Booker T. Washington

Written By Dino DiPietro

Here are the key historical details regarding Booker T. Washington’s residences in the Town of Huntington:

🏡 Summer Home in Fort Salonga (Northport area)

  • Booker T. Washington purchased a summer home at 30 Cousins Street, Fort Salonga (Northport postal address), in 1911. The two-story house sat on a bluff overlooking the Long Island Sound and served as his summer retreat through 1914

  • The property, acquired in 1911 from J. Cornell Brown, included about 2.5 acres and 250 feet of shoreline

  • During his summers here, Washington participated in community life—attending Bethel A.M.E. Church, teaching Sunday School, and delivering public speeches

  • In 2005, the Town of Huntington designated the house as a historic landmark, though it eventually fell into disrepair

  • Despite threats of demolition due to coastal erosion and owner petitions, preservation efforts prevailed. In 2022, new preservation-minded owners purchased the property

🪧 Historical Marker – Fort Salonga Home

  • A Town of Huntington historic marker titled “Summer Home of Booker T. Washington” was erected in 2003 near the property.

  • The marker reads:

“Black Educator, Author, Founder of Tuskegee Univ. Spent Summers here 1911–1915.”
It’s located at 40° 55.422′ N, 73° 18.03′ W, on Cousins Street approximately 0.2 miles west of Juliet Lane

🏘️ Huntington Village Investment Property

  • In May 1914, Booker T. Washington purchased a house at 43 Green Street, Huntington Village (today the location of Finley’s Restaurant)

  • He never lived in it; its purchase is believed to have been for rental income

  • A marker commemorating this was installed in 2022, noting:

“Civil rights activist, advocate for self‑reliance summered in Huntington 1907–14. Lectured & taught Sunday school in town. Owned this building for income.”
The marker stands at the property via Green Street near West Carver Street

🛡️ Significance & Legacy

  • These homes reflect Washington’s national prominence and his close ties to Huntington—highlighting his roles as educator, lecturer, community leader, and Tremendous proponent of self-reliance for African Americans

  • The survival of the Fort Salonga home and its ongoing preservation efforts underscore its historical importance and Washington’s lasting footprint in the area.

Dino DiPietro