Caleb Smith State Park Preserve is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

located in

Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its no ...

in the United States. The park is near the north shore of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

in the town of Smithtown. Prior to its current name, the park was called

Nissequogue River State Park Nissequogue River State Park is a state park located on the banks and bluffs of the Nissequogue River in Kings Park, New York. The park was opened in 2000, and established on the waterfront portion of the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center. ...

, a name now used for park lands on the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center grounds. Previously, it was simply known as the Wyandanch Preserve.

History

Originally part of the estate of Caleb Smith (1724–1800), the great grandson of Richard "Bull" Smith, the house was built in 1753 with his father Daniel Smith II. Although it has undergone many renovations, much of the original house still stands within the present building. The house was moved in either 1955 or 1958 to a plot of land behind the Smithtown Main Public Library in the

Village of the Branch, New York Village of the Branch (also known as Branch Village, The Branch, or simply Branch) is a village in the Town of Smithtown in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Smithtown area, which is ...

. Throughout the 19th century, the original house was expanded considerably. By 1888 it was bought by the Brooklyn Gun Club, and converted into a sportsman's hunting and fishing preserve. The property was named the "Wyandanch Club" in 1893. In 1963, it was acquired by the

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation and h ...

. The Wyandanch Club Historic District was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as a national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

in 1990. ''See also:''

Park description

The park is managed primarily as a

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

, and offers space for passive recreation such as hiking, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The park also offers recreation programs, a nature museum with wildlife displays, and a nature trail. Two branches of the

Nissequogue River The Nissequogue River is an long river flowing from Smithtown, New York into the Long Island Sound. Its average discharge of is the most of any of the freshwater rivers on Long Island. The river, like all other freshwater rivers on the island, i ...

pass through the park, which also includes the Wyandanch Club Historic District.

Panorama

References

External links

New York State Parks: Caleb Smith State Park Preserve
* {{authority control State parks of New York (state) Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Museums in Suffolk County, New York Smithtown, New York Natural history museums in New York (state) Parks in Suffolk County, New York Nature centers in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, New York