By Tom Tracy
Cops are looking for the thief who raided the historic Old Stone House in Park Slope’s J.J. Byrne Park, plundering the museum’s basement of its sound system. Officials said that someone entered a rear office of the reconstructed 1699 Dutch stone farmhouse sometime on the night of January 4 after breaking through a side window and made off with two sets of speakers and an amplifier The actual house was never entered and none of the historical exhibits were broken or damaged, police were told. “Right now we don’t know anything,” said Kimberly Maier, curator of the Old Stone House. “The detectives are looking into it.” Sources said that investigators are leaning toward the idea that the break-in was committed by a drug addicted former Parks Department employee who was reportedly living in the back of the property late last year after being thrown out of his home. While it is not a city-run facility, the Old Stone House is located on Parks Department property, officials said. The burglary occurred right around the time the employee was fired and asked never to return to the neighborhood landmark, said sources, who added that drug paraphernalia was found on the floor, possibly left by the burglar. Located near the corner of 3rd Street and 4th Avenue across the street from William Alexander JHS 51, the Old Stone House is a “historic interpretive center dedicated to its crucial role in the American Revolution and the evolving histories of Brooklyn, New York and the United States.” The Old Stone House is often used for readings, lectures and concerts, as well as an integral part of the Battle of Brooklyn memorials held yearly in Park Slope and Greenwood Cemetery. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this break-in to come forward. Calls can be made to the 78th Precinct at (718) 636-6411. All calls will be kept confidential.
