Descendants fight to save historic 150-year-old Lucy Keyes home in Setauket
Family members are opposing plans to demolish the 1870 home and build three new houses, saying the property represents an important part of their family's history and legacy.
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A home that has stood in Setauket for more than 150 years is at the center of a fight over its future.
Descendants of Lucy Keyes packed Wednesday's Town of Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals meeting to oppose a proposal to demolish her 1870 home and build three new, two-story houses on the property.
"I vehemently am opposed to this proposal," one person said during the meeting.
Family members say the home is more than just a house. They say it represents their family's history and legacy.
Ronald Keyes, Lucy Keyes' grandson, spent his childhood living in the home with his grandmother.
"I loved the home. My grandmother worked hard for the house. She paid for the house by working very hard," he said.
Historians say Lucy Keyes was the first woman to own property in the area.
Helen Sells, a historian with the Setalcott Nation, said preserving the home would help keep that history alive for future generations.
"It's a part of our home and history. As long as it stands there, it will be passed on. In every house down there, there is something we can talk about," Sells said.
The family hopes to preserve the property and turn the home into a museum.
ChiiTra Wells, Lucy Keyes' great-niece, said the home represents an important part of the area's history, particularly the history of Black property ownership.
"It preserves history. No one can touch it. We need people to understand that people of color owned their own homes. We owned land. It wasn't just slavery," Wells said.
The family's opposition may have made an impact.
Following the meeting, Larry Davis, a representative for the buyer, said he would recommend preserving the historic home and building the three new houses behind it instead.
"I just want everyone to know that spoke, I heard every comment and every concern," Davis said.
The Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals is expected to revisit the proposal on Nov. 4.
