AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
And now for a story about a former president and unsubstantiated rumors. That's right - we're talking about George Washington's visit to Roslyn, Long Island, more than 200 years ago, well before misinformation on the internet. Here are Roslyn High School students, Rebecca Fabricant and Skylar Spier.
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REBECCA FABRICANT: Skylar, if I were to ask you to tell me one fun fact about our town, what would you say?
SKYLAR SPIER: That's easy. George Washington spent the night here in 1790.
FABRICANT: Did you know that's not even true?
RASCOE: Along with help from their high school podcast teacher, Matthew Vogt, these two uncovered the origins of this rumor for NPR's Student Podcast Challenge. Here's an excerpt from their submission, "That Time George Washington Never Really Spent A Night In Roslyn."
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FABRICANT: This is how we learned more about the legend that George Washington spent the night at the Onderdonk House, now known as Hendrix Tavern, in Roslyn, N.Y.
SPIER: I really can't believe it never happened. I've been told this for years. Doesn't it even say that he slept here on the plaque outside of Hendrix?
FABRICANT: I always thought that too. But the plaque actually says on April 24, 1790, President Washington joined the Onderdonk family for breakfast and visited the paper mill, then a significant Long Island industry. According to legend, during a demonstration of the papermaking process, the president made a sheet of paper.
SPIER: How did we find out he never stayed here though?
FABRICANT: First, we called Ms. Clarke, an archivist at the Bryant Library in Roslyn, N.Y. This is when we were informed that he never actually stayed at the Onderdonk House. Ms. Clarke put us in touch with her colleague, Ariel Morabito.
ARIEL MORABITO: I'm the digital curator here at the Bryant Library local history collection.
FABRICANT: As we entered the historical collection, we were greeted by the smell of books.
SPIER: We told Ms. Morabito that we were originally informed George Washington had spent the night here in Roslyn, to which she said this.
MORABITO: I just find that really interesting because of the way that myths perpetuate, and that it can be as powerful as, like, the change of one word or the change of context of one word.
SPIER: As we explored the historical collection, Ms. Morabito brought us to a white binder filled with a series of news articles, as well as pamphlets regarding George Washington's five-day tour of Long Island.
MORABITO: So, honestly, the only evidence that you can really find through this whole binder of it being that he stayed there versus, you know, just passed through are literally come down to this one guy's article - George Washington really slept here. This is, like, a strong headline. That really is the only time that the information is not clear. So I just tried to see the - when these things get perpetuated and that he kind of misled the real history of it. Just as important, if not more, that he didn't just - he made it a point to stop by and see Roslyn and see the progress of the budding industries that were here.
FABRICANT: It's so interesting that this rumor has perpetuated throughout Long Island for decades. Saying Washington spent a night in my town sounds so cool. But as Ms. Morabito mentioned, it is just as important that he stopped by our town, if not more. So yes, Washington never actually spent a night here in Roslyn. What he did do was complete a whole tour ranging from New York City to Patchogue. Why did he do this? Because he wanted to know the problems the people he was guiding were facing so that he could be a better leader. The care this tour showed for his people is a prime example of why he's considered one of the greatest presidents of all time.
RASCOE: That was Rebecca Fabricant and Skylar Spier with help from Ariel Elise (ph) Morabito. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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