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BUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM
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DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION UNIQUE SITE NO. Zo 3/a,�$ 3QUAD FI-29A
NEW YORK STATE PARKS AND RECREATION SERIES
ALBANY,NEW YORK (518)474-0479 NEG. NO.
YOUR NAME: Town of Southold/SPL,IA DATE: April 1988
YOUR ADDRESS:Town Hall, Main Rd. TELEPHONE: 516 765 1892
Southold LI IVY 11.971
ORGANIZATION (if any): Southold Town Community Development Office
IDENTIFICATION
1. BUILDING; NAME(S): H.L. Ferguson House "Falcon Hill"
2. COUNTY: Suffolk TOWN/CITY: Southold VILLAGE:Fishers Island
3. STREET LOCATION: South of East End Rd. , on Middle Farms Pond
4. OWNERSHIP: a. public ❑ b. private E3
5. PRESENT OWNER: ADDRESS:
6. USE: Original: residence Present: residence
7. ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC: Exterior visible from public road: Yes ❑ No El
Interior accessible: Explain private residence
DESCRIPTION
8, BUILDING a. clapboard ❑ b. stone ❑ c. brick ❑ d. board and batten Ll
MATERIAL: e. cobblestone ❑ f. shingles ❑ g. stucco ❑ other: aluminum siding
1). STRUCTURAL a. wood frame with interlocking joints ❑
SYSTEM: b. wood frame with light members F0
(if kn(kvn) c. masonry load bearing walls ❑
d. metal (explain)
e, other cement stucco foundation
10. CONDITION: a- excellent rx1 b. good ❑ c. fair ❑ d. deteriorated El
11. INTEGRITY: a. original site k.) b. moved ❑ if so,when?
c. list major alterations and dates (if known):
Modern cladding added.
12. PHOTO: rieg. KK XIV_ 36, fm N. 13. MAP: NYS DOT Mystic quad
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14. THREATS TO BUILDING: a..none known ll b.zoning❑ c. roads ❑
d. developers ❑ e. deterioration ❑
f. other:
15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY:
a. barn El b. carriage house ❑ c. garage L:�/cottage
d. privy ❑ e. shed ❑ f. greenhouse
g. shop ❑ h. gardens ❑
i. landscape features: steeply sloped site
i. other: water
16. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if necessary):
a.open land ❑ b. woodland
c.scattered buildings ❑
d.densely built-up ❑ e. commercial ❑
f. industrial ❑ g residential U
h.other: Middle Farms Pond directly south.
17. INTERRELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING AND SURROUNDINGS:
(Indicate if building or structure is in an historic district)
Located in a low density, private, residential area in the
east part of Fishers Island. Middle Farms Pond adjacent to
the south. Elevated site amidst woodland.
18. OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES OF BUILDING AND SITE (including interior features if known):
Large, gable roof house with unusually wide, sweeping roof that
extends over subsumed porch at first floor level. Flanking, 1z
story, gable roof wings on east and west. 4 fat stucco columns
support overhanging second story. Wide shed roof dormer on main
roof and on each wing.
SIGNIFICANCE
11). DATE OF INITIAL CONSTRUCTION: 1912
ARCHITECT:
BUILDER:
'U. HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE:
This house was built by Henry L. Ferguson, the naturalist,
archeologist, and author for whom the H.L. Ferguson Museum
is named. H.L. Ferguson (1881-1959) was the son of WaltoN
Ferguson, one of the original purchasers of Fishers Island
from the Fox estate (see Form WE-lb). He worked for E.M. and
W. Ferguson Co. , which in 1918. became the Fishers Island Farms,
and after the death of his father in 1922 became its president.
His many interests included ornithology, archeology, and the
island's history. Among his many interesting friends who were
often guests in this house were Lincoln Ellsworth, the explorer;
Captain "Bob" Bartlett, and Louis Agassiz Fuerte.F., bird artist.
1. SOURCES:
The Henry L. Ferguson Museum Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1987.
Fishers Island, A Book of Memories. James and Joanne Wall, 1982, p. 65.
?'. THLIME:
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• �► ,�A," r� FIELD NOTES
The Fishers Island OSPREY population has fluctuated a lot during the
past five years,from a high of eleven birds which fledged to maturity
about three years ago,to only three in 1985. In 1986,from eight active
nests,seven Ospreys were raised successfully. Curator Ed Homing
reports that in May 1987 there are eight reactivated nests(a May 11 count
revealed 19 eggs in the 8 nests!)and hopes are high for a bumper crop of
FISH HAWKS. The following fairly unusual birds were seen in'86 and
'87: PARASITIC JAEGRES,SNOW GEESE,HUDSONIAN CURLER',
., at least six sightings of PEREGRINE FALCONS,a BALD EAGLE,
FORSTER'S TERN(Sept. 11),IVORY GULL(Oct. 10),BAIRDS
f - _ SANDPIPER,ROYAL TERN,YL.HEADED BLACKBIRD(Oct.2),
ROUGH LEGGED HAWK,SNOWY OWL,PINE SISKIN,PILEATED
WOODPECKER,YL.THR.VIREO. The F.I.CHRISTMAS BIRD
COUNT was conducted on January 3, 1987. 42 different species were
identified.
k May'87 possibly three pairs of RED-TAILED HAWKS and two pairs of
BARRED OWLS have found nesting areas.
/r OYSTER CATCHERS,which were once rare visitors to F.L,in'86 and
'87 may have 8 to 10 nests. Could it be Carey Matthiessen's oyster
hatchery that is attracting these bizzare-looking and noisy birds to the
Island?
The September and October'86 migration of hawks was not as spectacu-
Iar as those of'85. The heaviest concentrations of hawks passing over the
Island in the Fall takes place immediately after a Nor'easter storm when it
is followed by a cold front and brisk northwest winds. On days such as
these,one can count many hundreds of hawks of all kinds headed west and
t south. When it is windy,the birds stay close to the ground;when the
velocity drops,the hawks can be seen rising up out of sight on the thermal
John E Pfeiffer, Professional, air currents created over the Island. PIPING PLOVER were onez
at a newly discovered Archaic site, c. 80006.C.-700 B.C. common nesters here. The last sighting was abofffhr�e yensagtr „one
(Photos-Mrs. George Cook) have been known to nest here for the past few years.
LEAST TERNS have had colonies both at Middle Farms and near Money
May 11-15,1987 Pond at the East End. Both'85 and'86 have seen the nesting site wiped
out by extreme high tides. Good luck little terns this year!
The 1987 archeological week with three professionals and eleven volun- On July 10, 1986 the Curator collected a rare PIPE VINE S WALLOW-
teers continued the work which was commenced in 1985 and 1986. Split 'PAIL butterfly.
into three groups,the teams worked at three major sites. One of these was
a new discovery at mid-Island. There evidence was unearthed of a Middle In April '87,30 HARBOR SEALS were counLoxi at Pine Islands anis a
-of Late Woodland occupation(300 B.C.-1600 A.D.)and below that a GREY SEAL was found dead on a beach.
zll of an earlier habitation called the Archaic(8000 B.C.-700 B.C.)-
flat terrace overlooking one of the largest fresh water ponds will quite
probably be the fust and oldest authenticated Indian living arca found on
Fishers Island.
The other two sites which were worked were a shell"midden"at West
Harbor and a Jjvitt arta u the Eas d of the Island. The"mild HENRY L.FERGUSON--- --- �p _ err..,
according to Dr.Funk..was basically a garbage dumping ground tar the (1881 - 1959)
shells of clams,oysters,and scallops. It was used from about 1000 B.C.
probably until 1600 A.D. Projectile points,polished bone needles,and Henry L.Ferguson was born in Pittsburg,PA and was one of six children
pottery were recovered and both charcoal and pollen samples,which will born to Julia Lae White and Walton Ferguson. He attended Pomfret
be used to date the st.atified layers,were uncovered. School and graduated with an Engineering degree from Yale University,
class of 1905. While theme he rowed on the varsity"fours." After
The East End site produced some of the earliest pottery found in the graduation,he with four classmates,bought a working ranch in Cody,
_Northeast. It is Early Woodland and dates from about 1075 B.C.The Wyoming. Before he was married in 1910,he took some very adventur-
charcoal samples which were taken(and which will be radiocarbon dated) ors hunting and exploration trips:MAINE,NEWFOUNDLAND,two to
were mostly of charred nuts which indicates habitation[here into the Fall. BRITISH COLOMBIA,NEW BRUNSWICK,PANAMA,AND CO-
LUMBIA,SOUTH AMERICA(where he and the Antartic explorer,
Little by little Fishers Island is giving up her secret past. Theprofession- Lincoln Ellsworth,walked over the Andes),and the ISLANDS OF THE
als are planning future exploration to further the knowledge of man's CARIBBEAN.
previous life along coastal New England.
The Henry T,. Ferguson Museum Newsletter. V01.3 . No- 1. 1g87
L
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HENRY L.FERGUSON 1987 SUMMER EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
He mc-t Marion Bartow Benner while sailing on Hay Harbor and they were Tuesday.July 14,5:00- 6:30 p.m.
nAmed in 1910. They spent two years on the Wyoming ranch, In 1912 Cocktail preview at the Museum for the opening of Special
they returned to Fishers and built FALCON HILL,(now the home of Mr. Exhibition:"Fort H.G.Wright"
and Mrs.James Laughlin). He worked for the E.M.&W.Ferguson
Company(his uncle and father). In 1918,that company became the Tuesday,July 21
FISHERS ISLAND FARMS and upon the death of his father in 1922,he Day trip to Newport,R.I. Sign up at the Mta_ceum.
became its President. The FARMS managed the F.I.Navigation Co.(the
ferry),the Mansion House and Cottages,the Hay Harbor Golf and Tennis Tuesday,August 18, 8:00 p.m.,at the School
Clubs, and the Electric,Telephone,and Water Companies. It was also a Slide lecture by Charles B.Ferguson
construction company. The F.I.UTILITY CO.is the descendent of the "FISHERS ISLAND 10,000 B.C.TO NOW"
FARMS,
From 1912 until his death in 1959,he lived almost entirely on the Island. At the Museum:
Here he worked and expanded his many other interests:ORNI'T'HOLOGY "VICTORIA AND ALBERT'S HISTORY OF FISHERS
15LAND
(11c wrote several magazine articles on the Migration of Hawks,began ($$,00 contribution)
collecting Island birds),ARCHEOLOGY(he began collecting the Island
Indian artifacts and in 1935 wrote the monograph ARCHEOLOGICAL 'THE INDIANS OF FISHERS ISLAND"
EXPLORATION OF FISHERS ISLAND.) About 1929 he became by Marion Ferguson Briggs
unerested in English Springer Spaniels and began raising them. His book, ($5.00 contribution)
THE ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL IN AMERICA was published in �
1035. His FALCON HILL KENNELS produced a distinguished line of 'THE JOURNALS OF HENRY L.FERGUSON
field trail Springers. FLEET of FALCON HILL was a triple champion, and REMINISCENCES BY HIS SON,CHARLES"has been
winning six Open-All-Stakes. The New York Times ran a full column rotten—andcompiTcl into four Volumes w tic are in the
obituary upon FLEET's demise. Library of the H.L.F.MUSEUM
THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Richard S_Baker,Secretary
I Martha R Buller
Charles B.Ferguson,President
Marie Gaillard
Edwin H.Hooting,Curator
Elizabeth Husband,Vice Presidccnt
G.Carey Mauhcissen
y Robert J.Miller,Treasurer
Mary F.Russell
Penni Sharp
Katherine H.Sturtevant(Honorary)
Robert White
Museum Auendant:Catherine,Horning
BECOME A"FRIEND OF THE HENRY L.FERGUSON
MUSEUM''*
henry L.Ferguson,c.1941 and "Fleet of falcon hill" The Museum has been and is financially supported by its interested
Henry L.Ferguson was a humble and sensitive man. He had many friends and modest endowment. The museum has an obligation to
interesting friends: Lincoln Ellsworth the explorer,Captain"Bob"Bartlett become the center for Island ecology as well as to collect,
who took Robert Peary into the ice fields for his dash to the North Pole, educate,preserve,and display its collections.
Louis Agassiz Fuertes,the great bird artist,Admiral Billings who had Help the Museum to acquire land on the Island for the preservation and
fought in both the Civil War and W.W.I.,and a West Point professor, protection of its natural resources and open spaces for future generations.
Colonel Robinson,who was a great natural scientist. All of these men (See the Henry L. Ferguson Museum Land Trust brochure with preserva-
spent many happy days at Fishers Island as his guests.
tion options for the landowner.)
Upon his death in 1959, a few of Henry L.Ferguson's close friends _Life Friend $1,000 or more
formed the Museum on the Island which now bears his name. His _Sustaining $500-$999
collections of artifacts and buds were first exhibited in 1960 in a rented _Contributing $100-S499
space opposite the present Fire House. In 1972,Mr,Jansen Noyes,Sr. Family $25-$99
made possible the.Museum building which he gave in memory of his wife — _
Individual
Agnes Blancke Noyes. An addition to the Museum was made in 1981 in — er 1 -$24
$$
1 -$9
order to exhibit the growing collection of Fishers Island historical —Junior (under 18)
material. Additional Contribution $
Now in the Library of the Museum are three volumes of his JOURNALS Name
and one volume of MISCELLANY. These were compiled by his son in Address
1987 and are a record of a man who lived on and loved Fishers Island with Cary
a passion. State Zip
C.B.F. Checks should be payable to the"Friends of the H.L.F.Museum."
The Henry T,. Ferguson Museum ",newsletter. trol.3 . 7o . 1. 1987