100 years of Warm Welcomes

Originally known as Plum Point, it had been owned since the 17th century by the ancestors of William Underhill who sold the land in 1890 to John Thatcher. In April of 1895 Thatcher excavated what was a low lying area on Plum Point and, using the fill dredged in the process, created two artificial lakes with a walkway between them and an artifical island surmounted by a gazebo in the middle of the larger lake. Thatcher constructed a large house on the point and in 1897 sold it to Samuel T. Shaw. In 1906, Shaw built a Spanish Colonial style mansion designed by Frederick R. Hirsh in the Spanish Colonial style called "The Sunnyside" on the property.

Samuel Shaw was the son of James E. Shaw a successful New York real estate developer in the mid 19th century. Samuel became the proprietor of the highly successful Grand Union Hotel at 41st and Park across from Grand Central. The hotel was built by James Shaw at a cost of over $1,000,000 in 1862. Samuel and his brother in-law, Simeon Ford, ran the hotel for many years until it's demise in 1914. Shaw built a renowned collection of American art which was housed at the Grand Union.  

In 1897, prior to constructing "The Sunnyside", Shaw constructed a permanent dock on Plum Point beach next to Seawanhaka on which he placed his houseboat. Until that time the boat had been anchored in the cove. It was later moved to the southern shore of the island where it stood for 80 years.

Shaw sold "The Sunnyside" to George E. Brightson in 1920 and then moved to a cottage 1/2 mile further south on Centre Island where the main road turns sharply to the west. Shaw also moved the boathouse from it's location next to Seawanhaka to the foot of his new property on the south shore of the island.

George E. Brightson, President of the Sonora Phonograph Company, renamed the home "Harbour Point". Brightson was a noted yachtsman who sailed his 100 foot schooner "Sunshine", a Fife boat, which came to America as escort to Thomas Lipton's "Shamrock". Brightson was run down and killed by a horse drawn vehicle in NYC in 1928.  

The estate was again renamed, "Seacroft", by Edward Carl William Oelsner, Sr {shipping} who purchased the property in January 1934. Oelsner served as founder, president, and chairman of the board of United States Navigation Co. His son, Warren James Oelsner, inherited the estate.

The house still stands with minor alterations. Other extant features of the estate include the gazebo in the middle of the pond and the crenulated coblestone tower still prominently sited on Plum Point. While local lore has it the tower was used as a sighting point during the Spanish American war, in reality its purpose was purely for decoration and amusement.