The GCHA is a non-profit membership organization with a mission to research, collect, record, and preserve the history of the communities of Greenlawn and Centerport, Long Island, New York. Our beginnings started in 1972, after the Broadway school conversion into the Harborfields Public Library. The Library noticed that quite a few people were inquiring about books dealing with local history. Since none were available, the Trustees put a notice in the November '72 library bulletin inviting anyone interested in local history to attend a special meeting. Held at the Congregational Church in Centerport, the "reception" was attended by many community members, including "old-timers and those interested in local history."

In June 1973, following two successful meetings gauging interest in local history, the Association applied for its temporary charter to the University of the State of New York, which was granted in October of the same year. On July 29th, 1976, a letter was sent to Harborfields community members announcing the GCHA's new home in the Harborfields Public Library. That same year, our permanent charter from the State of New York was granted in October. 

Today the two communities are formally bound together by the Harborfields Central School District - but this pairing has historical precedence. For many years the grain raised on the plains of Oldfields (Greenlawn) was brought to the gristmill on Little Cow Harbor (Centerport). Later, vacationers visiting the resort village of Centerport would take the stage from the railroad station in Greenlawn. Thus, in the mid-1950s, when the two school districts were centralized, and in the early 1970s, when the Harborfields Public Library and our Historical Association were founded, the pairing was a natural alliance.

Today, the Association’s Russell B. Brush Research Center includes hundreds of photographs, documents, written histories, and genealogical information relating to Greenlawn and Centerport. The Center is open to the public during office hours (10 AM - 1 PM on weekdays) or by appointment in the Harborfields Public Library next to the bookstore.

In 1989, the Association purchased the Suydam Homestead, located at the corner of Route 25A and Centerport Road. This c. 1730 house was occupied by members of the Suydam family from the late 18th century until 1957. Over the last 15 years the Historical Association has stabilized the house, repaired the West Wing, and converted it into a gallery that displayed the many historical artifacts discovered on the site. Another feature added to the property is a non-historic barn built in 1991 to house, and display, the Association's vast collection of furniture, farm tools, wagons, clothing, and household objects, most donated by local Greenlawn and Centerport families.

Click here to learn more about the Suydam Homestead.

In 2002, the Association obtained the John Gardiner Farm, located at the corner of Park Ave. and Little Plains Road. This c. 1750 house was occupied by the last generation to live in the house, Alice (1896-1985), Zella (1898-1905), and the twins Harold (1902-1982) and Herbert (1902-2002). Herbert and Harold were born in the farmhouse. They lived there their entire lives with their sister Alice. They never married and never lived anywhere else. In 2003, Herbert Gardiner, the last family member to live here, bequeathed the property to the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association. It was his wish to name it in memory of his father John. The farm, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is being maintained as a museum complex with a working farm to highlight early farm life in the community. 

Click here to learn more about the John Gardiner Farm.

Workshops, guest speakers, demonstrations, and educational programs for school and community groups are presented throughout the year.