Nonprofit leading efforts to repair a 'hidden jewel' in Oakdale
Oakdale Historical Society vice president Denise Conte and St. John’s Episcopal Church volunteer Bill Taylor, of East Islip, at the historic church which needs repairs. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Along Montauk Highway in Oakdale sits a “hidden jewel”: Islip Town’s first church, a small, wood-shingled building often overlooked by the community.
The 257-year-old St. John’s Episcopal Church is the hamlet’s only Christian church and is the second oldest in Suffolk County. Weathered by centuries, the chapel in recent years was damaged by Superstorm Sandy and has been the target of burglars, church leaders said.
To shine a light on the church's importance in the community and raise funds for repairs, the Oakdale Historical Society, is reviving the hamlet's Firecracker 5K Run, a beloved Independence Day race that went defunct in 2016 after the local business chamber dissolved.
“It’s really a hidden jewel that a lot of people don’t know about,” said Maryann Almes, president of the nonprofit. The society, she said, "has been working to draw attention to it, number one, and to keep it protected.”
What started as a private church for the founding Ludlow and Nicolls families is still operational with monthly services for a congregation of about 25 people. Sermons are delivered by visiting Rev. Ellis Tommaseo from Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Great River. Church administrator and historical society vice president Denise Conte also leads weekly Sunday prayers.
The church and its graveyard, where early town residents are buried, was declared a national landmark in 1994, said town historian George Munkenbeck. While the church played an important part in the area’s religious history, it’s also the final resting place of at least 100 men, women and children, including indigenous and enslaved people, who Conte said the church plans to honor later this year with a memorial rock. Munkenbeck calls the chapel “Islip’s mother of churches.”
But mounting repair costs put the church at risk, Conte said, adding that the six floor-to-ceiling windows, in need of refurbishment, will cost $150,000. She hopes this year’s race will replace one window. Securing an architect specializing in historic sites alone cost $10,000, she said.
“I strive to keep this as an open church, not a landmark museum that somebody is going to lock the door and walk away from,” Conte said. “You spend time here, you feel it. It’s emotional. … I am in fear that if I walk away, it’s done, which is a very heavy responsibility.”
Conte has spearheaded renovations at St. John’s since 2008 — from fixing the church’s roof and siding to installing copper gutters, which lasted only a week before Conte said they were stolen. She's also supervised ongoing renovations since Sandy, which damaged the church's structure including the windows. A thrift shop on church premises is another source of funding expenses, but it still falls short, she added.
“Somehow we get through piece by piece by piece,” Conte said. “I always think I’d love to win the lottery and take all that money and be done. … Say goodbye and know she was in good hands.”
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
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