54 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2018
OPEN HOUSE
A HISTORIC HOME:
The charming exterior with porch of the shingled Victorian home built in 1845.
By RUTH BASHINSKY
The nineteenth century Victorian
home at 144 South Jamesport Avenue
in Jamesport has a unique story
to share. Listed for $1,149,000, the
five-bedroom, three-bathroom home
has never been on the market in its
100-plus year history.
Built in 1845, the home was
acquired by Captain William H.
Corwin in1850. A shipbuilder and a
prominent figure in the community,
Corwin was an esteemed member of
the church and son of Matthias Corwin,
an original settler of the Town
of Southold.
According to the home’s current
owners, Edward and Nancy (Rolle)
Meier, the house has stayed in the
family for more than a century. In
1853, William H. Corwin married
Hannah Jones and they had five
daughters. In the 1860s, Corwin modified
the house similar to how it exists
today. When Corwin died in 1904, he
passed the house to his daughter, M.
Louisa Corwin.
When M. Louisa Corwin died in
1922 the house was passed to sister
Winifred Corwin Doe. In 1961, when
Winnifred passed, the house was
then given to Howard Van Cleaf, the
son from first husband David Van
Cleaf. When Howard Van Cleaf died
in 1969, the house went to his second
cousin, Edwina Rolle. In 1980, John
and Edwina sold the house to their
daughter Nancy (Rolle) Meier and
Edward Meier.
“We lived in the house for 38 years
and raised our three children there,”
says Edward Meier. “We are the first
ones to put it out in the open market
since William H. Corwin purchased
the property.”
For the last few years, Meier and
his son have been renovating the
property room by room. Their goal
was to keep the home’s integrity while The back deck is a perfect spot to unwind.