The Smithtown Historical Society and the Historical Festival

Traveling down Middle Country Road in Smithtown, just past the juncture of of 25A and Rt. 111, you may have spotted them on the left side of the road.

Broad mansions, with faded white paint and dark shingles, built in a traditional colonial style. Some have small lawns of creeping ivy, while others have signs in front proclaiming them to be doctor's offices. While some of these historic buildings have unfortunately suffered at the hands of modernization and been transformed from the inside out into a series of cold waiting rooms and medical supply closets, others have managed to escape that fate and still remain intact in their original form, serving as a comforting attraction of bygone days in the early era of Smithtown.

These include the Judge J. Lawrence Smith Homestead, the Epenetus Smith Tavern, and the Frank Brush Barn, among others.

I've lived in Smithtown nearly all my life, but it was only recently that I chanced upon discovering the history of the buildings and the extensive bit of land that lay behind them, unbeknownst to me all this time. It is quite surprising what you might find in your own towns, if you only take the time to look.