1970-11-19

              ft'Lft'lIHGDALE PUBITr i t »
274 IWJISI. IC U B R / J , Y
FARHINCDALE. N. Y. j 1 ? 3
10c on newsstands,
or $ 6 yearly
by mail locally
POWELL HOUSE 1700 FARMINODALE OBSERVER
WHERE THE HISTORY OF YOUR COMMUNITY IS RECORDED WEEKLY
An Officiaf Newspaper of The Incorporated Village of Farmingdale — Serving Greater Farmingdale, Bethpage and Melville
Vol. 8 No. 13 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735- Thursday, November 19, 1970
TERRY WEATHERS BLASTS
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
A. Terry Weathers, member of the School District 22 board of
education, the Nassau- Suffolk School Boards Association and
President- Elect of the New York State School Boards Association
appearing on behalf of the N- SSBA before the Fleischmann Com­mittee
meetirtg at Hofstra University last Friday, called the tax years
1969- 70 and 1970- 71 the worst two years in the history of school tax.
Weathers pointed out that many taxpayers in Nassau and Suffolk
Counties suffered an increase in their school tax bill during the last
two years exceeding their total New York State income tax.
The 15 man Fleischmann Committee appointed by the Governor
and the Board of Regents is charged with making recommendations
on the quality, cost and financing of public education in the state. The
group is expected to make their recommendations in the fall of 1971
and is presently embarked on a series of eight public hearings
throughout the state.
According to Weathers, the Controller of the State, Arthur Levitt,
estimates that the New York State taxpayer, with an annual income
of $ 10,000 and four exemptions, on the average pays $ 175 in State in­come
tax. The median increase in the school tax bill in Nassau County
during the last two years was $ 151.02 on a home worth approximately
$ 21,500 and assessed at $ 6,000. In 19 out of 53 districts, the increase
ranged from $ 175 to $ 305.34. This is not their total school tax bill, this is
just the two- year increase. In western Suffolk County, the two year
increases range from $ 80.65 to $ 301.55. If the State had enacted a 20
percent surtax on the income tax returnable to the county of origin lor
school aid, as recommended by the Nassau- Suffolk School Boards
Association, the increase in the average income tax payment would
have been substantially less than the average increase in school
taxes.
Weathers emphasized that the Legislature and the Governor must
enact laws that remove from the local homeowner the present burden
of paying for school budgets.
In commenting on Weathers presentation, Association President,
( Continued on Page 12)
Treasure Chest from Days of Captain Kidd to be on Display on Sunday
Looking over the treasurer chest which dates back to the 1600' s and was
thought to have been on Captain Kidd's pirate ship is Mrs. Alonzo Gibbs of the
Farmingdale- Bethpage Historical Society who will tell about this find which was
kept in a house in Farmingdale for many years this Sunday prior to the bus tours
of historic interest leaving from the South Farmingdale Library at 1 p. m. and at
3 p. m. Many of the receipted bills found in the chest were from businesses in
Farmingdale and Bethpage such as the Stewart brick yard shown in the
photograph. ( See story). i » hotoby Jack pokre « s
A treasure chest, which is
believed to have been aboard
Captain Kidd's pirate craft and .
taken off by Jacob Conklin in the
1600' s, is on loan to the Far­mingdale
- Bethpage Historical
Society by Ma hi on Ketcham of
Speonk and will be on display for
the first time this Sunday,
November 22 from 3 to 6 p. m. at
the South Farmingdale Library.
The chest was once in the
possession of Alanson Ketcham
who lived at 881 South Main
Street, Farmingdale Conklin was
taken from a merchant vessel
upon the high seas and was
forced to serve on board Kidd's
vessel. Coming soon after into
Long Island Sound, Conklin was
sent ashore near Huntington to
procure water and he made his
escape and took up residence in
Half Hollow Hills. The Conklin's
married into the Ketcham
family, and came to Far­mingdale
in the late 1700' s.
The chest is bound in horse-hide
with brass studs; it has
leather hinges and a sturdy lock.
There are traces of the original
lining of blue paper which wore
out; the second lining is made of
newspapers. One dated 1836 and
is " The New York Spirit of the
Times; A Metropolitan Gazette of
the Sporting, Fashionable and
Literary World". The other lining
is probaby the Hempstead
Inquirer and is dated 1840.
Although there was no pirate
treasure in the chest, there is a
wealth of historical material. It
includes deeds, mortgages,
billheads, receipts, family
records such as marriage cer­tificates,
old newspaper clip­pings.
The receipted bills date
back to the 1860' s and many of the
old business firms of Far­mingdale
are represented:
Bausch Lumber Compan>,
Thompson Brothers general
store; A. T. Stewart Brickyard
( dated 1879) and others.
Also in the chest was a straight
razor with a horn handle given in
1861 to the grandfather Mahlon
Ketcham by Dr. George D.
Richmond of Amityville. Also in
the chest is an old tweezers.
The chest may be seen at the
South Farmingdale Library prior
to the bus tours of historic sites.
Illllllllllilllilllllllilllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllfllllll!!
Senior Citizens May
Apply For Exemption
The Board of Trustees of the
Incorporated Village of Far­mingdale
has adopted an
amendment to Ordinance No. 72
" Property Tax Exemption for the
Aged," increasing the income
allowance from $ 3,000 to $ 5,000
per year.
Applications are available at
the office of the Village Clerk, 361
Main Street, Farmingdale,
between the hours of 9 A. M. to 4
P. M.
Any qualified taxpayer of the
Incorporated Village of Far­mingdale
interested in making
application should do so prior to
December 30, 1970.