Huntington offers glimpse into its past

The Town of Huntington put Sarah Soper into the stocks and whipped her 15 times for stealing a neighbor's curtains and some apples.

The British government owed Dr. Zophar Platt several pounds for the use of his horses, oxen and saddles.

Three colonists established the town after gaining land in an exchange of kettles, knives, shirts and other items with "Resaokon Sagamore of Matinnicoke" and 23 members of his tribe.

And now anyone can look at the original documents that show those stories and others dating back hundreds of years are true.

While normally tucked away in storage, the historical documents and other Huntington treasures will be available for the public to see as Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia holds a one-week open house starting Monday.

Fifteen rows of shelves inside the vault hold yellowed marriage records, court decisions, tax records and election results, many written in a loopy, elegant hand.

There are also newer documents, such as the town's 1912 "bounty book," which details the amount of money the town paid to hunters who killed animals such as foxes ($1 each), woodchucks, raccoons and other pests (a mere quarter each).

Raia keeps these and thousands of other original records inside a climate-controlled vault in the basement of Town Hall. The documents go as far back as 1653 when the town was established through what is known as the "First Purchase" of land bordered by what is now Cold Spring Harbor, Northport Harbor and Old Country Road.

New York State Archivist Christine Ward said Huntington's collection is a strong one.

"They are frankly some of the oldest records in the state of New York," Ward said. And, she added, not many towns go to the lengths that Huntington has -- such as applying for grants and employing an archivist to manage the collection.

"Huntington has done just an outstanding job among town archives across the state, not just Long Island," Ward said.

Back at the vault, wearing gloves to protect the documents, Raia leafed through an oversized volume of town death records from the late 1700s.

"This can tell you quite a lot," she said as she balanced the unwieldy book that listed the deaths of Huntington's merchants, farmers, blacksmiths and housewives. The books also included causes of death, and birth places and parents' names, making them a trove of information for historians.

Members of the public won't be able to stroll through the vault on their own, but can take a peek inside before being ushered to a conference room where they can study a selection of court records, deeds and other items pulled from the archives.

Raia said she's holding the special hours -- from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday -- in celebration of Municipal Clerks Week.