RIDGE
SCHOOLHOUSE #22
Ridge School
Organized 1813
By
Thomas Bayles
Local Historian
Port Jefferson Times
December 5, 1947
When Brookhaven town was divided into school districts 1n
1813, the Ridge school was organized as district 22,
according to town records, "No. 22 is to embrace the
inhabitants east of Thomas Aldrich in Middletown (Middle
Island) , extending east to the Wading River line. The
territory covered by this School district was -covered
with thousands of acres of woodland when it was settled
some time before 1750, and for a great many years the
cutting and shipping of cordwood was an important
Industry with the farmers In this locality. Most of it
was hauled to the Sound shore where it was loaded on
sloops and shipped to New York and also up the river 'to
the brick yards at Haverstraw.
The early
settlers in what as then an isolated section were mostly
of the Randall families, and a few of the men who
received their early education in this school and who in
later years made their mark in the world included: Capt.
Sylvester Randall, who for 33 years conducted a sailing
packet line between Fort Jefferson and Bridgeport, before
the steamboat line was put into operation. Then there was
another Sylvester Randall who made a strike in the gold
fields of California during the "forty nine"
gold rush.
Josiah B.
Randall, who for years was manager of a large general
store in Port Jefferson. Joseph Lewis Randall, who was
working for the U. S. Christian Mission during the Civil
War. and who lost his life at Newbern, N. C. Another was
Jason Randall who took a load of supplies up the Yukon
during the Klondyke gold rush to the miners who were In
danger of starving In the frozen north. Another Prominent
man. was Captain Henry M. Randall, who was, a sea captain
for many years and afterward became president of the Bank
of Port Jefferson. Elbert Smith, who managed a sheep
ranch in the Cascade Mountains of California. J. Sturgis
Randall, who helped build the city of Norwalk, Conn.
Stephen M. Randall, who was a contractor and builder and
who helped develop the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn.
William G. Miller. who was a bank president and
Representative in the State Legislature from
Queens-Nassau counties for several years. John 0.
Randall, who is called the "Father of
Freeport," and was influential in the building and
development of Freeport.
The schoolhouse
now in use was built in 1872, and was also used for
holding religious services in connection with the
Presbyterian Church at Middle Island. Services were
conducted on Sunday afternoons for many years. The first
schoolteacher In the Present schoolhouse was Miss Cynthia
Hutchinson, who was Postmistress in Middle Island for
several years.
The district
Includes "Longwood," with its famous old Manor
house built before 1790. The old homestead is still
maintained by the present owner, Miss Helen Tangier
Smith, a direct descendant of Col. William Smith, who
settled in Setauket in 1686. He acquired a vast territory
extending along the middle country road eastward from the
Connecticut River in Middle Island, to Horn Tavern, and
extending south to the ocean. This was known as the,
Manor of St. George and was not annexed to Brookhaven
town until 1788.
Additional information (August 1999):
The schoolhouse was saved from destruction when the Ridge
Civic Association had the building moved to the Longwood
Estate. It is in the process of being restored. You can
view the old schoolhouse during the Longwood Fair the
second weekend every September.