William Floyd Estate Conservancy

05/28/2022

Continuing in their finest tradition, the William Floyd Estate, once again says: The public be damned! This is not the first time that the site ensign has been desecrated by the park. Now, not only has access to the park been limited, and the 300-year-old Estate doors remain shuttered, as the well overdue deferred maintenance is finally underway, but, as usual, those in charge of the park and the project decided, in their collective wisdom, that the most appropriate location for the crapper and the dumpster would, of course, be directly in front of the site ensign. Yes, with only 613 acres to choose from, this was their chosen spot, blocking the view of the flag, lowered to half-staff out of respect for the slaughtered elementary school children this week in Texas. Folks, again, this is not the first time and, surely, it will not be the last time, unless a more patriotic crew from the National Park Service begins running this location; the birthplace and Revolutionary War home of the Signer, Gen. William Floyd. When I worked there as a volunteer, a few years back, they pulled the same stunt. I called up the Port-a-Potty and the dumpster companies and had them move their equipment on Memorial Day morning, just moments before the Mastic Beach American Legion Post 1533 arrived for the Memorial Day commemoration. What will the American Legion find this year when they arrive? This is going to make a great photo shoot on Monday morning. As a disabled combat veteran, I am completely offended and disgusted at their attitude. If the American flag cannot be shown proper respect on federal property, is it any wonder why the flag continues to lose respect throughout this once great land of ours? What were they thinking...

12/17/2021

Happy Birthday Gen. William Floyd

03/04/2020

As the William Floyd Estate Conservancy (WFEC), our mission is the protection and preservation of the William Floyd Estate located in Mastic Beach, NY. It is the only remaining home of the four New York Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The WFEC has become extremely alarmed at the serious and long-term neglect of this historic home, due to the ongoing National Park Service (NPS) practice of “deferred maintenance.” In reality, there is actually no maintenance whatsoever!

The WFEC has a number of grave concerns regarding the management of the William Floyd Estate by the NPS. Our primary concerns are as follows:

~The 25 room William Floyd Estate is a wooden structure, with 12 outbuildings, built in c.1724. However, there is no fire suppression system within the house; a tinderbox of historic treasures. This is unacceptable! Furthermore, there is no communication between the local volunteer fire department and the NPS. With entrance gates locked to the over 600 acres of grounds, the structure would be fully engulfed before the first firehose is in operation. There are also multiple well-water supplied fire hydrants, none of which have been tested in at least 10 years, of which we are aware.~

~To add to this detrimental condition, there are many occasions when there are no personnel present on the entire grounds, even though it is common knowledge that trespassers come and go at will, including vandals and hunters.~

~The chimneys have been crumbling for years, compromising the entire structure.~

~The new heating system was so poorly designed, it is expediting the destruction of the original wallpaper and plaster that is being dislodged and crumpling. Walls, in some cases, are literally held up by Plexiglass.~

~Contractors who have worked on this structure, performing modifications, are ill-equipped to handle historic restoration. This has been proven time and time again. Once, when the roof shingles were being replaced on the east wing and again, when the new heating and air circulation system was installed, both of which have caused further damage to the structure due to careless workmanship.

~Employees who point out the crucial repairs needed to protect the structure are ignored and if they persist have been forced into retirement, while others are inappropriately intimidated into silence. Volunteers who point out the deteriorating conditions of the structure are simply asked to leave, i.e., “fired.”~

The WFEC has repeatedly brought these crucial issues to the attention of NPS administration, to no avail. This leads us to conclude that the administrators charged with protecting and preserving this historic site have not been executing their responsibilities in the best interest of the William Floyd Estate.

It is imperative that the William Floyd Estate be immediately removed from the control of the Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) and placed under an independent authority, as is the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on the north shore of Long Island, and dozens of other National Historic sites across the nation. FINS does a remarkable job with the recreational function of Fire Island; however, the historic covenant under which this messuage should be appropriately maintained is non-existent.

In the interest of preserving our local and national history we urge that all of these problems be addressed before it is too late to save this uniquely historic home.

Respectfully,

The William Floyd Conservancy Membership

02/25/2020

*Tuesday, February 25, at the MMS Library at 7:00 P.M.

The NBHS and the WFEC will be holding a joint meeting to discuss what the future may hold for the William Floyd Estate. The almost 300 year old, Old Mastic House is in need of restoration by those craftsmen who specialize in colonial restoration. Although the NPS may retain such personnel as employees and/or contractors, it remains to be see as to or whether or not they will ever find their way to Mastic Beach in time to save our precious messuage.

(*Open to the public.)

10/24/2019

William Floyd Estate Family Burying Ground Tour- RSVP- 631-399-2030

10/24/2019

William Floyd Estate Family Graveyard Tour - RSVP- 631-399-2030

10/17/2019

Call for reservations: (631) 399-2030

09/22/2019

The monthly meeting of the NBHS/WFEC will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 24th, at 7:00 P.M. at the MMS Community Library on William Floyd Pkwy.

We will be featuring a slide presentation on Eastern Woodland Indians. The slides are from Jamie Reason's exhibit currently being displayed at the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead.

This meeting is open to the public.

09/11/2019

Former Mastic Beach Village Historian Presents:

09/01/2019

Found a couple of old historians at the Crab Fest...

08/24/2019