Community Corner
Old-Fashioned Trolley Ride Will Take Off In Sayville
BHA re-creates Suffolk Traction's original route from Sayville to Patchogue.
“All aboard!” for the Bayport Heritage Association-organized TROLLEY Ride from Sayville to Patchogue.
July 2011 marks the 100-year anniversary of SUFFOLK TRACTION trolley service, which eventually ran between Patchogue, Blue Point, Bayport and Sayville between the years 1911 and 1919.
The first trolley car arrived in Blue Point from Patchogue on July 1, 1911. Fare was five cents. SUFFOLK TRACTION eventually ran four streetcars, and at its peak, the line carried up to 1,000 passengers a day.
By 1919, the popularity of the automobile and a new bus route doomed our trolley line.
On Saturday, July 16, 2011, Bayport Heritage Association will re-create SUFFOLK TRACTION and run a trolley on four trips following the original route of SUFFOLK TRACTION from Sayville to Patchogue. The trolley will depart Meadowcroft at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Each trip on the BHA trolley will last about 90 minutes.
Four local historians on board will provide a historical commentary as the trolley goes through Sayville (Connie Currie), Bayport (Jim Connell), Blue Point (Gene Horton) and Patchogue ( Pete Berman).
Each passenger will receive a multi-page historical booklet, a special souvenir wooden nickel, refreshments on the porch at Meadowcroft and free admission into Meadowcroft to see the two special exhibits there this summer: SUFFOLK TRACTION and “The Evolution of Lighting in America” exhibits.
There are only 120 tickets available for this 100-year anniversary trolley ride. Reserve your ticket today by calling 472-1898. Cost per person is only $20.
