Snouder’s Corner Drug Store

A Brief History: Located at 108 South Street in Oyster Bay, New York, is the Snouder’s Corner Drug Store. This store is one of the most historic buildings in Oyster Bay. The building was buit in 1863, and has been the Snouder’s Corner Drug Store since 1884. The original founder of the store was Abel Miller Conklin (whose decedents went on to found Miller Place in Suffolk County). Conklin originally named the store Conklin’s drug store. Conklin was in poor health when he opened the store, so his son-in-law Andrew Snouder assisted him in running the business. Conklin’s health declined rapidly, and he eventually died on October 2nd, 1887 and was buried in Huntington Rural Cemetery. Conklin’s death left the store to Snouder, who continued to run it until his death on July 14th, 1926.

The very first telephone in Oyster Bay was installed in the store in 1887, and remained the only one in the town for years after. Even future president Theodore Roosevelt did not have a phone at the time, so Snouder would relay messages to him. In 1900, Snouder graduated from the New York College of Pharmacy and renamed the store to Snouder’s Corner Drug Store. The store’s telephone services as well as its soda fountain became the main attractions of the store well into the 1970’s. The store closed its doors for the final time on December 8thof 2010, and has sat empty since.

The building was purchased in September of 2015 by Hamid Nazif. He has plans to renovate the building to include apartments on the second floor, and retail spaces on the first floor. He has said the building “…is in bad shape, and what remains is so damaged that the building should be demolished.” However, the building is protected by its Historical Landmark status with the Town of Oyster Bay Landmark Commission, and cannot be demolished without consent of the Commission (who have never granted permission for a demolition). The project remains in the planning stages as the building remains empty.

Haunted History: There have been claims of hearing a conversation between multiple people in the building when no one was in there. Late at night people have also claimed to have seen lights turn on and off in the building when the building was vacant.