Where is the anchor?

By Dorothy Lillian Kiesel Poll

Do you recognize this anchor? When did you last see it?

Was it 1937, on the deck of a trawler crossing the Great South Bay, 1938 at 140 Ralph Ave., 1948 at 10 Shore Rd., 1964 at the entrance to the Village at the corner of Cooper Street and Montauk Highway, 1980s to 2002 at the point of Captree Island or 2004 on a truck leaving Babylon.

The anchor was and is the talisman for Dorothy and Hilbert Kiesel and their family. After 67 years the Kiesels and their anchor have left Babylon.

When Charles Kiesel, a highly decorated New York City fireman and his wife Lillian moved their young family to Babylon in 1929, it was a sleepy little Village. They settled on Ralph Avenue, a rural street, where they had horses, a cow, a large garden, grape arbor and fruit orchards. Charlie became Babylon Town Building Inspector and the children all grew, flourished and became scholar athletes at Babylon High School.

As the boys became men they turned to the Great South Bay to earn their living as "Baymen, clam diggers." They did well, worked hard, many weeks working seven days. On Sunday they would sit in the last pew of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, for 6 a.m. mass.

Weather did not seem to faze these strong, proud men. I can recall as a child my mom taking my brother and me on a sleigh in the middle of the Bay where dad and the uncles would be clamming through the ice. She would bring them hot food and drinks. Sometimes we could even drive the car on the ice.

What a wonderful time to grow up in the Village of Babylon. Tulips reigned supreme. The Tulip Festival in the spring and the Tulip Queen were so glamorous. As a grade schooler I could walk from St. Joseph to Shore Road, visit my grandparents, gather wild flowers, walk back to Ralph Avenue and no one worried about "dangerous strangers." My biggest concern was "did I have enough money to stop at the candy store."

In the early 1940’s mom, dad, the uncles and grandparents pooled their money and bought a house on Oak Island. This was closer to the clams in the summer, and the fishing grounds. Oak Island. Did you ever see Matt Sumner slam, crash his ferry into the dock? He carried passengers, news, papers, groceries and of course, ice. We would run down the boardwalk with our red wagons, Uncle Matt would take his ice pick and chop off hunks of ice for the household iceboxes.. The slivers that flew off were as treasured as ice cream cones, and we would chase all over the deck of the boat for them. Eventually we were lucky enough to have gas refrigerators and generators, but I will always remember the ice.

Looking for new ways to "Harvest the Sea," the Kiesel Brothers, as they came to be known, Hilbert, Scoop and Donald purchased a fish trawler. When you sent your nets to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, you never know what you will find. Hopefully you will fill your nets with fish to be sold at market. One day they came home with a huge anchor. No one is sure of the age, or of what ship it came off of, but it was the biggest one that had been seen in Babylon up until that date. It was speculated to have come from the wreck of a huge liner headed for New York Harbor. Hilbert placed it in his front yard, at 140 Ralph Avenue; many a family picture was taken on and in front of that anchor.

Many friends and strangers stopped and asked questions about the "big" anchor.

Trouble was brewing in the world. Grandpa Charles, joined the Coast Guard along with sons Scoop and Donald. Hilbert joined the Navy; Aunt Lil was in the Waves. We waited anxiously for them as well as many extended family members to come home safely from World War II. We were all on Oak Island when the war was declared over. I remember going up and down the boardwalk and the entire Island was celebrating.

The family started to expand, as well as the business. They still remained "baymen." They purchased the Elf. Hilbert, sailed charter deep-sea parties, from Babylon dock, often with brother George as his mate. Some of their parties included Mickey Mantle, and Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees.

Kiesel Brothers Shipyard on Serganus Thatch, located on the Inter Coastal Waterway, near Grass Island, came into being. They caught and sold bait, sold gas, hauled and repaired boats, rescued stranded boaters and acted as a waterway AAA. What a super place for young children to grow up. We would help on the dock, swim, clam, fish for snappers, crab, get brown as berries and run boats that were so big you could not see us on them.

It was really exciting to us when the yachts that help people like Guy Lombardo and New York State Park Commissioner Robert Moses, would come in to the dock but grandpa treated them all the same, no matter the size of the boat.

At this time, Celie and Donald bought a house on Captree Island. Soon after Dorothy and Hilbert bought the Point of Captree Island. Actually at that time it was a little island unto itself. It was separated from mainland Captree. Many times over the years Hilbert had gazed at this house from the deck of his clam boat and said, "Someday I will own that house." As he and Dorothy walked away from the closing of the house, the former owners said, "We are finally rid of that lemon."

All through the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, Willow Point as the Captree house was known, became the focal point of family gatherings and reunions, with easily 100 people at an occasion. All of the "city relatives" would come to the big parties. It was my job to ferry them back and forth to their cars and the island.

This was all wonderful, but the season was from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Kiesel men got "Itchy feet." On a vacation in Florida they discovered the fledgling shrimp business in Ft. Myers Beach. Decided to try their hand, and liked it.

At this time Hilbert asked his father-in-law, Captain Frank Rohl to take care of his anchor for him. Grandpa proudly displayed that anchor in his front yard at 10 Shore Rd.

1960 found the Kiesels selling all of their business interests in Babylon and their homes on the mainland.

But, not the homes on Captree and Oak Island. They needed to devote their full efforts to the shrimp business in Florida. The women and children would come to Babylon each summer and enjoy Captree and Oak Island and their extended families and friends.

1964, the anchor moves again. Pop Rohl passes away. Uncle Ken, His Honor Kenneth K. Rohl, has the anchor placed at the entrance to the Village for all to enjoy.

1976, Hilbert retires from the shrimp business. he returns to his beloved Willow Point on Captree Island. He, Dorothy, and their children continue to enjoy the island every summer. They renew old acquaintances with relatives and friends, make new friends, and reinstitute the yearly reunion party. What a blast.

What is this, do I see an anchor coming across the bay? Under the auspices of Aunt Linn and cousin Baron Rohl, the anchor takes its rightful place on Willow Point. Five generations of Kiesels, Rohls, Wang and Bahruths have lived in the sunshine and shade of this anchor, and now it is "home again with Uncle Hilbert and Aunt Dot."

Time passes as it always does, what; the anchor is on a truck leaving Babylon. In the spring of 2004 the last Kiesel has left Babylon, we leave behind, memories, countless friends and a wonderful extended family. We will be back, you may see us in the Village, at the Lighthouse, in Cod’s for a drink, treading clams or fishing in the lead. Our hearts, minds and memories will always remain in Babylon.

To those people who thought they had sold the "lemon" be assured the Kiesels took the lemon and made lemonade.

Last seen the Anchor was residing in Ft. Myers, Florida at the home of Dorothy and Hilbert Kiesel, now 86 and 88, their nephew Baron Rohl made it his "mission" to get it to Florida where it belonged with Uncle Hilbert and Aunt Dot.

Babylon, thanks for the memories. You will live on in our hearts, hours minds and through our stories and the memories of countless generations to come.