Smithtown

A 90-minute train ride east of Manhattan, Smithtown is a world away from New York City with its long rural history and sprawling suburban present. The town's creation myth, that Native Americans granted its founder as much land as he could cover on his pet bull, is captured in a five-ton bronze statue, as well as a town seal and school mascot that bear the image of that mythical ride. But the town's actual development is far richer, having been impacted by generations of African slaves, Irish, Italian, and Norwegian immigrants, and wealthy summer residents. A farming and mill-based economy in the 19th century, Smithtown became a suburban magnet in the 1950s and one of the fastest-growing locales in New York State.

Title: New Book Compares Smithtown's Past to Present
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Date: 6/6/2011

The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing's Then & Now series is Smithtown from local authors Bradley Harris, Kiernan Lannon and Joshua Ruff, with photographs by John DiGiacomo. The book boasts more than 200 vintage and modern images chronicling the growth of Smithown. Like many towns across America, Smithtown has struggled to balance commercial and residential growth with its historic features and sense of place.

Bradley Harris, Kiernan Lannon, and Joshua Ruff, authors of Images of America: Smithtown, have collaborated once again to explore new layers of their community's history. Working with photographer John DiGiacomo, these historians mined the collection of the Smithtown Historical Society to select images from the town's past, which, when set beside their modern companions, reveal both enormous change and comforting continuity.

Comparing our present to our past is how we understand our history. Arcadia's Then & Now series make such local comparisons available. Books in this series offers a special view of American life by placing historical images side by side with contemporary photographs.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Title: Writers and Photographer Document Smithtown's Past and Present
Author: Rita J. Egan
Publisher: Smithtown Patch
Date: 6/15/2011

After the success of their first book, Images of America: Smithtown, Bradley Harris, Kiernan Lannon and Joshua Ruff decided to work on another publication dedicated to the town. The decision resulted in Smithtown: Then & Now.

Arcadia Publishing's Then & Now series allows readers to compare historical and contemporary photos of locations and structures side-by-side. Smithtown historian Harris, Smithtown Historical Society executive director Lannon and museum curator Ruff knew they had the historical photos for this second book.

As for a photographer for the current photos, Smithtown resident John DiGiacomo learned about the project from his mother-in-law Lillian Munro. The former corporate executive turned photographer gladly joined the team.

The group chose the best photos to use from archives of the Smithtown Historical Society. Harris said he, Lannon and Ruff then provided the captions that appear with each picture trying their best to include the most important facts within a few sentences.

For DiGiacomo the project involved working with various light and street conditions trying his best to re-stage the historical photos. The photographer said for the cover shot it took three tries to shoot the bull statue to get the same feel of the area as when the general store was located there.

The collaborators also tried to find pictures from the archives to represent each of the communities in Smithtown.

Ruff said he thought, "Wouldn't this be great if people could use this as sort of a tour guide."

A chapter on Main Street includes locations from east to west along the road. Harris said it was important to include Main Street, which provides a great example of structures that were saved and lost.

When Harris first became town historian, he said he depended on asking questions of long-time residents. He hopes the book will be a tool for those interested in local history.

"We laid the groundwork for future historians," said Harris.

Ruff also hopes the book will inspire those who would like to know more about the town and said the historical society welcomes researchers.

Lannon, who is originally from Illinois, believes the book shows the Smithtown community's efforts to balance progress and preservation.

"This book does a great justice to exhibiting the struggle to maintain a balance of then and now and the costs of the struggle," said Lannon. "And you can certainly learn a lot about the character of a community by seeing how it has grown to become what it is today."