Islip Town Historian George Munkenbeck provides a look at the amazing Ludlows - the first family of Oakdale, veterans of the Civil War and beyond, and caretakers of St. John's Episcopal Church on Montauk Highway. Louisa, the matriarch, descended from the first Lord of the Manor. Her husband, William Handey Ludlow, was a leading figure in the Democratic Party. One son saved the Constitution, the other inspired the National Parks system. And today they are all but forgotten.

This episode originally aired in two parts on the Dowling College Library Omnibus podcast back in 2010. We are bringing it out of the vault in a slightly condensed form to help celebrate the 335th anniversary of Islip Town.