Scout puts history there for all to see

Rob Bogle wanted to document Valley Stream’s unique history with his Eagle Scout project. Recently, he installed a plaque along Sunrise Highway honoring Rum Junction, a popular spot in the 19th century.

Bogle, 18, is a Boy Scout with Troop 116 and is close to earning his Eagle rank. He is a senior at Kellenberg High School and has been with the scouts since first grade.

A few years ago, his older brother, James, installed a plaque near the train station honoring Theodore Roosevelt’s stop in Valley Stream. Rob Bogle said he wanted to do a similar project so he went to the Pagan-Fletcher Restoration to do some research on Valley Stream’s history. That’s when he came across Rum Junction.

In 1869, the Long Island Rail Road established one its first major train junctions right in Valley Stream. The area soon became a hub with several hotels and restaurants opening up, along with a bicycle race track.

For the next 30 years, the area would be known as Rum Junction and serve as a major center of commerce on the south shore. Many travelers on the Long Island Rail Road, including numerous celebrities and dignitaries, would stop at Rum Junction for a rest before their trip back to the city.

Bogle’s plaque is on a small grass area at on the north side of Sunrise Highway at Rockaway Avenue. “This is literally where Rum Junction was,” he said.

He was able to complete all of his research at the Pagan-Fletcher Restoration, Valley Stream’s local history house. The biggest challenge was paying for the project. Bogle said the plaque alone cost about $800, plus he needed money for dirt and plants.

Bogle got a list of about 300 businesses in Valley Stream and sent out letters asking for donations. He said he received about 30 responses and collected about $2,000. Money left over, he said, will be used to buy more plants and flowers, as well as for a dedication ceremony in the spring.

With six other Boy Scouts to help him out, Bogle completed the project on Jan. 9. The village, which owns the land, already had cleared a spot for him and put down a big rock on which to affix the plaque. Bogle and his fellow scouts spent about three hours that morning putting down dirt and planting bushes.

Bogle said another step in the process was getting permission from the village. That was no problem. “The mayor loved the idea from the beginning,” he said.

He hopes that residents of Valley Stream will stop by and see the plaque for themselves. “There are so many people who live here and have no idea about the history of the place,” he said, adding that he knew nothing about Rum Junction until he started researching local history for this project.

George Amitrano, scoutmaster of Troop 116, said Bogle’s historical project was perfect since it is the 100th anniversary of scouting. His said he is pleased with the work Bogle did to honor local history and make an improvement in the community.

Bogle, who has been a Life Scout for the past two years, said earning the Eagle rank is a honor he wants. Within the next month or two, Bogle will appear before a review board of scout leaders to go over his Eagle project. He will also have to answer questions about current events and scout law. Bogle expects to be officially awarded Eagle Scout at a court of honor in May. “It’s a life achievement,” he said. “I don’t have to look back and regret I didn’t get to that spot.”

Many scouts do fundraisers for their Eagle projects. Bogle wanted his work to be remembered for a long time. “One of the scout sayings is ‘leave a footprint,’” he said. “Ten years from now, or 20 or 30, I can come back and see what I did.”