Interesting site. Well done. Glad to see Roy Moger's Roslyn, Then and Now as a reference. My son Roy is named after Roy Moger, a former mentor and teacher of mine.
I was best friends with Roy's son, Will during the 50s and 60s. I spent many delightful evenings at the Moger's house (at the top of Remsen Ave) listening to stories, some of which eventually found their way into Roy's book.
Roy was a caring and moral man, who struggled all his life to live a socially responsible and caring life. It is difficult to put into words the many admirable qualities I associate with Roy. I wouldn't describe him as a paragon but rather, as an eminently thoughtful and intelligent man who put aside material pursuits for higher values. In this he was successful.
I lived just to the north of 25A not far from the bridge that spans the harbor. My "formative years" were spent there, some wandering the former Mackay Estate with Will Moger.
One of the (too many) projects I've contemplated in recent years is a novel based upon Katherine and Clarence Mackay. The illusive quality of wealth and its human toll is of particular interest. The short life-span of the Mackay Estate (1903 until its abandonment in the late 1930s and demolition in the 1940s) is incredible to me. I'm sure they imagined that it would stand for centuries, as they reviewed the designs with Stanford White. I know the Gold Coast is full of these riches to rags (well, OK...not quite rags), but the Mackay's story, straddling WW I as it does, seems a particularly fertile source---a vehicle for connecting to one of the most transforming events of the 20th Century.
Paul Schlieben, New Hampshire
Thanks for the wonderful web site, Bill. I especially enjoyed reading Ken Hechler's stories and finding out he is still alive and well. I found this list of articles about Roslyn when looking around the web: http://www.nassaulibrary.org/bryant/Localist/From_BR.htm The Roslyn News published a series of my father's stories about his Roslyn boyhood that I believe touched on his childhood adventures on the Mackay Estate.
I passed your site on to my sister and will also submit some of my memories to the site. It was thrilling to see the house in its heyday---I remember it in ruins after it was destroyed. We heard the explosion from our back porch (we lived "down the hill," literally on the other side of the tracks).
My father would enjoy your web site no end!
Susan Moger, Maryland
Dear Mr. McLaughlin,
A truly valuable site---thanks for your work in putting it together. Feel free to go live with the Higgins page at this point.
Yours sincerely,
JLF
Dr. Jeffrey L. Forgeng
Paul S. Morgan Curator/Adjunct Associate Professor of Humanities
Higgins Armory Museum/Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Reference above is to the pages on this site of former Mackay arms and armor now in the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA.
Click here to view.
I grew up on East Broadway during the 40s and 50s and used to play in the old estate. I remember the stone walls and the driveways vividly. We used to go down underneath the remains of the house and explore the cellars. Pretty scary! We also used to climb inside the water tower. I remember when the gymnasium burned down also. I am glad to hear that the old ANG station is going to be a park.
I think it must have been 1958 or so that they started building Country Estates because I used to ride my motorcycle up there when they were building and they would chase me out of there.
Bill Martin, Washington