This week in Shelter Island history: Church burns to ground
20 YEARS AGO
Marking 100th anniversary of lightning strike
In July 1992, worshippers at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church marked the 100th anniversary of the date — July 26, 1892 — when a severe weather system resulted in a lightning bolt striking the iron cross atop the church steeple. “Touched for that one moment, the wooden structure of St. Mary’s Church ignited and then stubbornly burned to the ground,” according to the anniversary story.
POSTSCRIPT: Today’s church continues to serve its parishioners and opens its doors for many outside community activities. The church has this month selected a new rector, but an announcement won’t be forthcoming until the diocese has completed the paper work attendant to the new hire, according to church warden Bill Ferris.
10 YEARS AGO
Town considers extending moratorium on underground, automatic irrigation
The Town Board endorsed extending a moratorium that had been in effect all summer blocking installation of new underground irrigation systems. The moratorium was set to expire August 26, 2002, and the Town Board set an early August public hearing to give residents an opportunity to weigh in on a proposal to keep the moratorium in place until December 26, 2002.
POSTSCRIPT: Effective September 2013, Island residents will be banned from using automatic irrigation systems without cisterns to catch and recycle water. The ban was adopted a decade ago.
30 YEARS AGO
Island jobless rate at 6.1 percent
Unemployment rose to 6.1 percent in 1982, up from 5.8 percent in previous months. At the time, an interview with the then director of research for the Suffolk County Department of Labor revealed that although employment rates might be expected to plummet because more seasonal jobs would open, John Labowski said it’s also a time when more people are on the Island looking for work. In the department’s survey of employers back then, most were anticipating that employment would remain stable in the foreseeable future.
POSTSCRIPT: Today, several sources are showing Shelter Island unemployment at about 7.5 percent, but that number is below the national rate of 8.2.
40 YEARS AGO
Havens House opened
Heartsease, the home of seven generations of the Havens family on Shelter Island, was opened to the public for tours during the summer of 1972 prior to its restoration to function as the Shelter Island Historical Society Museum. The house was built in 1743.
POSTSCRIPT: Havens House continues to be the center of activities for the Historical Society and Shelter Island Farmers Market sets up on the grounds of the old homestead every Saturday morning.
