The History of West Islip: The Arnold Family

Of the many beautiful homes that line Montauk Highway, one of them is so rich with history that its roots date back to the mid 1800s.  We know it as Arnold Manor.  But when Annie Arnold had it rebuilt in 1906, she named it "Clovelly" after a village on the North Devon Coast in England.  She became an Arnold by way of marriage to her husband, William.  However, the real history of the Arnold family begins with William's grandfather, Aaron.

Aaron Arnold founded one of the first dry goods stores in New York City in 1825, the same year his son, Richard, was born. In 1827, the elder Arnold joined forces with his brother in law, James Constable, to form Arnold, Constable and Co. Together they had one of the first and largest department stores in New York City. It was an enormous white marble building at 18th Street and Broadway, right in the middle of what would eventually become "Ladies Mile."

The stretch of Broadway from 8th Street to 23rd Street earned its nickname because by the early 1890s, a daily fashion parade took place as wealthy women walked down Broadway in their long, elegant dresses to do their shopping, while their carriages lined the streets waiting for them. With shopping becoming the way rich women spent their free time, Arnold's store was thriving.

When Richard finished school he decided to join the family business. The store continued to prosper and eventually he had two homes, a mansion on Fifth Avenue and a country home in West Islip. He died in 1886 with William as his only child.

William Arnold was born in 1863 and took over his father's empire when he was just 23-years-old. He inherited the West Islip home, $7 million and his father's love for yachting. That was probably due to the fact that William grew up in West Islip so he could indulge his passion on a daily basis. He married his best friend's sister, Annie Cameron, but they did not have any children of their own before William's death from heart disease in 1891, when he was only 28-years-old.  

Annie also lost her brother, Edward Cameron, when he was only 32-years-old, but it is believed Cameron died by his own hands after losing his wealth in the 1893 stock market crash.  He left behind two children under the age of 12 at the time of his death in 1895, as their mother had died several years earlier. So Annie adopted her two nephews, and they eventually took her married name: Edward W. Cameron Arnold and A. Duncan Cameron Arnold.

She had the mansion built in 1906 to replace the home built by her father-in-law in 1873. It remained in the care of both of her sons after her death, and even though today the grand mansion has been converted into apartments, the exterior has remained the same when it was built over 100 years ago. 

It is another beautiful, local reminder of the wonderful history that West Islip has.  

The answer to last week's trivia question is Perry Belmont, who served as United States Representative to Congress from Babylon.

This week's trivia question: What was the only other big department store in New York City during the same era as the Arnold's store?  Check back for the answer in next week's column.