Preston Memorial to be dedicated today

Ceremonies to dedicate the Henry Howard Preston memorial in front of Town Police headquarters will be held at 1 p.m. today. The public and all veterans are encouraged to attend as are all current and former law enforcement personnel.

Mr. Preston, from whom many Islanders are descended, was the first salaried Suffolk County sheriff from 1903 to 1906. A wounded Civil War veteran, he was appointed Shelter Island’s town constable in 1870 and went on to serve here as tax assessor, justice of the peace and town clerk.

A limestone foundation stone from the long-gone County Sheriff’s Office in Riverhead over which he once presided will be placed at the site. The stone and its installation have been donated by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. A committee of descendants headed by Arthur Bloom urged the Town Board to allow the memorial to be erected. The board agreed last spring to dedicate the crescent of lawn in front of the police station the Henry Howard Preston Memorial Plaza.

A short Veterans Day Ceremony will also be held at the American Legion at 10 a.m. today.