Huntington's ceremonial necklace restored

Emperors wore them. So did Egyptian pharaohs. English mayors still wear them at official events. And, in a nod to the Town of Huntington's Colonial roots, the town supervisor also wears a chain of office -- an elaborate necklace symbolically representing the power of the position.

The chain of nine large ceremonial coins linked together and held at the top by a belt of beaded shells received a much-needed restoration by a local jeweler this month.

Huntington's chain of office is the only one among Long Island's 13 towns. But despite its historic precedents, the chain isn't ancient. It's not even very old. The necklace is the 1976 product of former town historian Rufus B. Langhans' flair for history, current town historian Robert Hughes said.

"It was the whole bicentennial fever that he got caught up in, and he wanted to do something special for the town," Hughes said.

A Lloyd Harbor resident, Edith Delaney, designed each coin, which feature likenesses of local Revolutionary War-era hero Nathan Hale, who spied on the British, and John Sloss Hobart, a judge and patriot who helped draft the New York State Constitution. Other coins display the town seal and the town coat of arms, which was dropped by Huntington in 2003.

The chain is completed by a length of wampum -- a belt of silvery shells of the type used by Native Americans during Colonial times -- backed by a leather strap.

Kenneth Butterfield, who became supervisor in 1976, wore the chain at a historic mock town meeting held at a pub on Wall Street in honor of the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial. Former Supervisor Stephen Ferraro, who died in 2003, had the chain on as his body lay in repose.

John O'Neil of Manning, S.C., who served as Huntington supervisor from 1983 to 1988, said he felt connected to the town's roots when he donned the chain.

"It was historical, a feeling of history in itself," O'Neil said. "I felt elated over that."

But until the restoration, supervisors had to wear the chain with caution. The coins were glued onto thin pieces of wire and would occasionally pop out of their settings.

"I'd put it together and hoped that when I walked, I wouldn't lose a coin," Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone said.

The $3,700 restoration, donated by Libutti Diamond Jewelers of Huntington, involved removing the glue and mounting each coin into handcrafted sterling-silver loops -- a process that took three days.

Owner Jeannine Libutti said she made a presentation to the town about the costs of restoring the piece, but ultimately decided to do the work for free.

"I said at this point, 'This is my town of Huntington, I'm going to donate it,' " Libutti said. "We have a street named after us in front of the post office. It's our town -- give back."

The rehabbed bling had its first public display at the town's Jan. 8 inauguration ceremony, after which it was placed back in its cardboard box in the town clerk's vault, inaccessible to the public.

Petrone, who has served as town supervisor since 1994, said he thought of the chain as "a reminder of the responsibility" of the position.

While he wears the necklace only during ceremonial occasions, such as inaugurations and graduations, Petrone mused on the effect the impressive display might have on other occasions.

"Maybe I should wear it at town board meetings," Petrone joked. "Maybe some people may be more respectful."