Historic House Preserves Village's Past

Nestled on Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre, The Phillips House is quaint and unassuming at first glance. Yet upon closer inspection, this late 19th century home features the antique furniture, travelling exhibits and Victorian Garden that make up the Museum of the Village of Rockville Centre.

The Phillips House was built around 1882 for Captain Samuel F. Phillips, a sea captain from New England who settled in Rockville Centre and helped develop the local school district and library.

This Victorian-style house is the last of a group of homes that belonged to sea captains who helped build the town. In 1974, when a developer purchased and planned to demolish the house, the Rockville Centre Village Board recognized its historical importance and had the house donated to the village.

The Phillips House, now known as the Museum of the Village of Rockville Centre, maintains the same basic structure today as when Captain Phillips inhabited it, despite restorations throughout the years. Visitors enter through a porch that runs the length of the house, and each room is filled with furniture and memorabilia from the time period it was built.

Glass cases in the dining room and kitchen display travelling collections loaned to the museum by local historians and collectors. In the living room, a guest book tracks the names of visitors to keep up with the tradition of recording and preserving the history of the house and the village.

The back porch opens up onto a traditional Victorian Garden, planted and maintained by the museum's staff. Benches throughout the garden provide visitors with places to sit and take in the scenery, including trees, bushes and variety of colorful flowers. A plaque in the Victorian Garden reads, "The gardens at The Phillips House are dedicated to the enjoyment of all."

The museum is a common site for school trips and annual events, like Christmas at the Captain's House and the Membership Cocktail Party. Admission to the museum, the garden, and all exhibits is free. An archive is currently being developed to keep track of local records and historical documents. The museum is open to visitors on Sundays between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.