
Sparrow Park, Sayville, is at the fork of Main Street (Montauk
Highway) and South Main Street (Middle Road). A Tydol gas station can be
seen behind the small triangle-shaped park. The monument is a memorial to
the servicemen from the Sayville area who lost their lives during World War I,
the gift of Elward Smith and Jewett Holt Smith in memory of their brother, 1st
Lt. Irving Elward Smith. The names of 4 others lost in that war are also
inscribed on the monument. The golden eagle on the war memorial was the
gift of Robert Gibson Smith of Handsome Avenue. The eagle had originally
graced the facade of the New York World newspaper building on Park Row in Manhattan
(its picture was the masthead of the newspaper). Today, Sparrow Park also
memorializes those who died in World War II (a plaque in front of the monument
lists their names). Monuments in remembrance of the Korean War and
Vietnamese War are set either side of the monument. The park no longer has
the cannon.
Undated postcard from the collection of Sayville Library.