Christian Avenue sits at the heart of the Three Village area on the North Shore of Long Island.
Surrounded by Old Field, Setauket, and Stony Brook it has long been home to a community of Black and Native American families.
The names of the people date back before the Revolution and include the Harts, Sells, Greens, and Tobias. They also provide evidence of the perpetual presence of the Setalcott and their ties to the Shinnecock.
Now designated as the Bethel-Christian Avenue-Laurel Hill Historical District, it’s an area steeped in history. That’s what drew Glenda Dickerson to develop her Eel Catching in Setauket project in the late 1980s.
A professor of theater at Stony Brook University, Glenda, her students, and colleagues like Fai Walker and Noberto Valle set out to document and celebrate the history and heritage of Christian Avenue. The project culminated with a theatrical production at Stony Brook.
Glenda donated all of her materials from the project to the Three Village Historical Society. In this episode of the Long Island History Project podcast, we sit down with Scott Ferrara, the Society’s curator, and Rob Anen of the Long Island Library Resources Council to discuss the history of Christian Avenue, the history of the recordings, and the important stories they tell.
You can listen to the episode here.
The Long Island History Project is an independent podcast featuring stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history. It is hosted by academic librarian Chris Kretz.
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