The prospects were bleak for the four Whitehouse children in 1929 when they were orphaned at the start of the Great Depression. They faced life in dangerously overcrowded orphanages in New York City or the uncertainty of a trip on the orphan trains. They were fortunate enough to land at the Children's Cottages Orphanage in Sayville, New York and St. Ann's Episcopal Church. Author Jack Whitehouse spins a personal tale of the compassion exhibited by the entire Sayville community, including such families as the Roosevelts and Astors, which allowed the children to thrive. Discover how the town came together to love and nurture these members of the Greatest Generation, who became true American heroes

This is a story of how a community influenced the lives of four siblings orphaned at the start of the Great Depression. By telling the story of these "orphan heroes," it helps to paint a human picture of what the Great Depression would have been like in the town of Sayville, and by extension, it sketches out what qualities made (and makes) greater American society beyond Sayville endure through the challenges of the times past and present. It also serves more simply as a fascinating history of the town at that time. It will help you to better appreciate and develop a deeper understanding of the various families and places of historical significance - many of which still remain here today.

The patchwork of beach towns, villages and hamlets that make up Islip Town represents some of the most historic communities on the whole of Long Island. Local Secatogue Native Americans harrowingly saved the Dutch survivors of one of New York's first shipwrecks in 1657. New York City's infamous Tammany Hall leased an entire summer resort island in Islip Town for decades. In 1912, a young woman from Sayville sacrificed her own life for another on the RMS Titanic. Islip Town's founding father, William Nicoll, owned the largest parcel on Long Island's South Shore but was blocked from owning even a grain of sand on Fire Island. A penniless Dutch immigrant to Islip Town became the world's "Oyster King." Join author and historian Jack Whitehouse as he reveals buried stories from Islip Town's past.

Fire Island, or Great South Beach as it is also known, is a 32-mile long sliver of a barrier beach located just off the South Shore of Long Island. Always a wild, lonely and untamed wilderness, its shores, waterways and the lands surrounding it have given us innumerable stories -- some inspirational, some frightening, but all of them intriguing. The stories in this book portray people and events from the island's earliest days, when it served Native Americans as a rich hunting, fishing and whaling site until the present day and its use as a U.S. National Seashore and National Wilderness Area.

As a U.S. Navy officer, Jack Whitehouse served aboard a World War II-era destroyer at the peak of the Vietnam War, ran special operations on a patrol gunboat out of Guantanamo Bay following the Cuban Missile Crisis and deployed with the Royal Norwegian Navy to counter Soviet threats north of the Arctic Circle. His detailed memoir recounts American efforts to win the Cold War from the perspective of a young lieutenant on the front lines 1964-1975 and the personal struggles and perseverance of sailors fighting an existential enemy at sea.

Fire Island is arguably the most famous and picturesque seashore in America, and its natural beauty is only eclipsed by the fascinating stories in its past. The deeds of heroes and scoundrels, daring and dastardly, have left an indelible mark on the region's history. Search for Captain Kidd's treasure, buried somewhere on Fire Island, and uncover the truth behind the legend of pirate Jeremiah Smith. Try to solve the mystery at Old Inlet, discover Herman Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick and commemorate the bravery of the officers and men of the Splinter Fleet. These are only a few of the incredible stories of some of Long Island's most memorable characters, compiled here by local author Jack Whitehouse. Book jacket.