Patchogue seeking residents for historic photo re-creation
The Swezey's Deptartment Store in Patchogue on Feb. 15, 1986. Credit: Newsday / Cliff DeBear
Patchogue plans to round up as many residents as possible Sunday to re-enact a historic group photo in anticipation of the village’s 125th anniversary celebration later this year.
The photo is expected to depict “The Famous Four Corners” site used in similar photos in the 1940s and 1990s that are packed with village residents. The image will be framed and sold as part of the fundraising effort for the Sept. 15 celebration.
Swezey’s Department Store, once a focal point of the village, originally stood at the Four Corners — the downtown intersection of South Ocean Avenue and Main Street.
“The Four Corners is the epicenter of the village,” said Marian Russo, executive director of the Community Development Agency in Patchogue and an organizer of the anniversary celebration.
A centennial photo taken in 1993 captured hundreds of residents and business owners standing along Main Street. A framed copy of that image hangs in Village Hall. A similar photograph was taken in the 1940s.
The scene will be recreated Sunday at 12:30 p.m., village officials said. Any village resident can show up and be part of the photograph.
“We’re looking forward to recognizing the village,” Russo said. “There’s been substantial changes in the village in the past 25 years. The incorporation of the village was a significant decision that was made.”
The New Village at Patchgoue in Patchogue on June 24, 2014. The development sits on the site once occupied by the Swezey's Department Store. Credit: Newsday / John Paraskevas
The September celebration is to include a timeline of the village in the Patchogue-Medford Library and history tours around the area. Russo said organizers are finalizing details and spreading the word through social media.
“It’s great to be able to celebrate the village’s 125th anniversary at such a high point in our history,” Deputy Mayor Jack Krieger said, referring to the downtown revitalization over past few years. “We are proud to be part of this great celebration.”
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'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
