Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Bethel Christian ave., Laurel Hill Historic District

The Bethel-Christian Avenue-Laurel Hill Historic District (BCALH) was established and recognized by the Town of Brookhaven in 2005. It is a half-mile long stretch of Christian Avenue that includes the homes of several mixed heritage Native American and African American families as well as Bethel AME Church of Setauket, Laurel Hill Cemetery, and the Irving Hart Memorial Legion Hall. The BCALH was founded in response to the loss of the R.W. Hawkins house, a small 19th century cottage that was home to members of the. Established in 2005, this half-mile historic district preserves the Bethel AME Church, Laurel Hill Cemetery, and the homes of tightly knit families of mixed Native American and African American descent. Acknowledging these shared neighborhoods challenges the harmful myth of Native disappearance, illustrating how Indigenous people adapted, intermarried, and built enduring...