Historical society seeks marker for pond built by Jewish businessman

It’s a name that has gone largely missing from Amityville Village’s modern references. Now Brad Kolodny is on a mission to make sure residents once again know about Jacob Hartmann and his place in history.

Kolodny, president of the recently formed Jewish Historical Society of Long Island, is seeking to place a historical marker designating the pond in Peterkin Park as "Hartmann’s Pond." Jacob Hartmann was one of Amityville’s earliest Jewish residents and a successful businessman in the community, Kolodny said.

The marker, he said, would help tell "the story of the growth of communities on Long Island, the part that Jewish people played in that growth and the fact that Jews even lived in the area during those early periods."

Hartmann was born in Prussia, now Germany, in 1842 and immigrated to the United States in 1859. He worked in New York City as a baker, then as a glass cutter and paint manufacturer. He moved to Amityville in 1877 "on account of his health," according to 1896’s "Portrait and Biographical Record, Suffolk County." He had a business dealing in "stoves, crockery and tinware" before starting a bottling company in 1890.

"He was a very early Jewish individual to live in that part of Long Island," said Kolodny, 52, of Plainview.

The first Jewish congregation established on Long Island was in 1875 in Breslau, now Lindenhurst, and Hartmann was president of the Breslau Hebrew Cemetery Association in 1887, Kolodny said.

Hartmann bought the property that’s now Peterkin Park and moved his Suffolk County Bottling Works factory there.

Soon after, Hartmann created the pond, digging it out from a creek to create an ice harvesting business, Kolodny said. His company cut hundreds of pounds of ice that were then stored in ice houses through the summer, kept insulated by straw and then sold commercially.

Hartmann sold both businesses in 1902 and died in 1922, and his descendants eventually sold the property to the village, Kolodny said.

The pond is labeled as Hartmann’s Pond on maps as early as 1897 and referenced in local newspapers as late as 1956, when Peterkin Park was opened. Resident and vaudeville performer Walter Peterkin, who died in 1948, left money in his will to help fund the park in his parents’ memory.

"Once that land became known as Peterkin Park, people forgot that there was a man who owned it named Jacob Hartmann," Kolodny said.

Kolodny, who works in advertising, has dedicated much of his free time toward researching the history of early Jewish Long Island residents. His book, "The Jews of Long Island 1705 to 1918," was released this week.

The Amityville Village board of trustees last month approved the placement of the marker and Mayor Dennis Siry said the village will now officially recognize the pond as Hartmann’s Pond.

Babylon Town historian Mary Cascone said the history of Jewish residents in the town is often not visible.

"We have a lot of churches that are over 100 years old," she said, but only one synagogue remains. "Just because you don’t see the synagogues now, it kind of gives people the idea that they were never here, but they were and they had a very strong presence."

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.