Davis Town Meeting House
The Davis Town Meeting House (or Lester H. Davis House) is a historic building located in Coram, New York, United States. For most of the 19th century, it served as the town meeting place for the Town of Brookhaven.
Davis Town Meeting House | |
The Davis Town Meeting House undergoing restoration and reconstruction. | |
Location | North of Middle Country Road, East of Coram-Mt. Sinai Road, Coram, New York |
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Coordinates | 40°52′54″N 72°59′1″W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1750s |
Architectural style | Georgian[1] |
NRHP reference No. | 01000850[1] |
Added to NRHP | August 15, 2001 |
History
Constructed around 1750,[2] the original owner of the house was likely Elijah Davis (1727–1802).[3]
In 1790, Brookhaven Town's leaders decided to move the seat of local government from Setauket to the more central location of Coram. Starting about 1800, the Davis home served as the location of the annual April town meeting, and hosted the meeting over 80 times, until 1885, when the town was divided into election districts.[4]
Until the early 2000s, the house was owned almost continuously by direct male descendants of Foulk Davis, who came to Long Island in 1642.[5]
The Brookhaven Town Board designated the house as an official town landmark on April 15, 1986.[4] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 2001.[1] In the fall of 2009, much needed renovation work to the building was begun.[5]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- Paquette, Carole (January 21, 2001). "Coram Shopping Center Emerges From Bankruptcy". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- John Auwaerter (May 2001). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Davis Town Meeting House". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-02-20. See also: "Accompanying 26 photos".
- Longwood's Journey, The Lester Davis Home Archived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved December 4, 2009
- Restoration Work Begins on Historic Davis House, Town of Brookhaven (September 14, 2009)
External links
Media related to Davis Town Meeting House at Wikimedia Commons
- Bygone Long Island, Davis Meeting House, with pictures
- "Town Meeting in 1878 Brought Many to Coram," by Thomas R. Bayles; October 10, 1963 (Longwood's Journey)