Blydenburgh County Park
Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown, Suffolk County, NY
627 acres

Directions:

You can take Grand Central parkway to the Northern State Parkway. Travel to the end of Northern State Parkway to Veterans Memorial Highway.

The main (southern) entrance to the park is on the north side of Veterans Memorial Highway, opposite the H. Lee Dennison County Center in Smithtown. The northern entrance can be reached by following 347 to Brookside Drive north; turn left on New Mill Road and follow to park entrance at end.

History:

Around 1798 -- Elizabeth and Susannah Smith Blydenburgh, descendants of the Smiths of Smithtown and wives of Benjamin and Isaac Blydenburgh, inherit the land that is now the park.

Susannah and Isaac bought out Elizabeth's share and constructed a mill complex with Isaac's cousins, Joshua and Caleb Smith.

1821  -- Blydenburgh-Weld house built. Nearby mill complex.

1938 -- David and Mary Floyd Weld buy the land.

1965 -- Suffolk County purchases the property.  On the grounds is the historic Blydenburgh-Weld House (now housing the Long Island Greenbelt Office). 

1969 -- Suffolk County names the property Blydenburgh Park.

Cynthia Blair, Newsday Names of Long Island
http://www.newsday.com/features/custom/names

Habitats:

Richly forested hills and valleys at the headwaters of the Nissequogue River, rowing and fishing on lovely Stump Pond, casual strolls through an historic district featuring a grist mill.

Facilities and Activities:

Open to Suffolk County residents and their guests.  The activities available at Blydenburgh include: Hiking, picnicking, camping, freshwater fishing, rowboat rentals, and bridle paths.

Horseback riders may ride or trailer their mounts to Blydenburgh to utilize an extensive bridle path system and practice ring. Trailer parking is available at the northern (New Mill Road) entrance. Suffolk County Parks Horseback Riding Permits are required and must be visibly displayed by all riders.

Freshwater fishing for pumpkinseed sunfish, large-mouth bass, perch and bluegill is permitted at Stump Pond between sunrise and sunset. New York State freshwater fishing laws apply. Rowboat rentals are generally available from mid-May to Labor Day. Use the southern (Veteran's Memorial Hwy) entrance for these activities.

Trails:

Hikes through Blydenburgh are led on a regular basis by the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference, whose headquarters are located in one of the Historic District houses.

PLANTS:

Acer rubrum (red maple)
Nyssa sylvatica (tulip tree)
Anemone quinquefolia (wood anemone)
Lycopodium obscurum (ground pine clubmoss)

There are some old tupelo trees along the southern shore of the eastern portion of Stump Pond (dammed about 1798). (Daniel Karpen)

Atlantic white cedar removed during the colonial era.

Field Trip Report:


June 1, 1975.

The following was prepared by Mrs. Lynn M. Hirsch, who was unable to lead the trip.

Blydenburgh Park, located in Smithtown Township, Suffolk County, is an area of limited human interference in the recent past. Opened in 1967, it comprises 580 acres, including 112 acres under the waters of New Mill Pond. Historical records indicated that this 3-armed pond originated in 1798 when two tributaries of the Nissequoque River were dammed for a sawmill and a gristmill. The Suffolk County Planning Commission has designed the mill area at the northern end of the pond as an historic preservation site. The New Mill Restoration area covers approximately 2 acres and includes the original earthen dam and roadway, the old grist mill, the miller's house, and the foundation of an old saw mill, all dated circa 1800. The area is at the spillway of the New Mill Pond, which is part of the headwaters of the Nissequogue River.

The topography of Blydenburgh Park consists of flat topped ridges of uniform height separated by small, shallow valleys, all of which converge on the two large, elongated valleys, which contain the pond. As the plateaus slope abruptly towards the pond, the predominant habitats are either very well-drained uplands or wet bottom-lands. Moister upland slopes occur only along the pond's eastern shores. .........

Attendance was 7. The trip leader was Andrew Greller.