Teddy Roosevelt's Oyster Bay connection featured on outdoor panels

It’s history in plain sight.

The Town of Oyster Bay and the National Park Service have agreed to place four new outdoor panels that showcase the hamlet of Oyster Bay’s connection to President Theodore Roosevelt,  whose home and "summer White House" was Sagamore Hill.

The first panel was placed Oct. 13 on Audrey Avenue, near Town Hall, highlighting the Derby-Hall Bandstand. The popular meeting spot, created in 1909, was the location of multiple speeches by the 26th president before it was taken down due to wear and tear in 1939. 

Three other panels will likely be placed in the coming months, said Jonathan Parker, superintendent of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, one of 423 National Park Service sites nationwide. The National Park Service paid $5,310 for the panels and will maintain them.. 

“The purpose of the wayside panels, whether it's here or at other national parks, is to reveal the significance, the meaning of these important historical locations. And often, many are hiding in plain sight in our daily lives,” Parker said. 

As the Derby-Hall Bandstand panel reads, a group of volunteers led by former U.S. Rep. Leonard Wood Hall in 1979 built a replica bandstand. Now, the quaint space stands as a historical centerpiece in Oyster Bay. 

Parker said the partnership between the National Park Service and the Town of Oyster Bay is unique, since most historical exhibits funded by the federal agency are not located outside the boundary of a national park. 

“I think in this instance, it's a really nice attribute not only for Sagamore Hill visitors but also for local residents and visitors to Oyster Bay because they get a more complete understanding of the place that they're living, working or visiting,” Parker said. 

Three other panels will showcase the Moore Building, which served as a communication hub for Roosevelt's staff in 1903; Oyster Bay Bank, which housed executive offices for Roosevelt in 1902; and the Historic Oyster Bay Train Depot, which Roosevelt frequented, especially when he was the president of the New York City Police Board and commuted into the city, according to the panels. 

Each panel features rich context and images that connect current locations to Oyster Bay's historical significance. 

Denice Evans-Sheppard, executive director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, said it is “necessary for us to promote our history on all levels.”

“I love markers because it gives everyone an understanding as to who might have been here prior to our existence,” said Evans-Sheppard. “It's very important for us to reach back into our past to understand what happened, why it happened.”

Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the partnership with the National Park Service “creates a strong opportunity for people to learn about the national history in their local hamlet.” 

The Derby-Hall Bandstand, where the first panel now resides, is an example of a location where people walking in the downtown area may “not realize that bandstand was used by President Roosevelt to address the crowd on many occasions,” Saladino said.

Oyster Bay Town personnel will install the remaining panels, which need to be properly sited to allow routine utility work to occur, according to Saladino.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ