Sands-Willets Homestead
The Sands-Willets Homestead is a historic house and museum located within the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States.
It is operated as a historic house museum by the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society, is designated as a Village of Flower Hill Landmark and a New York State Landmark, in addition to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Description
Main House
The Sands-Willets Homestead is a 20-room, shingled 2-story building with an enlarged porch and porte cochere. The west wing dates to about 1735. It was originally a four-bay, -story house with end chimneys over a full-sized basement. The main portion of the house is a Greek Revival–style dwelling built during the first half of the 19th century.When the home was built, it was the centerpiece of a 240-acre farm. At the time, the property stretched from Manhasset Bay at its western edge to Hempstead Harbor at its eastern edge, which was convenient for shipping produce to New York City and points beyond. Over time, sections of the farm would be sold to developers and often turned into suburban housing developments, ultimately leading to the property nowadays having an area of less than.
The Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society purchased the home from Eliza Willets in 1976, for the purpose of preserving and restoring it, and turning it into a museum, research, and educational center.