Roslyn Landmark Society

06/05/2026

Built around 1870, Napoleon Forget’s Horse Shoeing & General Blacksmithing shop at 167 Main Street was the largest blacksmith operation in the village, providing essential services for horses, wagons & the everyday needs of a growing community.

This wasn’t just a blacksmith shop. The second floor housed a paint shop specializing in carriage & wagon painting, lettering, monograms & trimming, making it a one stop destination for transportation in the days before the automobile.

Located between what are now 153 Main Street & 179 Main Street, the building remained a familiar part of the streetscape until it was demolished sometime after 1927.

Today, the site has a very different purpose. The former location of Napoleon Forget’s shop is now part of the parking area serving Gerry Pond Park on Main Street, owned by the Town of North Hempstead.

06/02/2026

This Saturday Main Street belongs to us. Craig Westergard is opening the clock tower and the newly renovated movie theater and giving Roslyn families an inside look at the village we love. This is the kind of morning that becomes a story you tell for years. June 6th, 10am. Free for members. Link in bio. 🕰️🎬

05/15/2026

From colonial industry to modern restoration… the story of the Roslyn Grist Mill is finally on film.

Created by Roslyn Landmark Society member Florence Westergaard & narrated by her husband Craig Westergaard, this new documentary explores the history, preservation & remarkable restoration of one of the village’s most iconic landmarks.

Built in the early 1700s, the Roslyn Grist Mill is one of the oldest surviving industrial buildings in the United States, a rare connection to the village’s earliest days & the generations that helped shape it.

The film takes viewers through the mill’s evolution, decline & extraordinary revival… preserving not just a building, but a piece of living American history.

It’s a story about craftsmanship, community & why historic preservation matters more than ever.
A special thank you to the incredible team helping bring this restoration to life:

✨ Chris Cole of Cole Construction, Construction Manager for the project, overseeing construction coordination, timelines & project ex*****on

✨ Nancy Rankin of John G. Waite Associates, lead architect for the restoration since the original feasibility study in 2004

✨ Dylan Governale of Excav Services, leading major construction efforts from the foundation work through continued Phase 2 restoration

✨ Jan Lewandoski of Restoration & Traditional Building, master timber framer responsible for restoring & reinstalling the mill’s historic timber frame

Their craftsmanship, expertise & dedication continue to preserve an irreplaceable piece of American history for future generations.

Watch the full documentary now on YouTube (link in bio) & experience one of Roslyn’s greatest landmarks in a whole new way!

05/06/2026

Big news from the Roslyn Landmark Society. After more than seven years of exceptional leadership, Howard Kroplick is stepping down as President, leaving a lasting legacy. We are deeply grateful, Howard. We’re excited to welcome our new officer slate: Jordan Fensterman as newly elected Co-President alongside sitting Co-President John Santos, Rosanna Wolff & Aviv Fine as newly elected Co-Vice Presidents with sitting Co-VP Mitchell Schwartz, and Noam Shemel elected as newly appointed Secretary. The mission marches on, and the future looks bright. 🏛️

05/05/2026

🚨ATTENTION: Middle & high school students!🚨

Field Notes is the Roslyn Landmark Society’s new summer program designed to take learning beyond the classroom & into the real world. Explore Roslyn’s historic sites, work with primary sources, conduct research & develop written pieces that document local history through a modern lens.

The program runs May 23 through September 30, 2026 & last day to apply is May 11th. Visit roslynlandmarks.org or reach out directly through the link in bio to get involved!

05/01/2026

History, but make it hands on.

Field Notes is the Roslyn Landmark Society’s new summer program for Long Island students! Designed to take learning beyond the classroom & into the real world, participants will explore Roslyn’s historic sites, work with primary sources, conduct research & develop their own written pieces that document local history through a modern lens.

This isn’t just a history program, it’s an opportunity to build skills in storytelling, critical thinking & observation while engaging directly with the places that shaped the community.

Students will gain experience in research, writing & historical interpretation all while contributing to the preservation of Roslyn’s story. The program runs May 23 through September 30, 2026 & last day to apply is May 11th. Visit roslynlandmarks.org or reach out directly through the link in bio to get involved!

04/30/2026

We're looking for a few curious Long Island students this summer!

The Roslyn Landmark Society is launching Field Notes, an independent summer program nested under the framework of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation's Long Island History Hunt.

Roslyn Landmark Society Field Notes students spend the summer visiting historic sites across Long Island, documenting what they find, and publishing their work under their own names on Roslyn Landmark Society platforms.

Students earn community service hours, a certificate of completion, and a recommendation letter upon request - in addition, full registration and participation in the Long Island History Hunt program, beyond Field Notes, earns the students a chance at winning one of the LIHH program's cash prizes!

No experience required. Just a smartphone and a genuine curiosity about the world around you.

Applications close May 11, 2026. Apply here: https://tinyurl.com/ywh9d49w

Questions? Email [email protected].

04/27/2026

Promise made. Promise kept. On a sun-drenched April afternoon, and the trustees & staff of the gathered at the site of Roslyn’s most beloved landmark to deliver the 2nd installment toward restoring the Roslyn Grist Mill. Built between 1715 and 1741, this rare surviving Dutch-framed watermill is the first commercial building ever established in our village, and today, it got one million reasons to believe its best days are still ahead.

04/26/2026

https://conta.cc/48iypDm

Email from VanderbiltCupRaces.com   This week's newsletter features a 9-minute film on a preservation project that I have been working on for over 10 years. If you enjoy VanderbiltCupRaces.com, I enco