Downtown Riverhead Historic Trail Debuts with Self-Guided Tours

Pedestrians strolling through downtown Riverhead can now set their coordinates for a trip down memory lane after officials recently unveiled a new self-guided virtual tour that highlights local historical points of interest.

The Downtown Riverhead Historic Trail stretches from East Lawn in the east to the Suffolk County Historical Society in the west and enables visitors who walk the route to scan signs with QR codes on their mobile devices at 39 stops along the way to learn more about each location’s past.

“At each stop an actor or actress will take on the part of an historic Riverhead personage, ranging from political bosses to immigrant maids, and see historic images associated with that site or person,” said Richard Wines, president of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The commission partnered with the Business Improvement District on the $10,000 project, which was funded by a grant obtained by the town’s Community Development Department.

Stops on the Downtown Riverhead Historic Trail

The 39 stops on the Riverhead tour include everything from the Taft Candy Store that was open in the late 1800s to the old Suffolk County Courthouse that was also used in the 19th century.

Among the highlights are, Star Confectionery, Suffolk Theater, the Preston House, John J. Sullivan Hotel, Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, Odd Fellows Lodge and many more.

The tours are free and open to the public 24/7.

The trail can be walked virtually at downtownriverhead.org/tour, which also allows users to listen to each stop on the trail remotely.