The Battle of Long Island went down in history as a major defeat for the fledgling American army and George Washington. The fighting in late August 1776 focused around the Gowanus Heights in Brooklyn and saw the patriots outflanked on their left, routed by Hessians in the center, and hunted down across the marshy Gowanus Creek. Washington did manage to evacuate most of his troops but the fight for survival over the coming crucial months left Long Island a bitter memory best left forgotten.

But today we remember with our guide Dan Davis, Senior Education Associate at the American Battlefield Trust. In this 250th anniversary year of the American Revolution, we look back at this pivotal battle. Although a definite military defeat, it produced heroes like William Alexander, Lord Sterling and the men of the 1st Maryland Regiment. And the battle is a great opportunity to discuss the meaning of these sites in the history of America and the importance of preserving them for future generations.

Further Research

• American Battlefield Trust
• Green-Wood Cemetery
• Prospect Park
• American Veterans Archaeological Recovery
• Intro Music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
• Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0

The story of the Carnegie Library in Patchogue is a great case study in library history. The village started with an association library in the late 1800s, a subscription-based collection of books that floated between stores and offices and languished for lack of funds. Then the women's suffragist organization Sorosis spearheaded the effort to turn the neglected collection into a New York State-chartered public library by 1900.

The next leap was a $10,000 donation (later raised to $15,000) from steel magnate and library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The money funded the construction of a neo-classical building on Lake St. that brought state-of-the-art library service to the people of Patchogue. However, by the end of the 20th century the public library had moved down the block, Briarcliff College had come and gone, and the Carnegie building sat empty, soon endangered by looming development.

The story has a happy ending as the building now sits at the corner of West Main St. and West Ave, serving as a vibrant teen center and a museum for the Greater Patchogue Historical Society. How did that happen? Listen to Patchogue librarians Jessi Bouchelle and Gary Lutz, along with the Historical Society's Steve Lucas, tell the tale.

Further Research

• Teen Center at the Patchogue Carnegie Library
• Patchogue Medford Library History
• Greater Patchogue Historical Society
• Carnegie Libraries Across America
• Van Slyck, Abigail A. "" The Utmost Amount of Effectiv [sic] Accommodation": Andrew Carnegie and the Reform of the American Library." The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 50, no. 4 (1991): 359-383.
• Intro Music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
• Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0

Today's episode is a recording of a panel discussion hosted on January 15, 2026 by the Long Island Library Resources Council. The panelists, all notable historians who have researched the Revolutionary War period on Long Island, give their insights into what life was like in the area from 1776-1783. This time of British occupation saw the inhabitants of Kings, Queens, and Suffolk counties suffer depredations brought on by British and Hessian troops as well as by Patriot attacks from across Long Island Sound. You'll hear about the enslaved Black woman Liss from Oyster Bay, about the activities of the Culper Spy Ring, and the experiences of others ranging from British officer John Simcoe to Elizabeth Lewis, wife of Declaration signatory Francis Lewis.

The panel itself was funded by a WETA grant awarded to LILRC in support of programming related to the PBS documentary The American Revolution by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt.

Further Research

• The American Revolution (PBS)
• Dr. Joanne Grasso
  • The American Revolution on Long Island. (Find in a library via WorldCat)
  • George Washington's 1790 Grand Tour of Long Island. (Find in a Library via WorldCat)
• Dr. Natalie Naylor
  • Women in Long Island's Past: A History of Eminent Ladies and Everyday Lives. (Find in a library via WorldCat)
  • Long Island Studies Institute
• Claire Bellerjeau
  • Remember Liss.org
  • Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: the True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth. (Find in a library via WorldCat)
• Long Island Library Resources Council
• Feature image from the New York Public Library
• Intro Music: https://homegrownstringband.com/
• Outro music: Capering by Blue Dot Sessions CC BY-NC 4.0