Jamesport Meeting House lecture room reno up next

Leaders of the Jamesport Meeting House stated its next top priority to restore the historic Main Road building, as the organization hopes to tackle the lecture room wing, “which sorely needs rejuvenation.”

Richard Wines, president of the nonprofit overseeing the restoration, said at the end of last year that the wing on the east side of the building — added in 1898 to the original structure, which went up in 1731 — has interior work that needs to be done namely on the ceiling and floor. Falling and frayed tiles are at the top of the room, while frayed carpets are at the bottom.

“Our goal is to make this room as beautiful as the rest of the building,” he said, adding that over the past year, the yard was re-graded and re-seeded, and an irrigation system was installed.  Mike Hubbard also made a number of improvements to update an electrical system that dates to the 1920s.

Jamesport Meeting House Preservation Trust, according to its website, aims to “keep the Meeting House in community hands and once again make it available for community use.”

The Meeting House is the East End’s oldest religious structure and the oldest building in Riverhead, according to a history written by Mr. Wines, who is also the chairman of the town’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.