|
||
|
This photograph (c. 1898) from the interior of "The Brook Store" shows Forrest Reeves standing at the far left and John Valentine standing on the right. Sitting, from left to right, are William Nesbit, Ed Ketcham, Tom Swezey, N.C. Miller, Sid Hawkins, and George Miller (Courtesy Brookhaven Free Library).
By Mary Allburger BROOKHAVEN- "The Brook Store", which closed as a general store, is one of the points of interest on Long Island with a history that dates back to almost 150 years. A drawing by the late George P. Morse, Brookhaven historian, who compiled the history of the store, post office and other old sites in the Brookhaven- South Haven area, shows the original building which housed the general store, to have been adjacent to the spot now occupied by the Brook House. The present building, which originally adjoined the house now occupied by the Jensen family, north of the old Miller home, was built in 1872 on the original site, then moved in the early 1900's to its present site near the trout stream or Fireplace Creek when the main house was moved from the original site, which had been sold to a New York family, by Jack Valentine. It was the widow of Robert Ellison who opened the original store, in 1815. Her husband who had been a quarter owner of the South Haven grist mill, had been deeded to him 1805 the farm called the "Parsonage" lying at a place called Fire Place in the town of Brookhaven - together with the house, barn and all manner of buildings. The deed covered the property and the farm owned by the South Haven Church to provide a parsonage and farm for its ministers, the last known minister to have occupied being "priest Rose" of Revolutionary fame. Left with four children to provide for the widow Ellison known as Aunt Betsy, persuaded a New York merchant to supply her with the merchandise on credit, and before many years the store was an established success. Her son Thomas, known as "big Tom" who weighed 400 lbs, helped his mother. He then succeeded her as the proprietor of the store, which continued to prosper. He may well have been the originator of the self-service system, for from a special chair, of heavy construction he would direct customers to the merchandise they desired. During the Civil War he had such a large supply of cotton goods that people came from many miles for his merchandise. A few years before his death in 1867, "Big Tom" sold the store to nephew, Hallock T. Bishop. Under "Hack" Bishop, the character of the store changed somewhat with the addition of the sale of liquor and the maintenance of a barbershop on the premises. After the Civil War, the original building must have been considered beyond repair, for in 1872, Hack Bishop had the 130 year old parsonage torn down to make way for a new structure on the same site. The Store had been maintained on the north side of the building, with the main part used at times as a tavern or boarding house. After Hack Bishop, the store was next owned by Captain George Hawkins of Wading River, who sold the business to Charles Valentine also of Wading River about 1878. Charles Valentine, who was made Postmaster in 1877, had two sons Jacob, who had been quartermaster on steamer on Long Island Sound, succeeded his brother Thomas in the store assisted by Forrest P. Reeve , when Thomas moved to New York City. Jake became Postmaster in 1887. He and Forrest P. Reeve retired in 1933, at which time the former had been postmaster 46 years and Mr. Reeve, assistant postmaster 52 years. It was Jake, father of Mrs. Edna Valentine Bruce, who had sold the property the store stood on, at which time the store was moved around the bend to the south side of South Country Road, while the house was moved across to Fire Place Neck Road, north of the Millers. After the retirement of Jake Valentine and Forrest Reeve, the Brook Store lay idle, the post office moved to the home of Mrs. Thelma Waldrom, postmaster, who succeeded Mr. Valentine. In the spring of 1945, Thomas J. Lyons, the present postmaster in Brookhaven, became owner of the Brook Store. He continued as postmaster, when Mr. and Mrs. Thad Moses the present owners, decided to withdraw from successful business careers in New York City to become owners of the country store. That was December 9, 1949. The general store and post office, as with most communities, was the center of the community. The much respected Jack Valentine and Forrest Reeve were consulted on business ventures and then and later much important information was disseminated among the residents at the Brook Store. When the Brook Store ceased to be the post office in 1958 from that time on, it can be said with the Brook Store the new post office, and the installation of rural delivery and other small businesses, there ceased to be one central gathering point or simple way of communicating with all residents. By Stephanie S. Bigelow from the book : "BELLPORT and BROOKHAVEN" A Saga of the Sibling Hamlets at Old Purchase South [Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Socitey 1968 - Library of Congress CC #68-559991] For over 150 years a landmark in Brookhaven has been the establishment known as the Brook Store. The original store was opened in 1815 by Elizabeth Ellison, widow of Robert Ellison, who was the brother of Charles lost in the fishing tragedy. The store first stood near the northwest corner, opposite the flagpole at the triangle. Robert Ellison had been a hatter and a tavern keeper. He had bought the land which the store stood in 1805. This was a large tract, including the farm and parsonage owned by the South Haven church for the use of its ministers. The parsonage itself was further east beyond the railroad overpass. Aunt Betsy Ellison was a good business woman and made a success of the store for her family of four children. She was helped in the store by her son Thomas, called Big Tom, as he weighed 400 pounds. He later carried on the business. Records show that the Ellison family had lived in Fireplace in 1785. For many years the post office was in a part of the building. About 1860 Hallock Bishop bought the post office and store, adding a barbershop, selling liquor and taking in boarders. Later it was bought by Charles Valentine and handed down to his son Jacob. In the early 1900's the store was moved to its present site. Later Mr. And Mrs. Thad Moses were the proprietors. For a time Bill and Gene Bonyon occupied the building, having a studio there for the making of their Heirloom Recordings of American Folklore. At present it is a real estate office. TODAY! I've passed by "The Brook Store" a thousand times... it's right around the "S" turn by the Ceremonial Cannon in Brookhaven Hamlet. The last time I stopped in (mid 90's) it was just an antique shop. The next time I visited (Summer 2003) it was an amazing gift and collectible shop with all items Hand-Crafted by local Artisans! I couldn't believe the detail, quality, care, and time that went into each piece I held... incredible! With all of today's production-line "Beanie Babies" and "Martha Stewart" home products (NONE "MADE IN THE USA"), The Brook Store is one to cherish. Do yourself a favor and stop in "The Brook Store" for yourself, you will be very impressed!
|
| LAST WEB SITE UPDATE: 02/17/04 |
LOCATED AT: "THE BROOK STORE" COPYRIGHT © 2003-2004, SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
378 SOUTH COUNTRY ROAD
BROOKHAVEN, NY 11719
(631) 286-4071
Email: info@SOSN.ORG or info@TheBrookStore.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
All images, text, and content within this web site are subject to copyright laws.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium is prohibited.
 Print this Page |