Caleb Smith State Park Preserve is a state park located in Suffolk County, New York in the United States. The park is near the north shore of Long Island in the town of Smithtown. Prior to its current name, the park was called Nissequogue River State Park,Hagstroms Atlas of Suffolk County, New York (1973) a name now used for park lands on the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center grounds. Previously, it was simply known as the Wyandanch Preserve.Hagstroms Atlas of Suffolk County, New York (1969, and others)
History The Smith family house now used as the park's nature center dates to circa 1751. Although it has undergone numerous renovations and expansions, much of the early structure remains within the present building.
Throughout the 19th century, the original house was expanded considerably. By 1888 it was bought by the Brooklyn Gun Club, and converted into a sportsman's hunting and fishing preserve. The property was named the "Wyandanch Club" in 1893. Robert Moses began negotiations to acquire the privately owned Wyandanch Preserve in 1962, and the Long Island State Park Commission completed the purchase in 1963.
The Wyandanch Club Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a national historic district in 1990. () The historic district encompasses the former club's largely undeveloped landscape as well as its buildings. Its five principal buildings are set among woodland, open space and natural waterways, reflecting the property's development as a hunting and fishing club during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Park description The park is managed primarily as a nature preserve, and offers space for passive recreation such as hiking, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The park also offers recreation programs, a nature museum with wildlife displays, and a nature trail.
Two branches of the Nissequogue River pass through the park, which also includes the Wyandanch Club Historic District. The preserve contains a variety of habitats typical of Long Island's north shore. Plant species recorded in the preserve include pink lady's slipper, trailing arbutus and Indian pipe, while birdlife includes prothonotary warblers, Virginia rails and osprey.
Panorama
See also List of New York state parks
References
External links
New York State Parks: Caleb Smith State Park Preserve