SCHS / Photo of the Week: Suffolk County Press Association Editors, January, 1898

—————————-

Photo of the Week

August 13, 2026

FROM THE SCHS LIBRARY & ARCHIVE

“How shall we know it is us without our past?”
– John Steinbeck

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suffolk County Press Association Editors at Roe’s Hotel, Patchogue, January 22, 1898, with the Merchants and Manufacturers Association as Host. (Image from the Collection of the Suffolk County Historical Society Library and Archive. Copyright © Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved.)

Editors Present on Jan. 22, 1898:

Lemuel B. Green – Patchogue Argus, President
J. Fred Flugrath, Henry Livingston, Elbert Carll Livingston, and Simon W. Cooper – South Side Signal (Babylon)
H. H. Williamson – Riverhead News
Hiram A. Baylis – Long Islander (Huntington)
James A. Canfield – Patchogue Advance
John H. Hunt – Sag Harbor Express
Francis Hoag – Sayville News
F. L. Terry – Greenport Times
E. S. Boughton – East Hampton Star
C. A. Squires – Port Jefferson Echo
J. H. Hallock – Southold Traveler
F. A. Burling – Bridgehampton News
Charles A. Jagger – Southampton Seaside Times
B. F. Ashley – Bay Shore Journal
Joseph R. Robbins – Center Moriches Messenger
A. B. Trainer and C. P. Rogers – Huntington Bulletin

When the editors of Suffolk newspapers convened at Roe’s Hotel in Patchogue on January 22, 1898, they discussed the possibility of forming a county press association, and committees were chosen to look into the proposal. At the next meeting in May of that year, enough editors were in attendance to warrant the formation of a society known as the Suffolk County Press Association. At this second meeting the editors met at the new spacious offices of the Patchogue Argus, located in a building on Main Street. A constitution and by-laws were adopted for the new county press association, and the editors voted to accept an invitation to meet with the New York Press Association. The meeting was adjourned, and the editors went to Roe’s Hotel for dinner.

by Wendy Polhemus-Annibell, Head Librarian

********************************

By popular demand, Visions of Freedom has been extended to Dec. 23, 2026!