Jesse Hodge comes to the rescue of Great River firehouse gong 

A historic fire gong monument in Great River has been given new life thanks to an East Islip teen.

Jesse Hodge, a senior at East Islip High School, recently spearheaded a complete rebuild of the structural support for the 116-year-old monument in front of the Great River Fire Department. Hodge, a member of Boy Scout Troop 205, tackled the task to obtain his Eagle Scout Award, the highest achievement attainable within the Boy Scouts of America organization.

Fire gongs were used before fire sirens to alert communities of emergencies by creating a resonating sound that could be heard for miles. The Great River gong is a piece of train rail that a local resident had heated and formed into a circle in the early 1900s, department officials said.

“I asked my scoutmaster for project ideas, and he told me about this one and how a couple of other scouts had dropped it before me,” said Hodge, 17, citing the project’s extensive planning and brickwork. Of the finished project, he said: “It looks really good, and I’m happy with how it turned out. A lot of people in the community came up while we were building it and gave their thanks, which was really nice.”

Hodge said the project consisted of digging out the monument’s weakened wooden support that had sunk into the ground to straighten and secure it, then pouring concrete to hold it in place. Next, he oversaw the construction of a wooden box at the monument’s base that was encased in brick and capped with a marble top, as well as the refurbishment of three picnic tables behind the firehouse.

Several local businesses pitched in to facilitate the project — including Cosmos Burger & Creamery in Islip Terrace and Gio’s Pizza in East Islip, both of which donated a percentage of their proceeds on a given day to the project. East Islip Lumber Company and Brick It in Bohemia also donated materials, Hodge said.

Paul Llobell, a commissioner with the Great River Fire Department, described the refurbished monument as “spectacular.”

“The kid did a great job; everyone in the community of Great River is overjoyed that the gong has been rehabilitated,” Llobell said. Of Hodge’s efforts, he said: “He’s a very driven young man. He was very attentive to perfection.”

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.