ABOUT OLD CHESTER HILLS
Old Chester Hills was developed by Wade & Wichard from late 1954 to 1957. Resembling an old New England settlement, Old Chester Hills lies on rolling, richly tree-dotted land in Huntington, New York. The individual homes, set along winding country lanes, conform to that terrain so ranch homes have an expanse of broad lawns, while split level homes rest on hillsides for which they were meant. Each home in Old Chester Hills occupies approximately one acre of grounds, landscaped to the part of the community scene as a whole.
Today, Old Chester Hills contains 234 homes and is accessible by only three entrances: one onto Godfrey Lane from Little Plains Road, one onto Greenhill Lane from Little Planes Road and one onto Godfrey Lane from Warner Road.
THE HISTORY OF OLD CHESTER HILLS
The land that was developed into what is now known as "Old Chester Hills" was sold by Walter and Margaret Beh to the original builders, Wade & Wichard on May 18th, 1954.
Walter Beh was born in New York City in 1882 and Margaret Buser Beh, a native of Haardt, Germany. Margaret came to the United States at the age of 11 months on July 5, 1898. They married in Brookly in 1916 and moved to Long Island in 1935.
Mrs. Beh, a horse lover, wanted property that could accommodate horses. They found such a place in what was then called Greenlawn. The property originally 110 acres, which later grew to over 300 acres, had a 15 box stall stable, a large barn, a brood stable and a mile turf racetrack.
Mr Beh was not a horse person but Mrs. Beh was an accomplished polo player and was captain of the Long Island Women's Polo team. She also played for many years in Florida. According to her son Bruce, there were as many as 15 horses in the stables. These included hunters, polo ponies, trotters, pacers and work horses. Horse drawn mowers were used to cut the lawn in the front of the house.
At one time, before homes were built, there was a 20 acre hay field with a practice area for "stick and balling". The hay was mowed and rakes with horse equipment, loaded onto hay wagons and stored in the loft of the barn.
"Chester" was a hunter that Mrs. Beh competed with at the National Horse Show in old Madison Square Garden. She and her son Bruce, were members of of the Meadowbrook and Smithtown hunts. Hounds met from time to time on the front lawn and ended there and tea was served afterwards. The Smithtown Hunt Club was organized in 1900 and is now the only hunt surviving on Long Island.
Walter Beh was the founder of a wood houseware manufacturing business with a factory in upstate New York. Among the products his company made was the "curtain stretcher", used to dry lace curtains.
Another interesting property in Old Chester Hills, contributing to its history, was known as Dumpling Hill during the 1700's. The original owner was Michael Remp. The Michael Remp House is listed on the National Historic Registry as well as a Huntington Historic House. Title passed to Michael Remp's son Joseph in 1801 and eventually to his great-grandson, Joel, who lived in the house from 1850 to 1903. In 1903 Joel traded the farm for three houses on what is now Smith Street in Greenlawn. After the trade it was owned by the Oswald family. It was later owned or occupied by several parties and tenant farmers until 1950 when it was acquired by Allen L. Woodworth. The Woodworth Farm had guinea hens, bantam chickens, white pigeons and sheep. Many original owners in Old Chester Hills can remember seeing the sheep grazing on the front lawn. The exact acreage of the farm is unknown, but it extended west along Little Plains Road to Broadway and some distance south.
The last of the three estates on Godfrey Lane to be developed was the 10 acre estate of Mr. & Mrs. A.T. Wilder.
Mrs. Louise Wilder, a Rhodes Scholar, was a grandchild of Samuel Gardner Wilder, one of the first missionaries to go to Hawaii. The missionary family in the book Hawaii by James Michener, was based on Samuel. Mr Wilder cultivated roses on his property on Godfrey Lane and had 900 rose bushes growing on the estate.
Louise Wilder was a driving force in Town civic matters, starting with the creation of the original zoning map for the Town of Huntington. Another of her many lasting achievements was the acquisition of single separate properties along Manor Road and the south border of Old Chester Hills creating a "picture frame" of undeveloped natural woodland known as Berkeley Jackson Park.
BERKELEY JACKSON COUNTY PARKLAND
The last of the three estates on Godfrey Lane to be developed for Old Chester Hills was the 10 acre estate of Mr. & Mrs. A.T. Wilder.
Mrs. Louise Wilder, a Rhodes Scholar, was a grandchild of Samuel Gardner Wilder, one of the first missionaries to go to Hawaii. Louise was a driving force in Town civic matters, starting with the creation of the original zoning map for the Town of Huntington. One of her many lasting achievements, was the acquisition of single separate properties along Manor Road and the south border of Old Chester Hills creating a "picture frame" of undeveloped natural woodland known as Berkeley Jackson Park.
Old Chester Hills abuts Berkeley Jackson Park, a 100-acre hidden gem with access only for walking and hiking. The western part of the park contains the remnants of two former sand quarries. It is a jewel in the heart of Huntington. The main entrance to the park is on manor road with an additional entrance on Warner road and hidden trails via Old Chester Hills and surrounding neighborhoods.
Adjoining Berkeley Jackson County Park is Manor Farm, a 20-acre Town of Huntington Park purchased in 2000 to serve as a trailhead to link the two parks. Prior to the purchase, Manor Farm was an animal farm, known to many in the area because of the array of exotic animals kept there. The Town of Huntington restored the Manor Farm residence to a period circa 1860. Starflower Experiences, Inc. provides environmental education programs that take advantage of the adjoining trails.
OAKES CEMETERY
Designated a Town of Huntington Historic Site in 1980, the Oakes Cemetery is hidden in the heart of Old Chester Hills. Located at the intersection of Beaverhill Lane and Whistlerhill Lane, the cemetery is in memory of Ephram Oakes, a soldier of the American Revolution, who fought with General Montgomery at the Siege of Quebec 1753-1846. Ephram Oakes was born in 1753 (actual birth date unknown) and died April 21, 1846 at the age of 93.
According to the Town of Huntington's Historian, Richard Huges Esquire:
There is evidence of 13 burials in Oakes Cemetery, three of which were marked with simple field stones. Three other grave markers are damaged or missing.
However, based on earlier inventories of the cemetery, we know who is buried in nine of the graves:
1. Walter Oakes, died 1858 (age 61)
2. Keturah, wife of Walter Oakes died 1852 (age 50)
3. Mary, wife of Ephram Oakes, died 1840 (age 82)
4. Ephram Oakes, died 1846 (age 93)
5. Unknown
6. Jesse Oakes, died 1878 (age 84)
7. Platt, son of John & Keturah Jarvis, died 1827 (age 22)
8. Jeffrey Jarvis, died 1849 (age 46)
9. William, son of John & Keturah Jarvis died 1835 (age 10)
10. Sarah, wife of James Weeks, died 1874
Ephram Oakes, a veteran of the American Revolution is, of course, the most famous of the group. The rest appear to be family members, although unconfirmed. According to legend, Ephram Oakes lived at what is now known as Godfrey Lane, which was built around 1750, presumably by his father. Ephram, who was born in 753, would have grown up there.
The cemetery was adopted by the Old Chester Hills Civic Association in 1985, and the civic association maintains and upkeeps these historical grounds.
