•The Babylon Pool was the place to be if you were celebrating a birthday last Saturday. No less than five local children were the guests of honor at four different parties at the pool!

Seven-year-old Joseph de Maio, ten classmates and friends, as well as his sisters Kassidy (11) and Megan (5), and their parents, Kristie and Ron de Maio, enjoyed the swimming and various other play areas at the pool. Joseph turned seven on August 20 and will enter the second grade at JFK Elementary School in a couple of weeks!

At a nearby table, another sevenyear old, Liam Kelly, as well as a dozen friends and his sisters Lyndsay (18) and Jillian (14) celebrated under the watchful eyes of their parents, Jodi and Billy. Liam will also be entering the second grade at Babylon Grade School this fall. Liam’s birthday will be August 29.

Barbi was the theme at Brianne Bergman’s bash. Fifteen guests splashed in the pool and sang “Happy Birthday” to five-year-old Brianne, who celebrates her birthday on August 24th. Proud parents, Patti and Kenny were on hand to serve pizza and cake. Brianne will enter Kindergarten at JFK this fall.

Red-headed twins Ian and Peyton Castro turned 3-years-old while visiting their aunt and uncle, Margaret and Jerry Horstman with their parents, Michelle and Mike Castro, who currently live in North Carolina. Mike Castro is originally from North Babylon. Also adding his bit to the celebration was the twins’ big brother, Alex, 6.

One of the nicest things about all four parties was that the children managed to have a good time while the hosts and other parents kept things going, all without disturbing any of the other patrons at the pool!

•One of the special guests at the pool on Saturday was six-week old Lourdes Pilar Herrera. Born on July 10, pretty little “Lola” is the daughter of Susan and Enrique Herrera. Lola was born at 2:30 p.m. and weighed 6lbs. 7 oz., and was 20” long. Maternal grandmother is Patricia Griffin, while paternal grandparents are Ana and Rolando Herrera. Welcome to Babylon, Lola!

Still one more birthday celebrant for this week is Jared Joyce, who turns four on August 24. Jared is the son of Adam and Katrina of Lindenhurst. Many happy returns, Jared!

Babylon has a number of historical homes and buildings, and I hope to give the readers some background on such homes and buildings. Over the years, a number of people have asked about my house, which is one of the older houses in Babylon. The house, now located at 17 North Carll Ave., but was originally built in 1730 on Main Street, where the entrance to Mansfield Road now sits. Although now a saltbox, the house, one of the original Carll homesteads, started out as a colonial. A front porch was added in the 1880s. In 1900 the house was purchased by a construction firm, Rogers and Blydenburgh, and moved to its present site. The move was recounted to me by one of the witnesses, Miss Francis Rogers, daughter of one of the owners, who watched the move as she took a piano lesson. Shortly thereafter, the east end of the house was extended to make the house a saltbox and two large skylights were built into the eastern side of the roof to allow enough light for the construction firm to draft plans in what is now the kitchen. At the same time, a two-story barn was built behind the office to hold building materials. Eventually, a connection between the house and the barn was built to make it possible to move between the two buildings during inclement weather.

Miss Francis Rogers eventually married a Mr. Howell, of another building company, which acquired Rogers & Blydenburgh. The new firm became E.W. Howell, a wellknown construction firm that is still in business today in New York City and on Long Island.

When E. W. Howell sold the property at 17 North Carll Avenue is uncertain. At some point in the 1950s, the house was purchased and turned into a summer residence. At the same time rooms were rented to staff of the Highway Diner, which was located on the corner of Mansfield Road and Main Street, just where the Carll Homestead originally stood. Eventually the diner closed and the owner of 17 North Carll Ave. died in 1978. In 1980, the property was purchased by my parents, Frank and Isabel Gallagher. The bank representing the estate of the previous owner had appealed the zoning and was successful in having the buildings declared a four-family residence. In 1999, I purchased the house, which has been my home from 1980, and I continue to live there today. If any area residents have more information about the buildings, please let me know.

Readers can submit items for this column to Mary Gallgaher, c/o Babylon Beacon newspaper, 65 Deer Park Ave., Babylon NY 11701 or via email at acjnews@rcn.com. Please put Mary Gallagher in the subject line.