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Community Corner

Commack History: The Sugar King

A multi-millionaire built a modest stone house in Commack and spent his last days in the hamlet.

You’ll find a number of streets in Commack named after former residents. One example is Havemeyer Lane off of Townline Road.

Henry O. Havemeyer was nicknamed the “Sugar King” and owned a large amount of property in the hamlet. In 1847 in New York City, he was born into the sugar business, according to his obituary published in The New York Times on Dec. 5, 1907.

His grandfather and grandfather’s cousin, both immigrants from Germany, started Havemeyer Bakery in 1802, according to the obituary. The business soon became the American Sugar Refining Company, and like his father, Havemeyer followed in his grandfather’s footsteps.

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According to Commack…a beautiful place: Commack Public Education, 100 Years -- 1899-1999, by Smithtown Historian Brad Harris, Havemeyer became president of the American Sugar Refining Company and was a multi-millionaire. At a time when there were 24 sugar refineries in the country, the Sugar King’s company owned 17 of them.

Havemeyer was known for his New York City Fifth Avenue home designed by Louis Tiffany. He also owned homes in Greenwich, Connecticut and the Great South Bay area of Long Island.

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A favorite retreat was the open spaces of Commack. Harris wrote that the business mogul owned 250 acres near what is now known as Havemeyer Lane. Most of the property was north of the lane extending to Scholar Lane and from Town Line Road to Sunken Meadow Parkway. He also owned 20 acres on the northwest corner of Burr Road and Town Line Road and called this property Merrivale Stock Farm. An additional 100 acres in the vicinity of Burr Road was the location of Havemeyer’s 1 ½ story stone house.

The businessman kept stables of horses at Merrivale Stock Farm, and he would sometimes race them at . Havemeyer and his wife Louisine were also great art collectors. According to his wife’s memoirs Sixteen to Sixty: Memoirs of a Collector, their large collection included various works including her preference, Modern French art.

The last days of the “Sugar King” were spent in Commack. According to his obituary, he decided to spend Thanksgiving weekend of 1907 at his stone house in the hamlet. After a walk around his property, the millionaire became ill and a week later was dead. While he was originally diagnosed with acute indigestion, Harris wrote that it was later discovered that Havemeyer had a ruptured pancreas.

When Havemeyer’s funeral was held at his home in New York City, 500 people showed up and filled the art gallery and ante-rooms, according to a Dec. 8, 1907 The New York Times article. Those in attendance included servants from his country house as well as representatives from the sugar refinery. According to the article, the reverend had to stand on the steps of the foyer so he could be heard by everyone in attendance.

After Havemeyer’s death, the Commack property was inherited by his son, but the family eventually sold it. The lane off Town Line Road is now the only reminder that the hamlet was once home to a king. 

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