Activists are seeking to raise funds for its restoration and pursuing its listing on the National Register of Historic Places due to its prior occupancy by Peter Crippen, a free black African Methodist Episcopal minister who was a prominent resident of the area.
Near Huntington Harbor, Peter supported his family through fishing, clamming, seaweed gathering, and employment with local farmers, alongside tending his small garden.
A prominent figure in the local African American community, Crippen co-founded the Bethel AME Church (listed on the National Register in 1985) in Huntington in 1843.
[11] Crippen's acquisition marked a significant achievement, providing security and stability for his family amidst a small African American community.
Subsequently, the mill structure was sold and relocated approximately 525 yards north to its present site, adjacent to the head of Huntington Harbor, where it underwent conversion into a residential dwelling around 1674.
In 1854, Walters transferred a small parcel situated immediately south of the original mill building to an African American individual named Nelson Smith.
It stands as a remarkable and rare relic, symbolizing two pivotal aspects of Huntington's past: seventeenth-century industry and early African American landownership.
[citation needed] By 2019, these title issues were resolved, prompting the Town's sewer district to acquire the property with intentions to demolish the house and construct a parking lot.
[citation needed] The house occupies marshy terrain susceptible to flooding and finds itself flanked on two sides by the Town's sewer treatment facility.
[1] In November 2020, the New York State Historic Preservation Office concluded that the Crippen House meets the criteria for inclusion on the National Register in two significant aspects.