The entire neighborhood of Old Chester Hills was once a 300+ acre estate that belonged to The Beh family. Their house still exists today, at the address 8 Chester Court (it was once 44 Godfrey Lane). Its current inhabitants are the McPherson family. The neighborhood is named after Chester, Margaret Beh’s favorite hunting horse. His corral can still be found on the property that is now next door to the original house. Margaret was a champion polo player and the captain of her all-Long Island team. The family was also interested in fox hunting (see below) and would go from estate to estate along what is now Greenlawn, Smithtown and the surrounding villages.

The old Beh estate does not face the street, as it was once the only house in the neighborhood and positioned facing due south. It is approximately 80 years old and has only gone through a few different owners after the Behs. Surviving the two deceased Behs is their son, Bruce, an older gentleman who now resides in Seattle. He was our primary source of information after we moved into this house when he and his wife stopped by for an impromptu visit in 2005.

Above, The original owners of the Beh estate, Margaret and Walter Beh. His tophat in the picture above is shown below (and in our possession courtesy of the Bechtold family)





This cup is the last of a set of 24 that the Behs used when they entertained their fellow foxhunters.(Courtesy of Bruce Beh)



Margaret and Chester, the namesake of our neighborhood.



An old sketch of the Beh estate, done by a friend of the family.



8 Chester Court as it appears today.





Three of the original Smithtown fox hunt invitations are shown above-- note the last was sent by Ward Melville, an American philanthropist who founded the Thom McAn shoe store under the Melville Corporation, and who the town was named after.


The following is a letter sent to my mother from Bruce Beh, the son of the original owners.

”The 1939 hurricane that devastated New England and did so much damage on Long Island brought down a great number of trees in Old Chester Hills. Among the felled trees were English Walnuts. Dad had the trees sawn into lengths that could be handled and they then went to a local sawmill where they were machined into one inch, two inch and four inch planks that were air dried.

”The planks went to a local cabinet maker and Mother gave him plans from Colonial Williamsburg. Sixty six years later Pat (Bruce’s wife) and I still have two six-foot beds, a chest of drawers, a desk and caned chair, and a night table.

”Here are several of the invoices that will show you values from that long ago. Our computer and printer setup sits on this desk right now.”








We are eager to gather more history on our great neighborhood-- can you help? Please contact the webmaster on our home page!! Thanks!

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