Rear Admiral John Lowe owned this house in 1915. From 1898 to 1900 he was the Navy's chief engineer. Lowe participated in the final series of tests that precipitated the Navy's purchase of the Holland VI, the first commissioned submarine. He was wounded in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War. In 1901, Lowe and six others spent 15 hours submerged in Peconic Bay at the eastern end of Long Island. This endurance test proved that extended submergence was possible.