1750s John Gardiner Farm house in Huntington to open to public for one day

The last time the 18th century John Gardiner Farm house on Park Avenue in Huntington was opened to the public was 2007, the year the original iPhone was released, Price is Right Host Bob Barker hosted his last episode and Diary of a Wimpy Kid was published.

On Dec. 8 the ground floor of the home will be opened for a one-day event as part of a collaboration between the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association and the Huntington Historical Society.

“We’re very excited to show everyone what this gem looks like,” said Sarah Brown, executive director of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association, which owns the home. “This home is a literal time capsule; it’s been untouched since the 1900s”

The house will be featured as one of five historic homes on the Huntington Historical Society’s 2024 Holiday Historic House Tour. It will be decorated in all of its former grandeur, historical society officials said.

The house was originally constructed in the 1750s, Brown said. It was expanded a few times over the years with the final addition being a second floor added in 1860. The structure has been untouched since 1910 when a bay window and central heating was added, Brown said. The home retains original furnishings, household items and knickknacks and wallpaper that dates to the 19th century.

Despite the Gardiner family living there as recently as 2003, there is no indoor bathroom. The kitchen only has a cold-water tap. Electric and phone service weren't installed until the 1960s, Brown said.

The last owner of the house was Herbert Gardiner. He was born with a twin brother, Harold, in the house. They also had two sisters Zella, who died as a young child, and Alice.

The siblings never married and carried a mistrust of others because of family lore suggesting people were only interested in their money, said Anthony Guarnaschelli, treasurer of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association, who was instrumental in the association taking possession of the house.

The family were prominent entrepreneurs and farmers including for hay and seeds for cucumbers to make pickles, he said.

Herbert only left the house three times in his life, Guarnaschelli said. Herbert died in 2003 at age 97 and bequeathed the home, which was the scene of a double murder in 1842, to the association, Brown said. The home had been in the Gardiner family since Fanny, the daughter of the couple murdered in the house, Alexander and Rebecca Smith, moved into the house with her husband Joel B. Gardiner. The home is named for the siblings' dad John, Fanny’s grandson.

Guarnaschelli said he befriended Herbert Gardiner around 1986. He said originally his friend wanted to leave the house to him, but he was able to convince Herbert the best way to preserve the house would be to give it to the association.

“I didn’t hound him, you mentioned once and dropped it,” Guarnaschelli said. “He would stew a day or two and then bring it up again and then you can discuss it.”

Huntington Historical Society Board President Lorraine Kelley said she is very excited to have the house on the tour after years of asking when it was going to be open to the public.

“Homes like this tell a story about the people who live there,” Kelley said. “It’s a house untouched by time.” 

Brown said the association is open to having more public tours but lack of funding and not having enough volunteer docents is an obstacle.

“We’re hoping newfound interest in the house may attract more docents so we can open it on weekends,” Brown said.

The association also runs a small farm growing corn, peppers, tomatoes and other produce that it sells out of the property’s barn. The farm also is the site of the annual Pickle Festival held every September.