Conklin House

Written By Dino DiPietro

Here’s a detailed history of the Nathaniel Conklin House—commonly known as the Conklin House—in Babylon, Long Island:

🏛️ Origins & Naming of Babylon

  • The house was constructed in 1803 by Nathaniel Conklin, a major landowner and industrialist who operated a tannery in what was then called South Huntington (later renamed Babylon)

  • Legend holds that Conklin’s mother, Phebe Conklin, compared the burgeoning settlement—by their new home and a tavern—to the biblical city: “Babylon.” Nathaniel reportedly responded: “Oh, no Mother! It will be a New Babylon” and inscribed these words on a marble tablet in the chimney

  • The name stuck, and by 1830, the U.S. Post Office formally changed the name from “Huntington South” to Babylon

Architecture & Structure

  • The house is a two-story, five-bay frame building with a rectangular main block and attached 1½-story kitchen wing, featuring Colonial-Federal/Postmedieval English craftsmanship

  • Notably, it retains original hand-split and dressed shingles, butt-nailed with cut nails—preserved craftsmanship from the 1803 construction

Relocation & Changing Uses

  • Originally located at the northeast corner of Main Street and Deer Park Avenue, the house was moved in 1871 to its current site: 280 Deer Park Avenue, just south of the railroad

  • After changing owners multiple times by 1815, it fell into decline post-1882 due to mortgage issues

  • In 1915, Mary Mentz transformed the home into a boarding house, serving traveling salesmen and laborers involved with Long Island Railroad and Sunrise Highway construction

  • In 1945, heirs of the Sammis family donated the house to the American Red Cross, which used it as headquarters until 1989

Preservation & Museum Status

  • Threatened with demolition in 1989, the Village of Babylon stepped in, purchased the property, and initiated restoration efforts beginning in 1990

  • The house received national recognition when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 1988, under reference number 88002683

  • Today, it serves as a local history museum, managed by the Village’s Historical & Preservation Society, showcasing the region's transition from a farm community to a vacation and suburban resort town

Significance Summary

  • Founder Legacy: Built and named by a pivotal figure in Babylon’s development.

  • Architectural Integrity: Retains original early-19th-century craftsmanship.

  • Adaptive Reuse: Reflects the area’s evolution through roles as family home, boarding house, nonprofit HQ, and museum.

  • Community Champion: Saved by local action, now a public historical resource.

Dino DiPietro