Ada Jones's House

[Rick]

Ada Jones, the first female popular recording star, lived her last 10 years in Huntington Station, New York on the north shore of Long Island.  Where was her house and is it still there? 

A 1917 Atlas of Huntington Station shows A. Flaherty, her married name, living in a house on Chestnut Street, about two blocks from the Long Island Railroad train station.  Chestnut Street is now Wyman Avenue, with a group of older houses.

Using the photographs of Ada at her house posted on Ryan Barna’s Phonostalgia website (http://www.phonostalgia.com/jones/photos2.html), Ada Jones lived at what is now 59 Wyman Street, Huntington Station NY.  I attach a composite with some of the identification points – the cinderblock base to the porch and the pitched roof of the house to the north of 59 Wyman.

I also attach a front view of the house as it currently looks.  Compared to the old photos, there used to be two entry doors, one at either end of the porch.  The north one is gone.  The house may have been a duplex with the two entrances, since a 1920 census has the family of Ada Jones (Ada Flaherty, Hugh Flaherty, Sheelah Flaherty) living with the Mackie’s (Arthur, wife Rosina, son Arthur).

 

( I had posted this previously but it was wiped out by some site glitch.)

 

[Jerry]

I like this! Thanks for posting it!

[Tinfoilphono]

That's very cool! I wonder if the current owners have any idea of this bit of history. Perhaps an old-fashioned letter, with some printed-out photos of Ada and the house, might awaken their interest. They certainly wouldn't have any problem finding some representative samples of that previous owner's oeuvre. 

[phonogfp]

Very interesting!  I enjoy "then and now" images of significant buildings.  I must admit that I would have expected Ada's house to have been a bit more substantial.  After all, she made a LOT of records for virtually EVERY company.

 

Thanks for posting this!

 

George P. 

[RodPickett]

( I had posted this previously but it was wiped out by some site glitch.)

 

The "site glitch" was probably me and apologies.

 

Thanks for the effort to re-post..

 

We manage a sophisticated and complex install.

 

Best