Snouder's Drug Store was the oldest operating business in Oyster Bay, New York. The store was first established in 1884. The first telephone in Oyster Bay was installed here, and for several years it remained the only one in town. When Theodore Roosevelt became Governor of New York State and later President, the press corps gathered at Snouder's to transmit news from Oyster Bay. Phone service and the soda fountain installed in 1889 made Snouder's one of the most popular gathering places in town. In the 1990s the exterior was returned to its original color, which was determined through paint chip analysis. The building is a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark and was a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
It is uncertain how early the first building was erected on this site but evidence exists that dating it back to the late 17th century. Snouder's Drug Store, located here since 1884, was the oldest continuously operated business in Oyster Bay. The drug store was established by Abel Miller Conklin whose descendants were the founders of Miller Place in Suffolk County.
Conklin had been a druggist in York City, but moved to the countryside of Oyster Bay in 1880 on the advice of his doctor, who felt the fresh air would improve his health. His first drugstore there was somewhere along South Street, though the exact location is not known. In 1884 he relocated the drug store to its final location, and carried on his business with the help of his son-in-law, Andrew Snouder.
Andrew had left the clothing and shoe business to aid his ailing father-in-law. Despite the move, Abel Conklin’s health did not recover. He soon died, leaving Andrew Snouder to carry on whilst initially keeping the name Conklin’s Drug Store. In 1887 he installed a telephone, the very first in Oyster Bay, which for several years remained the only one in town. Until Theodore Roosevelt became president even Sagamore Hill did not have a telephone and for several years Mr. Snouder relayed messages for the future president.
The phone service became a key reason people gathered at Snouder's. In May, 1900 Andrew Snouder partitioned a part of the store for the exclusive use of telephone service. This enabled the switchboard operated by Miss Ellen Ludlam to remain open until the drugstore had closed late at night. That same year Andrew graduated second in his class from the New York College of Pharmacy and officially changed the name of the business to Snouder's Drug Store.
The telephone also brought many members of the press to the booths of Snouder's Drug Store, covering news of Theodore Roosevelt, both as Governor and President. Teenagers and children congregated here as well, both for the telephone service and the delicious refreshments after Mr. Snouder had a soda fountain installed in 1889. This soda fountain became a center of social life for several generations of kids, into the 1970s. In the 1990s the exterior was returned to its original color, which was determined through paint chip analysis. [1]
After many decades Snouder's shut its doors in December, 2010. The building was at that time listed for sale by Long Island Realty Agents, Inc. [2]
Oyster Bay is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County in the state of New York, United States. The hamlet is also the site of a station on the Oyster Bay Branch of the Long Island Rail Road and the eastern termination point of that branch of the railroad.
Sagamore Hill was the home of the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, from 1885 until his death in 1919. It is located in the Incorporated Village of Cove Neck, New York, near Oyster Bay in Nassau County on the North Shore of Long Island, 25 miles (40 km) east of Manhattan. It is now the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, which includes the Theodore Roosevelt Museum in a later building on the grounds.
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated soft drinks, called fountain drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores. The device combines flavored syrup or syrup concentrate and carbon dioxide with chilled and purified water to make soft drinks, either manually, or in a vending machine which is essentially an automated soda fountain that is operated using a soda gun. Today, the syrup often is pumped from a special container called a bag-in-box (BiB).
The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) is a historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), the 26th President of the United States.
Oyster Bay is the terminus on the Oyster Bay Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The station is located off Shore Avenue between Maxwell and Larabee Avenues. It is a sheltered concrete elevated platform that stands in the shadows of the original station, which was accessible from the ends of Maxwell, Audrey, and Hamilton Avenues. Both stations exist along the south side of Roosevelt Park.
James Alfred Roosevelt was an American businessman and philanthropist. A member of the Roosevelt family, he was an uncle of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Moore's Building is a historic building located in the downtown area of the Hamlet of Oyster Bay and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. First built in 1901, the building gained significance when Theodore Roosevelt had his staff take offices here while he served as U.S. President. The Moore's Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark, and a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
The Oyster Bay Post Office in Oyster Bay, New York was completed in 1936. New York architect William Bottomley designed this colonial revival structure to mirror the Oyster Bay Town Hall across the street. Inside are murals by the prominent American artist, illustrator and author Ernest Peixotto, depicting scenes in Oyster Bay from 1653 to 1936 when the Post Office was built. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and featured on the Oyster Bay History Walk.
First Presbyterian Church built in 1873 is an historic Carpenter Gothic-style Presbyterian Church building located at 60 East Main Street in Oyster Bay, in the U.S. state of New York. Its architect was J. Cleaveland Cady, who was just beginning his career and would go on to design the original Metropolitan Opera House, the American Museum of Natural History, buildings at Yale University, Trinity College, and 23 other churches, but he never designed any other churches in the Carpenter Gothic style.
The Octagon Hotel, built as the Nassau House by Luther Jackson in 1851, was a pre-eminent political and social meeting space in Oyster Bay, New York. This eight-sided building is also believed to be among only a few like it on Long Island and perhaps the only octagon-shaped hotel in the United States.
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park is a park in the hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York, honoring President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.
Theodore Roosevelt spent his first summer in Oyster Bay with his family in 1874. Through the ensuing years as he rose to power, Oyster Bay would frequently serve as backdrop and stage on which many of his ambitions were realized. Several places connected to Theodore Roosevelt in his lifetime remain, while others have been lost. A number of efforts to memorialize Roosevelt in Oyster Bay have been made since his death in 1919.
Christ Church, founded in 1705, is a historic Episcopal parish located at 61 East Main Street in Oyster Bay, New York. Several church buildings have occupied this site, including one that served as soldiers' barracks during the Revolutionary War.
Youngs Memorial Cemetery is a small cemetery in the village of Oyster Bay Cove, New York in the United States of America. It is located approximately one and a half miles south of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. The cemetery was chartered in 1900 and was located on land owned by the Youngs family.
The Oyster Bay History Walk is a path through downtown Oyster Bay, New York that leads the walker to 30 historic sites. It is a 1-mile loop and is the first certified American Heart Association Start! Walking Path on Long Island.
Fleet's Hall is a building that once stood in Oyster Bay, New York, that had important local, statewide, and national significance. The building served as an important civic and social meeting place during the time that Theodore Roosevelt was a resident of Oyster Bay and served as Governor of New York State and later President of the United States. The building was used for events such as public meetings, concerts, receptions, dances, and dinners. It was also the site of the first moving picture screening in Oyster Bay.
The Oyster Bay Bank Building was constructed in 1891 and served as the first bank in Oyster Bay on Long Island, New York. In addition to the bank, other users have included the Masons of Matinecock Lodge, Theodore Roosevelt while he served as Governor of New York, and architect Edward Durrell Stone. Today this building is a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
Derby-Hall Bandstand is a replica of the bandstand which stood on this site in Oyster Bay, New York, United States, and was used by President Theodore Roosevelt and others to give public speeches. The original bandstand was taken down in the 1930s and replaced by a replica in 1981. The location is a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk audio walking tour.
The Ludlam Building is a Greek Revival styled building, located in Oyster Bay, New York. Past occupants include a dry goods store, a grocery store, and a haberdashery. Despite a number of fires, the brick shell of the building remains.
John M. Sammis (1820–1908) was the son of Ezra Sammis and Anna Hawxhurst, born in Oyster Bay, New York on October 8, 1820. He would live his whole life in Oyster Bay, and during that time became a leading merchant, property owner, and civic figure. He was a close personal friend of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who had a house in the Oyster Bay area.