A 'secret gem' of a park gets a $1.8M makeover in Commack

A popular Smithtown park has gotten what government officials said was a much-needed makeover, with $1.8 million in renovations recently completed.

Work on the new design for Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve in Commack started last year and the renovation project took about seven months in all, according to town and park officials.

Smithtown Park Maintenance Director Joseph Arico said a combination of federal pandemic recovery funds and town capital project money paid for the upgrades.

Changes to the 133-acre recreation area, which Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim recently described as the town’s “flagship park,” include the installation of new boccie courts, pavilions and a picnic area. The work also covered renovations to the playground and restrooms, along with the installation of new surfacing, concrete walkways, drainage and a retaining wall.

Parks officials said the facility, which is open only to Smithtown residents, draws thousands of people each year during large events that include the “Halloweekend” annual festival.

Jeff Gumin, caretaker of the park’s nature preserve, said the renovations were “long overdue,” with some of the park’s former structures having dated back to the 1970s.

“The original pavilions were put up in the ’70s . . . and that was all steel and aluminum. So they’ve been falling apart for quite some time,” he added.

The park’s recorded history dates back to the 1740s.

The Wicks family, who owned the property, cleared the land and created a farm, according to Smithtown Library records. The farm had a large orchard with apple and peach trees.

In 1910, New York City attorney Edwin Hoyt purchased the property and renamed it “Crooked Hill Farm.” Within a decade, it became Long Island’s largest peach farm.

After Hoyt and his wife Maria died 11 years apart, their children sold the property to the town in 1967.

They made the sale with the condition, according to Maria Hoyt’s wishes, that it only be used for conservation, nature study and wildlife protection, library records showed.

Today the park has walking trails and a nature center with animals that include snakes, frogs, salamanders and turtles. It also serves as a haven for rescued livestock such as goats and sheep.

The property also features Hoyt House Museum — a residence the Wicks family built that contains the Hoyt family’s early 1900s-era furnishings.

Chris McNamara, 54, co-president of Commack Chamber of Commerce, said he often takes his two children to the park — which he dubbed “a little secret gem of Commack.”

Tom Morrissey, 60, a lifelong Commack resident and the chamber’s other co-president, said the park occupies a special place in the hearts of many residents.

“It’s probably the No. 1 attraction for Commack,” he added.