HomeMy WebLinkAboutEM35 Clark-Frank Tuthill HouseBUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM
DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
NEW YORK STA IE PARKS AND RECREATION ·'
ALBANY, NEW YORK (51~) 474·0479
YOUR NAME :Town of Southold/SPLIA
UNIQUE SITE NO. __---=::.:.....-__
! QUAD~' __________
SERI ES_--=---==--____~_
NEG. NO .
DArE : September 1987 .
. I
! .
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 NAME(S): . Clark/Frank Tuthill House
2. COUNTY: Suffolk TOWN/CITY: Southold VI LLAG E , -"E==:a:::.:s:::..t~==-=..:
3. STREET LOCATION : Main Rd., north side, east of Bay AVe.
4 . OWNERSHIP: a . public 0 h private a
5. PRESENT OWNER : --:-:-____~____ ADDRESS : _~-=-____~_.:..:.:::.:.:..:::.,.
,. 6 . USE: Original: residence Present: residence
7. ACCESSIBI L1TY TO PUBLIC': Exterior visible from public road: .Yes []!: , Nq 0
Interior accessible : · Explain prl.vate res l.dence
DESCRIPTION
b . stone 0
EM-35
8 . BUILDING ·
MATERIAL :
a. clapboard 0
e. cobblestone 0 f. shingles 0
c: brick 0
g. stucco 0
d. board and batten 0
other: composition shingle
IJ. STRUCTURAL a. wood frame with interlocking joints ~
SYSTEM : b. wood frame with light members 0 ?
(if klHwn) c. ma sonry load bearing walls 0
d . . metal (explain) _______~_
e. other~____=-_________________~~______~____
10. CONDITION: a. excellent IKl b. good 0 c. fair 0
II. INTEGRITY : a . originat site 0 b . moved 0 if sO,when?
c. list major alterations and dates (if known) :
_.:....____:.=:::_=_:.:.....:..._ ___.:=_
--~------~--~-~
Dot composite12. PHOTO; neg: KK VII-I, fm SE 13. MAP; NYS
Greenport and Orient quads .
14. THREATS -TO BUILDING: a. none known ex
d: developers' 0
EM-35
b. zoning 0 c. roads 0
e. deterioration 0
EM-35
f. other: ______ ~-....o..___ ___=_...;...!..~~:..=.::_-=---...;:;..:;;~~
15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY: ~ .
iI. barn !Xl b. carriage house 0 . c. garage 0
d. privy 0 . . e. shed [XI f. greenhouse 0
g. 'shop ' D h. gardens 0
i. landsca pe fea tu res : -:--=___~------.::..:..:!=~=::::::_:_::_:_..:.,
j. other : ~. _____-:__---:_---'-_~~,;.:.:.:::..::....:~=::=_:_
16. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if necessary) :
a. open land KJ b . woodland I&l
. c. scattered buildings 0
d. densely built-up De. commercial 0
f. industrial 0 .g. residentiaiu
17. INTFRRELATIONSHIP 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 intt:rior features ifknown):
Large 2 story, 3 bay, flat roof house with It 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. I .
SIGNIFICANCE
19. DATE OF INITIAL CONSTRUCTION : . Mid-19th century
20.. HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURA L IMPORTA~CE :
':This house is not onlyarchitecturally significant, but of
historic interest as well, because cif its associ~tion 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." " '.
2.1. SOURCES :
E.K. and F.L. Corwin, ~G_r_e_e~n~p_o~r~t~. ~~~~~~~~~~~
22 . TH01E :
Form prepared by Kurt Kahofer,' research
158 LONG ISLAND-NASSAU AND SUFFOLK
while on his way to Boston. Among the few other houses on the
southerly side of the lane were the homes of Daniel Harris and Henry
,Vebb and the tavern of Captain George ,Vebb 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
Orallge Webb. At the death of David vVebb his"valuable messuage,
farm and outlands" were sold at public auction, March 23, 1820, by
his executors. Augustus Griffin, thirty-seven years later to write his
Journal, was the auctioneer. The farm had previously been divided
into lots and "accurately surveyed for the better convenience of
purchasers." 'rhe successful bidders were David T. Terry, Silas
\\~ebh 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 wlto 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 tlte same time
the iirst 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
Adorna. Over the fireplace of his hostelry was painted this intri
guing line: "Shall I not take mine ease in mine inn 1" 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
amI 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
the village police station.
In the early 1800 's mail came to town on horseback from Brooklyn,
once a week. For a ti~11e Uncle Sammie Vail of Southold, who saw
~ervice in the ,Val' of 1812, was the carrier. Salter Storrs Horton
was the postmaster there in 1835 when stages began bringing the
mail twice weekly. The drives. was Joseph Hull Conklin, a native of
Ac;lwmomoque. He would --dump 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 Sterling's post office was in a school house
west of the tollgate at the junction of :M oore 's lane and the Kings
Highway (the North Road) which ran westerl:~ from O)'c;terpon<1s,
Colonel .Jeremiah Moore was thpn postmaster at Sterling, \Vhen
th0 Post Office Department asl;:ed for allotlwr name, as there were
otllcr Sterlings, Greenhill wac; firc;t choc;rn hnt at a public meeting
at tile Clark Honse on June 23. 183L thr name of Greenport was
finall:~ adoptc(L Captain Clark who then lwcame IJoshnac;ter con
dnded the office in the basement of his hotel. It was 011(' of onlv
iW0nty-fonr post offices on Long Island at that time. .
EM 35
'I ,:"!/
", •. ,. 1:'
Paul Bailey. Long Island: A History of Two
Great Counties, Nassau and Suffolk
Vol. 1 1949
Clark/Frank Tuthill House
Main Rd .• East Marion EM-35
RARUS, KING OF TROTTERS
Rarus, King of Trotters in his day, was born in 1867 on
the fann overlooking Long Island Sound on the old Kings
Highway . This was later a golf course and in later years used
as a Jabor camp : He lived ':25 years and won national renown
and his record is Long Island's pride.
Rich~~d Conklin, owner of Rarus, was a descendent of
John Conklin , who settled first at Arshamomoque on the east
side of Mill Creek: At i 7 years he became an apprentice at
the carpenter's trade and became a stage carpenter in New
York City th e atres. 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 fann 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.L. Corwin, Greenport Yesterday and Today, 1972.
Clark/Frank Tuthill House
Main Rd., East Marion
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 10ad 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 "Hambletonian,"
after whom the race at Goshen eac h 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, th e
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 Icft
New York and built on hi s farm a beautiful house. This , with
a large bam, wa s compl e ted in 1868. His brothpr, Hu!l .. h ad
taken up stage driving in 1835 and hi:. rout e iay Jiong the
north side of the Island from Brooklyn Ferry toOrient 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 bec.lmc
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 becam e acquainted with the . proprietor's ni e ce.
Thankful Udell , who eventually became his wife. Lakr he
sold out the stage business and took a job at his brothl'r 's
farm . He was a born horseman and RanIS became his pet
concern and he followed him throughout the nation on his
s pectac ular racing career.
229
EM-J5
~-~-
.--; .'
/~~ .
E.K. and P.L. Corwin, Greenport Yesterday a"n d Today, 1972.
Clark/Frank Tuthill House
Main Rd., East Marion EM-35
GREENPORT. YESTERDAY AND TOD!\. Y
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 .13Y.a the
fastest time ever made up to that date by any horse.
Rarus was finally bought by Robert Bommer of the Burr
horse fann in Commack" for $36,000.Withou t 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
hy sband Frank J . Tuthill in Eas t 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 Fann belonging to
thL' heirs of th'e late Richard Conklin were destroyed by fire .
the fann 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 aU 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/?rank Tuthill House
Main Rd., East Marion EM-J5
Residewe of Mr. & Mrs. Frank j. Tuthill
Peconic Bay Sho p per, 9/7/1984, p. 14.