Inn, church might become historic landmarks

The Oyster Bay Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold hearings July 27 on possible landmark designation for the Maine Maid Inn in Jericho and Community United Methodist Church of East Norwich.

If the commission supports designation, it will forward its recommendations to the town board which would then schedule its own hearings before a vote.

The sites were nominated by East Norwich Civic Association President Matthew Meng, who has created a group called The Citizens for History to push for the designations. The group includes several North Shore preservation organizations and historians.

The now-closed Maine Maid Inn was the home of Valentine Hicks, a prominent Quaker, and was built in 1789. It is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. In 1837, Hicks was elected president of the Long Island Rail Road and was instrumental in bringing rail service to the area.

On May 18, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt, who was then vice president, laid the cornerstone for what was at that time the Wesley United Methodist Church.

The Commission hearing will start at 7 p.m. at the Town Board Hearing Room at Town Hall East in Oyster Bay hamlet.