 Across Main Street is the Three Village Inn. The "Old Homestead", as it was previously known, was built in 1751 by the farmer Richard Hallock. The integrity of his work is evidenced by the original pre-Revolutionary fireplace and the beams in the main building, all are original with pegged mortise-and-tenon joints.
Captain Jonas Smith, reputed to be Long Island's first millionaire, purchased the house from Mr. Hallock in 1835. "Rich Jonas" as he was known, was one of the country's most prominent ship owners with a fleet of 32 sailing vessels. In 1907, the homestead was purchased by the Stony Brook Assembly, a Presbyterian retreat organization. They built the cottages, now part of the Three Village Inn, using the main house as their dining hall. When the Association relocated in 1921, the house was vacant until 1929. At that time the buildings were in a state of disrepair and it was then that the property was purchased by Ward Melville's mother Jennie, who renovated and used the main building as "The Tea House." The Women's Exchange, which was an organization designed to create jobs for local women, operated "The Tea House." The women's group eventually relocated the Three Village Garden Club Exchange to a section of the main "Tea House" building and the original Hallock-built structure became the Three Village Inn. In August 1939 when Mrs. Jennie Melville died, Ward completely restored, redecorated and renamed the establishment the Three Village Inn. Mindful of its past, the Inn maintains a display of Jennie Melville's teapots in its lobby.
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