Work begins to salvage Huntington's historic Peter Crippen House

The home of one of the Town of Huntington's early African American leaders is being deconstructed in an effort to salvage what remains of the crumbling structure.

Workers began the painstaking task of taking apart, by hand, the Peter Crippen House on Creek Road in Halesite on Thursday.

Piece by piece over the next two weeks, the north wing of the house — which may contain structural timbers from as early as the 17th century — will be dismantled, cataloged, studied and stored.

The salvageable pieces are being donated to the proposed Huntington African American Museum to eventually be reassembled and displayed. Experts also will analyze the salvaged timbers to confirm the age of the trees when they were harvested.

Town Historian Robert Hughes said the house is historically significant because of its association with Black history and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Drawn North by work

Crippen, who was born a free person in Virginia, arrived in Huntington in 1836, drawn by the promise of work in a Huntington brickyard. Census records show he is listed as a laborer or fisher, according to town documents.

In 1843, he was a founder, along with six others, of the African Methodist Ebenezer Church. Now Bethel AME Church on Park Avenue in Huntington, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still operates today.  

In 1864, Crippen purchased the home, which was within a small African American community. He was among the first Black people to purchase property in Huntington, Hughes said. 

The structure was built in 1658 and functioned as a grist mill until 1672. In 1674, it was moved from Mill Lane to Creek Road and converted into a residence. 

The home's historical significance continues, Hughes said, because it is associated with the early industrial history of Long Island.

“If we are correct in our belief that the house itself or the timbers of the house were part of the mill built in 1658, it may well be the oldest industrial building in the country,” said Hughes, who was joined by Town Supervisor Ed Smyth and a host of elected officials and supporters.

The Crippen family added to the home around 1880 and again in the 1950s, town officials said.

A story of opportunity

Barry Lites, an attorney and the executive director of the proposed Huntington African American Museum, said salvaging the house is a way to continue a story about one part of American history.

“We will install this building as a permanent exhibit to tell the story of Peter Crippen, but not only him, but many of the African Americans who migrated from the South to Huntington to find better opportunities,” Lites said.

There are plans to build a $50 million museum in Huntington focusing on the African American community and its contributions to the town. In 2023, the town board approved a 99-year license agreement with the nonprofit museum to allow for a parcel of about 1½ acres of town-owned land at the intersection of New York Avenue and Mill Dam Road in Halesite to be used for the facility.

The Crippen home, a 1½-story wood structure, was designated a landmark by the town board in 2008 following a recommendation of the town’s Historic Preservation Commission, which noted the building was in a deteriorated state.

In 2016, the designation was removed at the request of the family, which had retained ownership until 2019 when the town purchased it. The home was vacant for 18 years before the town purchased it, Hughes said.

Later this year, there will be an archaeological dig at the site, which is owned by the Huntington Sewer District, town officials said.

Attending Thursday's event was  a descendant of Crippen, Kip Carman, who said he was humbled and overwhelmed by the gathering.

"I thank everyone for coming to pay honor to my ancestors; whatever they can salvage from this house, I hope it brings some positivity to Huntington," Carman said.