Huntington getting new plaque for Christopher Columbus statue

The Town of Huntington is in the final stages of replacing a plaque that had been missing for years from the Christopher Columbus statue — a gateway to the village for more than four decades.

Local officials and several Italian American groups raised money to replace the plaque, of which a temporary version was placed at the statue Thursday during a ceremony that kicked off several Columbus Day weekend events in the village.

Bob Fonti, president of the Lt. Det. Joseph Petrosino Association in America, which organized efforts to replace the plaque, said the permanent version is expected to be ready in just over a week.

The previous plaque went missing six years ago, said Andre Sorrentino, Huntington’s highway superintendent. His late uncle, Sam Albicocco, a first-generation Italian American businessman who lived in Huntington, donated the statue, which was unveiled in 1971.

“A lot of my family members came here from Italy, basically searching for the American dream,” Sorrentino said.

Sorrentino and some others involved in the replacement effort said they were uncertain of the circumstances behind the previous plaque's disappearance.

The village monument to Columbus, the 15th century Italian explorer, has stoked controversy in recent years. Historians credit Columbus’ journeys with enlarging the known world and furthering an age of exploration, but they also point out his poor treatment of Indigenous peoples.

In 2017, Town of Huntington officials said they would not consider removing the statue, which sits at East Main Street and Lawrence Hill Road, in response to calls elsewhere that Columbus statues be taken from public view because of his actions after landing in the Bahamas and what are now Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Huntington Supervisor Edmund Smyth echoed that sentiment Sunday.

"The statue's not going anywhere," he said. Sorrentino said the plan is still to leave the statue as is.

Many Italian American groups have resisted taking down statues of Columbus, arguing that he represents contributions made by members of their community.

"Columbus Day is akin to what the Statue of Liberty is to immigrants, for the Italian American community. We're very proud of that," Fonti said.

Fonti said the Italian American groups he represents support Indigenous peoples and also try to improve inclusivity through initiatives, such as cultural ambassadors and demonstrating support for designating an Indigenous Peoples Day on a date that isn't Columbus Day.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.