A Lecture for Suburban Archeologists and Dog Lovers

A local expert investigating the remains of the Westminster Kennel Club's headquarters, and final resting place of its mascot, will take to the lecturn Saturday, June 18 at the Old Town Hall museum in Babylon Village.

Joanne Anderson, a Babylon resident and enthusiast of all things canine, has been on a one-woman mission for years, looking for the final resting place of "Sensation," the pointer breed that appears on the Westminster Kennel Club emblem.

The dog is supposedly buried somewhere near the former site of the club's headquarters, located near the horse trails that run between Babylon and North Babylon in the Southards Pond area.

Mary Cascone, the Babylon town archivist and local history buff, highly recommends the lecture.

"She's done so much amazing research," Cascone said. "She should write a book on what she's found and how she's been able to uncover this information. She knows almost exactly where the kennel was and has been working on this for years."

The club's headquarters were located on the west side of the current Southards Pond park from 1880 until 1904. The structure burned down at some point and the exact location has been since lost to time.

As Anderson wrote in her long-standing pet column in a local paper, the news that the iconic dog and the club were somewhere lost in her own backyard, set her off  "on a quest equivalent to the Dog Vinci Code."

Local residents have a rare opportunity to learn about the club's history and what her search has revealed during her free presentation taking place at Old Town Hall Museum, 47 West Main Street in Babylon, beginning at 1 p.m.

And, next time you're walking your own four-legged friend down the local trail see if he can sniff anything out: Anderson is still looking for the exact site so a plaque or marker can be placed to let residents know about this slice of Americana and local history.