I NEVER KNEW

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yaphankhistorical.org 

If you ask the people who live in New York City if they ever visited the Statue of Liberty, they will probably tell you they haven’t. Ask about the Empire State Building and again the chances are the answer will be the same.

Ask a Long Islander if he/she ever visited Yaphank and they will probably ask how to get there. I have live on Long Island for 62 years, and have been to Yaphank maybe 3 times. On Sunday TLW (The Little Woman) and I decided to go to Yaphank. Irving Berlin’s YIP-YIP-YAPHANK.

What would motivate two old fogies to leave their Sunday afternoon newspapers and ball game and venture out east with all the uncivilized that populate Yaphank? Culture, the place is a beautiful goldmine of living culture being presented to you by the Yaphank Historical Society. This place centered on Main Street in Yaphank maintains a collection of restored or in the process of being restored homes that date back to the 1831 with characters that come to life from the dedicated and hard work of the society. Not only is the historic revelations worthwhile, but the people who present the facts and lore, dedicated people who show such enthusiasm that it is infectious and pleasant to the ears.

There is the Swezey –Avery House, the Robert Hewlett Hawkins House, the Carmen’s River Nature Trail & Sanctuary and the old St. Andrews Episcopal Church, with heroes such as Mary L. Booth and the Museum dedicated to her, a beautiful lake that falls amid the places of interest and serene beauty that not only stills the soul, but enchants the mind.

From this amazing little off the radar hamlet comes Mary Louise Booth and her first history of New York City and the founding editor of Harper’s Bazaar, and was instrumental in bringing the Statue of Liberty to New York, translated 47 books, and led the fight early on for Women’s Rights, as secretary of the Women’s Rights convention in Saratoga in 1855. This woman also was lauded by President Lincoln for her work and dedication to the United States during the Civil War.

Back in the days of 1850, wood was an important item needed to keep New York City thriving, and much of the wood came from where else, but Yaphank, New York. Yaphank was once known as Millville when Grist and saw mills flourished in the 19^th Century, and the Railroad contributed to many a fortune in the now named Yaphank.

Of course, most of us know of Camp Upton and the training grounds for the doughboys of World War I, and if you don’t know, then look up Irving Berlin and Yip, Yip, Yaphank!

"Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning,

Oh! How I'd love to remain in bed

For the hardest blow of all is to hear the bugler call:

'You've got to get up, you've got to get up,

You've got to get up this morning!'"

Someday I'm going to murder the bugler

Someday they're going to find him dead

I'll amputate his reveille and stomp upon it heavily

And spend the rest of my life in bed!

A bugler in the army is the luckiest of men

He wakes the boys at five and then goes back to bed again

He doesn't have to blow again until the afternoon

If ev'rything goes well with me I'll be a bugler soon!

"Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning,

Oh! How I'd love to remain in bed

For the hardest blow of all is to hear the bugler call:

'You've got to get up, you've got to get up,

You've got to get up this morning!'"

Oh, boy! The minute the battle is over

Oh, boy! The minute the foe is dead

I'll put my uniform away and move to Philadelphia

And spend the rest of my life in bed!

Written by: IRVING BERLIN

Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind