New Suffolk's Historic Houses On Display

History will come alive on the North Fork as some of the area's oldest and most unique homes are put on view for a good cause this month.

New Suffolk's most historic buildings will be open to the public during a fundraising event on July 20 that aims to help preserve the local waterfront.

"The Sweet & Savory House Tour," with proceeds to benefit the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund, is a "house-garden-foodie event," according to organizers.

The event takes place on July 20 from 2 to 5 p.m. and includes a walk on Old Harbor Road for a inside look at eight of the hamlet's most memorable homes and gardens, as well as foods paired with North Fork wines.

The oldest house on the tour belonged to a fisherman, whose name is unknown, who built the small white clapboard cottage, which features hand-hewn beams and 17” wide planks, in 1743, according to a carpenter’s inscription on the house’s gable.

The structure is New Suffolk’s oldest building. On the property is a small building that was once an astronomical observatory. The telescope is gone, but a copper dome still crowns the roof. The defunct observatory is a relic of the one-time ownership of the house by Laurits Christian “Dan” Eichner, a Danish-born craftsman, machinist and metalworker.

"He was responsible for, among many other things, the manufacture of countless precision instruments, and some of the telescopic equipment at the Custer Institute, where he was active for many years," said Linda Auriemma of the NSWF.

The newest home on the tour, she said, is an "expansive, shingled, post and beam home" located on a 17.5-acre property, previously owned by a branch of the Wickham family, who owned the parcel for more than 300 years. 

The dark shingled house, with green trim, is surrounded by "beautiful gardens and a fabulous view of Cutchogue Harbor," Auriemma said. "So perfectly matched is it to the site that you might think it has been here forever, though it was completed only in 2004. In the owner's words, the  home combines the best elements of 'Nantucket and an Adirondack camp.' Virtually every room in the house has a view of the water."

The event will also feature live music.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call 631-566-0806 or click here.