A New View - The Old Town Green Series - The Jarvis - Fleet House

Another important element to the Town Green District is the Jarvis - Fleet House at 424 Park Avenue.  Attached to the house is the original side wing that is currently the oldest structure in Huntington dating back to 1653.  Richard Latting was the original owner of the dwelling so the wing is named after him.  This structure along with the rest of the house is a beautiful example of the architecture that was most popular during the early settlement period.

Richard Latting came to Hempstead in 1652 but did a bit of traveling before he arrived.  In 1638 he moved from England to Boston and five years later settled in Massachusetts in the Concord and later New Haven colonies for a total of nine years.  When he finally arrived in Long Island he met carpenter Richard Ogden who  built a number of houses in the area as well Manhattan.  Ogden worked with his brother John and came from New England in the 1640s.  It is said he built the one room dwelling for Latting not only because of their friendship but the work resemebles the Dutch style techniques that Ogdon was known for.

Having been banished from Huntington in 1660 for bad behavior, Latting's son Josiah stayed in the house until it was sold to him in 1667.  After years of trying to visit and take in the harvest the town won at keeping him out and Latting decided to sell the house to his son.  Since then it has had various owners and even became the town's first general store from 1736 to 1846.

With its steep gabled roof and one and a half story frame, the addition made to the house in 1702 resembles the room plan of this period as well.  The five-bay clapboard structure keeps with the simple shape of federal style architecture and the central hall plan expresses the symmetry of its design.  There is a fireplace located on each side of the house and it has a a typical five room plan.  This main section was added by William Jarvis who was a whaling captain in the area.

Today the structure stands as timeless as it ever was.  It holds the memories of the first three generations of settlers that were here before us as well as being a location where slaves received their freedom in the early 1800s.  A great amount of time has passed and we are very lucky to have such a special piece of history for all to see.  Life may have changed among the years and the seasons may have helped to evolve us but we should never forget where we came from.  The stories of our past shall never fade as long as we share them with the world.