The Old Bethpage Village Restoration is a recreated living museum village in Old Bethpage, New York. The village opened in 1970 with dozens of historic structures that had been saved from demolition by Nassau County. Costumed actors provide demonstrations of 19th-century life. It is the site of the annual Long Island Fair. The village came into existence in 1963, when Nassau County acquired the Powell property, a farm located on the Nassau-Suffolk border. According to notes written on the county's 1959 master plan, the site originally was planned to become the Nassau County Zoo.
Description
There are currently 51 preserved and seven reconstructed buildings arranged to simulate a typical mid-19th-century Long Island farming village. Only twenty of the buildings are open to the public.
Buildings
The Powell Farmhouse is the only building that was originally located at the site before it was purchased by the county. The Manetto Hill Methodist Church from Plainview was the first building moved to the site. Layton's Store sells candy while the Noon Inn is a working tavern which sells root beer and pretzels. The Schenck House is a 1730 Dutch farmhouse. The Bach Blacksmith Shop from Hicksville is used to repair and create all the ironworks used in the village.
Activities
There are a number of weekend events including Civil War re-enactments and holiday events, celebrating such occasions as the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. In the winter, there are also Candlelight Evenings when the front portion of the village is open at night, and the village is decorated for a 19th-century Christmas. There are caroling and specialty snacks and cider, among other festivities. Other special events include "Sheep to Shawl" days, Hands-on-History Sundays, and Halloween complete with ghost tours, pumpkin carving, and a scavenger hunt. Additionally, the Long Island Fair has been held at the site since the village opened; the fair includes a series of vintage baseball games, played with the mid-19th-century rules, as well as craft sales, and demonstrations of 19th-century crafts and occupations. In recent years, there has been a small summer camp organized for local children in the village, called the Junior Apprentice Program. In 2017, the Restoration added several escape room style interactive games that take place in the historic houses themselves.
The Old Bethpage Village Brass Band is a regularly performing Civil War-style brass band that can oftentimes be seen marching the streets and performing outdoor afternoon concerts. The band was formed by Dr. Kirby Jolly and was featured as one of brass bands on Ken Burns' 1990 PBS mini-series, The Civil War. The Old Bethpage Village Brass Band is the one early American brass band that is fully supported by a county parks department in the country.
Restoration Farm
A small private sustainable organic farm was organized on of the village in 2007. It sells its produce at a farm stand and through a CSA.
Potential closing
In February 2009, Nassau County ExecutiveThomas Suozzi proposed closing all county parks, including Old Bethpage Village Restoration, in order to reduce the county deficit. There was a petition against this proposal, which claimed that 35,000 students visit the village every year.
