This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

LITTLE UNQUA (WITH NOTES)

Residents who have lived in the Massapequas for many years may remember the estate on Merrick Road named Little Unqua, which stood until 1963. It was so called because it was bordered by Unqua Road  and was east of and smaller than Unqua, the Floyd-Jones estate that is today a shopping center across from John Burns Park. It was by no means little, however, and stood for one hundred years as an example of the Jones/Floyd-Jones presence in this community. As such, the Historical Society of the Massapequas, with Ray Averna as President, recognized its importance with a marker erected October 17, 1998.

Little Unqua was the home of Louise Floyd-Jones Thorn. She was born in the mansion in 1867, three years after it was built by her father Edward Floyd-Jones. It was an ornate two-story wooden structure with a wrap-around porch, but the surroundings made it noteworthy. There was a lake on the western edge of the property, a stable and quarter-mile track on the northeast, and storage sheds on the northwest, containing implements used by the farm workers and groundskeepers who labored there. There was a circular driveway that fronted the house, which faced Merrick Road, and an ornate formal garden. Mrs. Thorn and her husband Conde Thorn, whom she married in 1891, cared for the grounds with great devotion. She raised her three children there, and remained after they left and after her husband died in 1944. Neighborhood children were welcome on the property and she became a type of grand dame in the community. Old timers remember her as shrewd and sophisticated, but neighborly and friendly.

Much of our knowledge of the estate's design comes from a remarkable interview conducted by Barbara Fisher, a long-time devoted Trustee of the Historical Society. In 1986 she interviewed John Nolan, who had worked on the property in 1958. His detailed reminiscences, as well as drawings of the estate, are available for review in the Floyd-Jones Library.

Find out what's happening in Massapequawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It turned out that Little Unqua became the last estate remaining from the Jones and Floyd-Jones era. Others either burned or were taken down as private houses sprouted throughout the Massapequas in the post - 1945 period. Many interested parties had designs on the property and tried to promote their interests, either by contacting Mrs. Thorn directly, or by exerting pressure on the Town of Oyster Bay. To its credit, the Town, and especially Marjorie Rankin Post, first female Town Councilwoman, agreed to leave Little Unqua untouched as long as Mrs. Thorn was alive.  Remarkably, she lived to 94, dying in 1961.

Local newspaper accounts indicate the options proposed for the property:

Find out what's happening in Massapequawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

                private houses,

                an apartment complex,

                a hospital,

                an art center,

                a shopping center,

                a public park.

 

The choice that generated the most support among residents was the park idea, and that was what the Town ultimately selected. Little Unqua was torn down and pools and playgrounds were erected in its place. In 1965, Marjorie Post resigned  from the Town Council to pursue her insurance business. The Park was opened the same year and named in her honor, despite her objections. Parking lots now cover the foundation of Little Unqua, playgrounds stand where the riding track was located and the pools are the site of Mrs. Thorn's formal gardens.

 

A NOTE ON LOUISA FLOYD-JONES

As a teenager, Louise Floyd-Jones made several sketches of flowers and of children's faces. Two of them are in the Floyd-Jones Servants' Cottage and two in the Floyd-Jones Library. Another sketch was revealed recently when this writer received a call from a collector in South Carolina who had acquired a 1881 sketch and wanted to know if the Historical Society had any further information. We exchanged information and was able to provide him with some background about this interesting woman. It's amazing what can happen purely by chance!

A NOTE ON THE FLOYD-JONES FAMILY

An insight into the continuing presence of the Floyd-Jones family in the Massapequas is that Louise Floyd-Jones Thorn's great-grandson, Townsend Thorn, lives in Amityville and has helped the Historical Society in its efforts to maintain the buildings that make up the Historic Complex. Most recently he painted the porch, railing and front trim of the Floyd-Jones Library. Some connections are never broken!

A NOTE ON POST PARK FEES

Has anybody ever wondered why Massapequa Park residents pay higher fees for use of Marjorie Post Park than other Town of Oyster Bay residents? Family admission for 2013, for example,  is $200 for park residents, but $235 for non-park residents. History provides the answer. Massapequa Park residents are not part of ToBay's park district and do not pay park taxes. When Post Park was proposed in 1963, ToBay residents urged that Massapequa Park residents be excluded. Sharpening the point was the Village's proposal to build its own pool and playground, in the Massapequa Preserve near Walker Street. It turned out that Oyster Bay moved along very quickly to finish Post Park and Massapequa Park residents were eager to use its facilities, so a deal was reached whereby M P residents would pay higher annual fees than other ToBay residents. The proposal to build a separate Village pool became moot anyway, when it was discovered the water table was too high to allow a pool to be sunk near Walker Street. Hence, Mansfield Park has fields and playgrounds, but no pool.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?