Suffolk County Nonprofit Secures Preservation Funding

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The Bethel-Christian Avenue - Laurel Hill Historic District neighborhood developed as residents migrated to surround the Bethel AME Church and Cemetery.

• The Bethel-Christian Avenue - Laurel Hill Historic District neighborhood developed as residents migrated to surround the Bethel AME Church and Cemetery.

ALBANY, NY (11/18/2015)(readMedia)-- The Preservation League of New York State will make a grant of $7,000 to Higher Ground Inter-Cultural & Heritage Associates, Inc. on Thursday, November 19 at 11:00 a.m. at The Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main Street, Setauket.

The grant will support the cost of completing an intensive level survey of the Bethel-Christian Avenue - Laurel Hill Historic District and surrounding community. The district has been locally designated by the Town of Brookhaven for its extensive Native American and African American history.

The neighborhood developed as residents migrated to surround the Bethel AME Church and Cemetery. Houses were either relocated or built on unusually large lots, and the practice of shared community gardening provided food for families throughout the year. This history is clearly evident in the remaining elements of the cultural landscape, but the community is threatened by development pressure. Local historic designation has not been sufficient to halt teardowns or new construction. This survey, to be completed by Judith Wellman of Historical New York Research Associates in Fulton, Oswego County, will document the community's history and its built environment.

"The quest by Higher Ground Inter-Cultural & Heritage Associates to commence a Cultural Resource Survey of the Bethel-Christian Avenue - Laurel Hill Historic District has finally become a reality," said Robert Lewis, president of the organization. "The uniqueness of the historic district is manifested by an actively-populated community of mixed-heritage African and Native American families, and their descendants that have survived in the same place for more than 220 years. Consequently, the historic district has become a living, physically visual history, with an African Methodist Episcopal Church at its core, which tells the story of the survival of a people and their traditions. For many years the threat of displacement has caused district residents to fight development pressure. Public recognition of the plight became noticeable when the Preservation League added the Bethel-Christian Avenue - Laurel Hill Historic District to its Seven to Save list of endangered places in 2014. The Cultural Resources Survey will be a significant step toward a more permanent preservation effort."

The Preserve New York Grant Program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. "With the announcement of the 2015 awards, the total support provided by Preserve New York since its launch in 1993 is just over $2 million to 320 projects statewide," said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. "Preserve New York has a strong track record of bolstering local preservation efforts and delivering a strong return on investment."

"At its August, 2015 meeting, the Preserve New York grant program panel selected 14 applicants in 11 counties around the state to share $114,990 in funding," said Erin Tobin, the League's Director of Preservation. "As always, the competition for these funds was intense. The Preservation League is delighted to help advance the preservation efforts of Higher Ground Inter-Cultural & Heritage Associates, Inc. with timely funding from Preserve New York."

Organizations and municipalities receiving grant awards in 2015 are: Albany County: City of Albany Department of Development and Planning; Cayuga County: Seward House Museum, Auburn; Chautauqua County: Jamestown Renaissance Corporation; Chemung County: Elmira Downtown Development, Inc. (EDD); Erie County: Landmark Society of Western New York; Monroe County (2): Town of Greece, Department of Development Services; Maplewood Neighborhood Association, Rochester; Montgomery County (2): Montgomery County Department of History and Archives; Village of Palatine Bridge; Niagara County: City of North Tonawanda; Schenectady County: Vale Cemetery Association, Schenectady; Schoharie County: Village of Schoharie; Suffolk County (2): Higher Ground Inter-Cultural & Heritage Associates, Brookhaven; Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, Shelter Island.

For more information on the Preserve New York Grant Program, please call 518-462-5658 x 10 or visit the League's website at www.preservenys.org.