36 Main St, Roslyn, NY, 11576

Ebenezer H. Smith House

175 East Broadway, Roslyn

Date Built1831-1855
Original UseResidence
Restoration StatusCompleted Restoration Date1980
Roslyn Landmark Society Covenant No
View House Tour Details 1996

Eb13

This interesting five-bay clapboard house is a new arrival in Roslyn. It is a reassembled farmhouse from West Melville, Long Island. The house, until only recently, set squarely on a level expanse of the Richard McGovern Sod Farm. The house was carefully taken apart, each piece was numbered, their position was recorded , and taken to Roslyn where the house was reassembled on new foundations for the previous owners. Although much of the flooring and cladding have been replaced, a new rear wing added, and an ample basement replaces the original cellar, it is still primarily the house where Ebenezer H. Smith raised his eight children.

Huntington Town records for the house's first site show that Eliakin M. Smith owned the land prior to 1818. Eliakin's son, Ebenezer H. Smith Sr., bought the land in that year. Twenty-eight years later(1846) Ebenzer H. Smith Sr., sold the land to his son Ebenezer H. Smith II but he retained his dwelling house as his life estate. The younger Mr. Smith already had six children and it is quite probable that he had this house built at that time by an unknown carpenter-builder, who left no name but did leave a hammer among the rafters. It is generally assumed the house was built ca.1855. Ebenezer H. Smith II lived on in this house until his death in 1880. Elbert Smith bought the property at that time. Later it was sold to Israel A. Smith, then John M. Thompson, then Edwin W. Stouthoff, then Samuel Horan and, finally, Edward and Richard McGovern.

Leave a Comment
0 Comments