FM- 'ALBANY, NEW YORK (5 18) 474-0479 NEG. NO. YOUR NAME:Town of Southold/SPLIA DATE: September 1987 YOUR ADDRESS: Town Hall, Main Rd. TELEPHONE: 516 765 1892. Southold , LI , NY 11971 ORGANIZATION (if any):Southold Town Community Development Office IDENTIFICATION I. BUILDING NAMF(S): Clark/Frank Tuthill House 2. COUNTY: Suffolk TOWNICITY: Southold VILLAGE: East Marion 3, STREET LOCATION: Main Rd. , north side, east of Bay Ave . 4. OWNERSHIP: a. public ❑ h private 5. PRESENT OWNER: ADDRESS: 6. USE: Original: residence Present: residence 7. ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC: Exterior visible from public road: Yes 1:9 ' No ❑ Interior accessible: Explain private residence DESCRIPTION 8. BUILDING a. clapboard ❑ b. stone ❑ c. brick ❑ d. board and batten ❑ MATFRIAL: e. cobblestone ❑ F. shingles ❑ g. stucco ❑ other: composition shingle 1). S'TRUC'TURAL a.. wood frame with interlocking joints 11 SYSTEM: b. wood frame with light members ® ? 01' known) c. masonry load bearing walls❑ d. metal (explain) e. other 10. CONDITION: a. excellent X] b. good ❑ c. fair ❑ d. deteriorated ❑ 11. 1NTFGRITY: a. original site ® b, moved ❑ if so,when? c. list major alterations and dates (if known): I?- PHOTO: rte : KK VII-1 , fm SE 13- MAI': NYS loot composite Greenport and Orient quads Pa ' • f r }, E fi i 25 35 p A e '~�s�Bt v .�► a Ai, R tv. •r ��Y ? � Lake - .. >� •a• 'e k1.,CP �.�$ -asp".' 25 a 6 EM-35 EM-35 14. THREATS TO BUILDING: a, none known ER b.zoning ❑ c. roads d. developers ❑ e. deterioration ❑ f. other: 15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY: a. barns b. carriage house ❑ C. garage ❑ d. privy ❑ e. shed 2 f. greenhouse El g. shop ❑ h. gardens C i. landscape features: j. other: 16. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if necessary): a.open land KI b. woodland F&I c. scattered buildings ❑ d.densely built-up ❑ e. commercial ❑ f. industrial ❑ g. residential V h.other: 17. INTF.RRELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING AND SURROUNDINGS: (Indicate if building or structure is in an historic district) The house is located on Main Rd . , (NYS Rte . 25) , historic Kings Hwy. , the east-=west route through East Marion. Low-medium density residential, surrounded by houses of varying historic date . Mix of open and wooded land . 18. OTHER NOTABLE. FEATURES OF BUILDING AND SITE (including interior features if known): Large 2 story, 3 bay, flat roof house with lZ story flat roof wing on east . Front porch on main section, semi- wraparound porch on wing, each with eliptical sawn span- drels and central, drop pendants . 2/2 windows , Main door with transom and sidelights . SIGNIFICANCE Int. DATE OF INITIAL ('ONSTRUC'TION: Mid-19th century ARCHITECT: BUILDER: �c.i. HISI'ORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE: Phis house is not only architecturally significant , but of historic interest as well, because of its association with Hull Conklin. Hull Conklin, famous trainer of the race horse "Rarus" , had also been a stage coach driver in Smithtown. Upon retirement , he and his wife made their home with daugh- ter Sarah and her husband)Frank J . Tuthill)at this East Marion house . 21. SOURCES: E.K. and F.L . Corwin , Greenport Yesterday and Today, 1972 . 22. IHLML Form prepared by Kurt Kahofer, research assistant. EM 35 -. 158 LONG ISLAND—NASSAU AND SUFFOLK till., while on his way to Boston. Among the few other houses on the southerly side of the lane were the homes of Daniel Barris and henry { Webb and the tavern of Captain George Webb on a window pane of which George Whitefield in 1764 scratched with his diamond: "One thing is needful." In the early part of the nineteenth century the eastern part of Sterling was a farm owned by Captain David Webb, son of Captain Orange Webb. At the death of David Webb his "valuable messuage, t farm and outlands" were sold at public auction, March 23, 1820, by his executors. Augustus Griffin, thirty-seven years later to write his f _ Journal, was the auctioneer. The farm had previously been divided into lots and "accurately surveyed for the better convenience of purchasers." The successful bidders were David T. Terry, Silas Webb and Joshua Tuthill. By 1825 Sterling began to assume shipping importance. Two years later .Main Street was laid out and at its foot a wharf was �! built by Nathaniel Corwin who was then fitting out the first whaling + ship to sail from this port. Abimail K. Reeve, a cooper of Cutchogue, thereupon located here to make casks for whale oil. At the same time the first set of marine railways was built. By 1831 two whaling ships and a number of smaller vessels employed in the fishing and coasting trade were being outfitted at Sterling and Alvah S. Mulford opened the first store near the Main Street wharf. In 1831 the Clark house was opened on the west side of lower Main street by Captain John Clark who had commanded the packet Adorn. Over the fireplace of his hostelry was painted this intri- guing line: "Shall I not take Trine ease in mine inn?" Many celebri- ties scanned those lines as guests during almost a century. After the death of Captain Clark the hotel was conducted by Mrs. Clark- and larkand later by their daughter, born in the hotel, Betsy Clark Post. Following her death the hotel was closed in 1928. Part of it is now 4 the village police station. In the early 1800's mail came to town on horseback from Brooklyn, g< once a week. For a time Uncle Sammie Vail of Southold, who saw service in the War of 1$12, was the carrier. Salter Storrs Horton was the postmaster there in 1835 when stages began bringing the imail twice weekly. The driver was-.Joseph Hull Conklin, a native of Ashamomoque. He would­&ump all the mail onto a table at each post office. Local letters were sorted out and the others returned to Conklin's bag, For every letter received the addressee paid a shilling postage. In stagecoach days Sterlirg's post office was in a school house 1' west of the tollgate at the junction of Moore's lane and the Kings Highway (the North Road) which ran westerly from Oysterponds. Colonel Jeremiah Moore was then postmaster at Sterling. When the Post Office Department asked for another name, as there were other Sterlings, Greenhill was first chosen but at a public meeting at the Clark House on June 23, 1331, the name of Greenport was finally adopted. Captain Clark who then became postmaster con- ducted the office in the basement of his hotel. It was one of only twenty-four post offices on Long Island at that time. Poul Bailey. Long Yeland A History of Two Great Counties asgau and Suffolk K © . 1 99 3 i, Clark/Frank Tuthill House Main Rd. , East Marion EM-35 r RARUS, KING OF TROTTERS Rarus, King of Trotters in his day, was born in 1867 on the farm overlooking Long Island Sound on the old Kings Highway. This was later a golf course and in later years used as a labor camp. He lived 25 years and won national renown and his record is Long Island's pride. Richard Conklin, owner of Rarus, was a descendent of .John Conklin, who settled first at Arshamomoque on the east side of Mill Creek. At 17 years he became an apprentice at the carpenter's trade and became a stage carpenter in New York City theatres. In 1848 at the age of 31 he gave up his trade and rented a stall in Fulton Market, New York City, where for 12 years he was a provision dealer. He acquired an interest in the city fish markets around Fulton Street and in 1854 he bought part of the old Conklin farm and ran the farm and his business in the city. At that time there was much local interest in trotting and Greenport's Main Street E.K. and F.Z. Corwin, Greenport Yesterday and Today, 1972. Clark/Frank Tuthill House Main Rd. , East Marion EM-35 THE DIARY OF A COUNTRY NEWSPAPER from the dock to King's Highway, was a favorite speedway. One day at the fish market Mr. Conklin, who had become interested in horse racing, noted a splendid stallion drawing a heavy load of fish. He bought the animal for a nominal sum and brought him to his farm. Feeling sure that because this unknown bay stallion was so similar to the first Abdullah, the Long Island stallion, sire to the champion "H ambletonian," after whom the race at Goshen each year is named, that it was probably a descendent and he gave it the name of Abdullah the Third. The second Abdullah was grandson of the first and sired "Goldsmith Maid" then the pride of American turf. The name Abdullah in trotting history suggested transmigration on a magic carpet from Arabia, the land of fiery steeds. Mr. Conklin now bought Nancy Awful, daughter of the famous Telegraph. To her and the fish market stallion was born the bay given the name Rarus. In 1862 Conklin left _ New York and built on his farm a beautiful house. This, with ` "~ a large barn, was completed in 1868. His brother, Hull, had taken up stage driving in 1835 and his route fay along the north side of the Island from Brooklyn Ferry to Orient Point with one overnight stop at Smithtown where Walt Whitman was then teaching school. Whitman boarded at the same Inn at which Hull put up for the night and the two became friends. Whitman occasionally drove with him on the front seat as far as Greenport to visit a sister, Mrs. Van Nostrand, grandmother of Mrs. Charles Sage. At the same Smithtown Inn Hull became acquainted with the .proprietor's niece, Thankful Udell, who eventually became his wife. Later he sold out the stags business and took a job at his brother's farm. He was a born horseman and Rarus became his pet concern and he followed him throughout the nation on his spectacular racing career. 229 E.K. and F.L. Corwin, Greenport Yesterday and Today, 1972 . Clark/Frank Tuthill House Main Rd. , East Marion EM-35 GREENPORT. YESTERDAY AND TODAY At Hornellsville, N.Y., on Aug. 21, 1874, Rarus won a purse of$600 in a field of eight. Later at Cincinnati, Ohio, he was entered in a great free for all (free for all except Goldmith Maid). Here Rarus won three straight heats and was fast reaching the mark of Goldsmith Maid. At Oakland, Calif., when fear of the Mighty Goldsmith Maid kept all other horses except Rarus out of the contest, he was the victor. He continued to take all comers from coast to coast and finally at Buffalo on Aug. 3, 1878, trotting a mile in 2.13'/4 the fastest time ever made up to that date by any horse. Rarus was finally bought by Robert B_ ommer of the Burr horse farm in Commack for $36,000. Without Rarus Hull —Conklin was no longer happy and with his wife returned to Smithtown, N.Y. In later days they moved back to the North Fork and made their home with their daughter Sarah and her husband Frank J. Tuthill in East Marion. The following item is part of an article published in the Times in May 1888: "Monday morning, May 5, the barn and out buildings on the Sound View Stock Farm belonging to the heirs of the late Richard Conklin were destroyed by fire. The faun has a world wide reputation, as on it the celebrated trotter, Rarus,was raised and trained. It was also the home of Wedgwood, King Wilkes, Saturn and other noted horses_ Eleven valuable horses of these noted animals were destroyed as well as all other farm animals, wagons, harnesses and farming implements. The estimated loss is $30,000." 230 E.K. and F.L. Corwin, Greenport Yesterday and Today, 1972. Clark/Frank Tuthill House W Main Rd. , East Marion EM-35 t > a x t zt y 3 XX r O � tg � ryt F � y M, •�� x' } AM Tel- as`< Residence of Mr. Mrs. Frank f Tuthill Peconic Bay Shopper, 9/7/1984, p. 14,