Huntington Grant Will Assess Preserving Historical Crippen House

HUNTINGTON, NY —The Peter Crippen house, a historic structure on Creek Road in Halesite, may be preserved, at least partially. Huntington Town has received funds from the Preservation League of New York State to assess what can be salvaged from the structure, owned by the founder of Bethel AME Church, the first black church in Huntington.

The town purchased the home from Crippen's descendants in 2017.

On Wednesday, Huntington Town Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci announced the town received a $4,000 grant for a structural evaluation of the house to see if it can be partially preserved and moved to another site.

Lupinacci said Wednesday in a news release: “We are thrilled to announce this significant development in our efforts to preserve Huntington’s Black History, which is a priority to my administration, and we are grateful to the Preservation League of New York State for sharing our belief that the preservation of the Peter Crippen House, named for one of our first African American landowners in Huntington, is worthy of this investment.”

The location for reconstruction has not yet been determined and the town estimates the evaluation could begin as early as March.

Parts of the historic home date from 1658. Crippen bought the home in 1864 after founding African Methodist Ebenezer Church in Huntington, now Bethel AME.

In December 2019 the house and garage were declared structurally unsound by the town and is now behind a locked gate. Efforts to salvage timbers or parts of the home will be part of any demolition plan, town officials say.

In January, an archeological dig took place on the site and the findings will be presented to the town once completed.

The house is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, allowing the town to apply for state grants for the site.