Notable People and Locations
Kelby House
211 W. Lena Avenue
Robert
Hendre Kelby (1847-1927) served as librarian to the New-York Historical Society
from 1899 to 1920. Upon his retirement
he was granted the title Librarian Emeritus.
After serving in the Navy during the Civil War, Kelby began working with
the New-York Historical Society in 1868. Under his direction, the collection of
the Society grew from 17,000 volumes to over 150,000 volumes and 160,000
pamphlets. Kelby is credited with
helping the Society raise the funds necessary to move to its current location
on Central Park West. Kelby came to
Freeport around 1903. He purchased a
three-story shingle-style house on the corner of Lena Avenue and Wallace Street
in an area of Freeport known as Randall Park. Kelby lived in this house until
his death in 1927.
Kelby’s
son, Charles H. Kelby (1870-1944) was a Justice for the New York State Supreme
Court and the Appellate Division in Brooklyn.
Judge Kelby received his law degree from New York University. In 1911, he was elected to the New York
Supreme Court. On a 1906 map of
Freeport, 112 W. Lena Avenue is listed as being owned by Charles Kelby.
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| The Kelby House is located on Northwest corner of Wallace Street and Lena Avenue, to the right of John J. Randall property. |
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| Kelby House Marker, 2015 |
