6. Bayles Shipyard
Bayles Shipyard is a historic shipyard added to the National Register for Historic Places in 2000. In the mid-19th century, Port Jefferson was a leading shipbuilding center, accounting for upwards of 40% of Suffolk County’s total production. The Bayles Shipyard was established in 1835 by Charles and James Bayles, and in 1854 the shipyard was divided into two separate facilities for more efficient production. By World War I, the shipyard was transformed into Bayles Shipyard, Inc., used for steel shipbuilding. James Bayles built at least 135 ships at the shipyard, while Charles built around 20 as well.
The shipyard today contains the 1897 Bayles Chandlery, the 1917 Machine Shop and Mould Loft, and the 1917 Compressor House. The Port Jefferson Village Center currently uses the machine shop and mould loft, and a former Mobil Oil terminal at the shipyard was converted to the Jeanne Garant Harborfront Park in 2004. An 1880 home in Port Jefferson Harbor still standing today was inhabited by five generations of the Bayles family.