Caleb Smith State Park Preserve Explained

Wyandanch Club Historic District
Nrhp Type:	hd
Nocat:	yes
Location:	Jericho Tnpk. SW of jct. with Meadow Rd., Smithtown, New York
Coordinates:	40.8508°N -73.2278°W
Built:	1751
Architecture:	Colonial, Queen Anne
Visitation Num:	99,393
Visitation Year:	2023
Visitation Ref:	^[1]
Added:	August 3, 1990
Refnum:	90001143

Caleb Smith State Park Preserve is a state park located in Suffolk County, New York in the United States. The park is near the north shore of Long Island in the town of Smithtown. Prior to its current name, the park was called Nissequogue River State Park,^[2] a name now used for park lands on the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center grounds. Previously, it was simply known as the Wyandanch Preserve.^[3]

History

Originally part of the estate of Caleb Smith (1724–1800), the great grandson of Richard "Bull" Smith, the house was built in 1753 with his father Daniel Smith II. Although it has undergone many renovations, much of the original house still stands within the present building.^[4] The house was moved in either 1955 or 1958 to a plot of land behind the Smithtown Main Public Library in the Village of the Branch, New York.^[5]

Throughout the 19th century, the original house was expanded considerably. By 1888 it was bought by the Brooklyn Gun Club, and converted into a sportsman's hunting and fishing preserve. The property was named the "Wyandanch Club" in 1893. In 1963, it was acquired by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The Wyandanch Club Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a national historic district in 1990.^[6]

Park description

The 548acres park^[7] is managed primarily as a nature preserve, and offers space for passive recreation such as hiking, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The park also offers recreation programs, a nature museum with wildlife displays, and a nature trail.^[8]

Two branches of the Nissequogue River pass through the park, which also includes the Wyandanch Club Historic District.

See also

• List of New York state parks

External links

• New York State Parks: Caleb Smith State Park Preserve
• Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve

Notes and References

1. Web site: State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003 . Data.ny.gov . March 23, 2021.
2. Hagstroms Atlas of Suffolk County, New York (1973)
3. Hagstroms Atlas of Suffolk County, New York (1969, and others)
4. http://www.friendsofcalebsmith.org/history.php Caleb Smith Park Preserve History (Friends of Caleb Smith Park Preserve)
5. Web site: Caleb Smith House (Smithtown Historical Society) . 2011-05-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324001834/http://www.smithtownhistorical.org/zwide-caleb.html . 2012-03-24 . dead .
6. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration: Wyandanch Club Historic District. March 1990. 2010-02-20. Robert D. Kuhn. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. 2016-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212658/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=8959. dead. See also: Web site: Accompanying 31 photos. 2010-03-14. 2016-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194317/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=8970. dead.
7. Book: 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook . The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government . 2014 . Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9 . 671 . April 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150916082616/http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf . 2015-09-16 . dead .
8. Web site: Caleb Smith State Park Preserve . NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . January 20, 2016.