Comments on: Blydenburgh Park Historic District – Smithtown, NY

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:59:40 +0000

Correction in spelling above: “Rook” should be “took”. LOL!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:32:40 +0000

My Grandma was the Blydenburgh’s heir to this estate, but her husband of the time basically denied her to even speak of her Jewish heritage. She loved that estate and would have laid claim to it, had she not believed her husband would interfere, if you please. I love that the Weld family rook care of it and then sold it back to the state, to be preserved for all time. I also would have loved for it to be in the family, but of course, we never knew until many years later…the story in it’s entirety. I was just there last summer with my family and it is truly beautiful! Thanks for the post and the pictures!

By: manfredonia

manfredonia — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:35:55 +0000

The Blydenburgh -Weld House (1821) is the LIGBTC Headquarters in BlydenburghCountyPark. David Weld, a successful Manhattan Investment banker, bought the estate (Now the Park) from the Blydenburgh’s in 1936. The Blydenburgh’s owned the homes, the mill and land from the late 1700’s to 1936. The Welds owned the land until 1963 when a test of wills between David Weld and Robert Moses ended with the land becoming a CountyPark.
William Floyd Weld, son of David and his mother, Mary Floyd Weld, (a direct descendant of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence), grew up in a Gatsby like world of Long Island before he moved to Massachusetts. He served as Governor of that state from 1990 through 1996. His political base in Massachusetts included the law firm of Hill & Barlow, the Boston firm that defended Sacco and Vanzetti. William Weld’s ex-wife, Susan Roosevelt, is President Teddy Roosevelt’s great granddaughter.