Monday, May 19, 2025
The Franklin Square Historical Society hosted its 44th Annual Dinner at the Plattdeutsche Park Restaurant on April 24, and honored Assemblyman Ed Ra with its Citizen of the Year Award.
More than 130 guests celebrated the accomplishments of the historical society as restaurant staff served them pastas, steak and chicken.
Paul van Wie, 68, the village historian and a lifelong Franklin Square resident, said the historical society was founded in 1975, alongside the Ben Franklin Bicentennial Committee, in anticipation of the Unites States’ 200th birthday.
Van Wie, an 18-year-old history buff at the time, joined the new committee. Its main task, he recalled, was gathering artifacts and photos of historical significance to Franklin Square. Residents whose families had lived in the town for generations donated many of the museum’s items.
The next task, van Wie said, was raising money for a museum building. The historical society began fundraising in 1980, and, in 1993, launched a campaign to construct the building on Naple Avenue. Work began in 2005, and the Franklin Square Historical Museum was finally finished in 2019. It opened to the public in late 2022.
Today, van Wie said, the historical society possesses thousands of artifacts and over 2,800 historical photographs.
According to Julie Soffientini, a member of the organization’s board of trustees, the docents at the museum are all volunteers—many of them retired teachers from the school district. They work hard, Soffientini said, to create an immersive experience for residents and students to explore the village’s rich history.
Soffientini, 76, started volunteering with the historical society in 2021, but has been a member since its inception. As the school district’s former superintendent of curriculum and instruction, she began mapping out a curriculum for students who would attend the museum before its opening.
“I don’t think they appreciate how important the community of Franklin Square was in the history of Nassau County, or in the history of New York,” Soffientini said of the students. “They’re unaware of what it was like for the generations of their parents and grandparents.”
Much of the students’ experience at the museum is hands-on, she noted: They get to play with old phones, examine money that was minted in the Franklin National Bank, dip pens in inkwells to write on old paper, and use old typewriters.
Bill Youngfert, 78, the historical society’s secretary, has lived in Franklin Square since 1979, when he married his wife, Nancy. Nancy Youngfert is now the historical society’s president.
“I fell in love with my wife, and she grew up in Franklin Square,” Bill said. “So we bought a house.”
Many new families that move to town, he added, don’t know about its eventful past. That is why, Bill said, it’s great having a museum that houses all of Franklin Square’s history. Even families who don’t live in town occasionally visit, he said.
Two months ago, he recounted, a family from Chile—a couple with a young child—knocked on the museum door and told Youngfert they had found the museum on Google Maps. “It was neat someone from Chile found the museum,” he said, “and came to see and learn about Franklin Square. They were so sweet.”
The family returned for a museum open house two weeks later, he said, which is something he said he hopes more families do. “So many people in Franklin Square haven’t come to see the museum yet,” Youngfert said. “It blows my mind. It’s a wonderful experience.”
Ra is a lifelong resident, having grown up two blocks from the Plattdeutsche.
“I’m very honored they chose me this year,” Ra said, remembering how his father, Joseph Ra, received the Citizen of the Year honor in 2018. “It’s especially meaningful for me.”
Ra, too, knows how much history the town has that residents don’t know about. “The most important thing with history is you need to preserve it,” he said.
Members like van Wie, Ra said, have gone above and beyond in preserving that history. Their efforts, Ra said, foster a sense of community. The village’s future is bright, he said, adding that he hoped to help reinvigorate the downtown business district in a way that preserves its history and heritage.
“I think it’s very important for a person to be proud of where they live,” van Wie said. “The Franklin Square spirit is very special. All the things that shaped the United States—the Great Depression, the Roaring ’20s, the Victorian age, agriculture—it all happened here, too.”
Soffientini said that one of the most important aspects of maintaining the historical society and ensuring the museum is operational is encouraging local residents to volunteer. “One of our goals in the upcoming year is to get more people involved,” she said. “We’re just trying to expand little by little.”
The staff does a phenomenal job of showing students and other visitors around the museum, Youngfert said, and he hopes to see more come through its doors.
