Sunday on the Porch: The History of Canio's

Maryann Calendrille and Kathryn Szoka will shard the colorful history of this unique bookstore. Canio’s Books has been a literary gathering place for all in Sag Harbor for 44 years. Established by Canio Pavone in 1980, Calendrille and Szoka took over the "perfect bookstore" in 1999. This is not just a bookstore, they have readings, art receptions, photography and writing workshops, and Canio's Cultural Cafe hosts lectures, seminars and other public forums. The ladies explained the Moby-Dick Marathon and more. 

For those who could not attend and who would like to read the complete transcript of this Sunday on our Porch, read below:

Canio’s Sunday on the Porch August 18, 2024

Maryann Calendrille & Kathryn Szoka

They read an essay by Carol Williams, from thier book: Sag Harbor Is: A Literary Celebration (2006) publisher James Monaco, a collection of essays about the village. Williams mapped Sag Harbor.

“Finally, I transferred every curve and intricacy into a final mylar, it was as if I had traced a spider web, as perfect and as alive.” “And like a fly in a spider’s web, many get stuck here, they think it’s the quaint houses, or the harbor, or the convenient distance to the city, and maybe it is all that too, but beneath and beyond any part of the village, it has to be the web - the mesmerizing pattern of our streets, our three broad streets become roads that link us beyond village boundaries and through the woods to the ocean and a larger town with more movies. Slung between those branches are the labyrinthian side streets and alleyways that diverge to wrap around ponds, coves, schools and graveyards, and everything converges at last, in the single curving Main Street, which inevitably connects us to each other, which in turn funnels onto Long Wharf that leads straight out to sea and vast expanses of sky. With such a map, every errand is an adventure, every encounter a potentially changed life.” This expresses our feelings about the village.

They are actively in conversations about a new location, but they intend to stay in this web.

Writers started seeding the village in the early1930s. We have had a writer’s village for almost a century, which is much longer than our whaling history here in Sag Harbor. Who might those writers be. First mentioned: Wilfrid Sheed, whose wife Miriam Ungerer was a cookbook writer. Sheed is well known for coining the term – “You couldn’t stand on Sag Harbor’s Main Street and throw a pencil and not hit a writer”.

One of the people who encouraged writers to come was Canio Pavone, who started Canio’s Books in 1980, which became a literary hub for those ex-pat writers who would come out here in the relative unknown of Sag Harbor at that time to ply their craft, but then on Saturday nights they would come to the book store to attend readings or they might actually come Saturday morning and have a coffee with Canio. One of the first persons to do that was Nelson Algren who lived around the block from the bookstore. As Canio was painting shelves and bringing in books, Nelson stumbled in in his bathrobe and said I have more books in my bathroom than you have in this bookstore. Later in the day, he walked back with a grocery bag of books to donate to the store, and Nelson and Canio became good friends. Nelson was often there on Saturday mornings talking with Canio. He gave the first ever reading at the bookstore in 1981 two weeks after he was indoctrinated into the American Academy of Arts & Letters. The place was mobbed, it made the New York Times, and at that time, Canio’s Books was on the map. Nelson characteristically charged everyone $3.00 but then he took everyone out for pizza.

We’ve had the honor and pleasure of shepherding and stewarding that bookshop that Canio, lovingly founded, and he would have loved to have been here with you today, but he has a big family reunion. He’s sorry he couldn’t be here, but he’s so dedicated to the shop, he continues to come and take a half day at the store once a week even though he lives quite a distance away now. His great generosity and encouragement meant so much to us when we took over, and that continues to this day.

We’ve had many well celebrated writers through the bookstore doors: Kurt Vonnegut, Studs Terkel, Margaret Atwood, Betty Friedan (living around the corner), James Salter, and Peter Matthiessen. Colson Whitehead has read at our shop from practically his first book, not actually the first book – his Sag Harbor novel was the first reading he gave at the store. One of our great pleasures has been to watch his career develop and him receiving all the awards that he really deserves. Other writers we’ve had: Carl Safina, the great ecologist known throughout the world.

But it’s not really just the celebrity folks and the big names. For me (Maryann): Having the privilege to connect people with books that will interest them, will stir their curiosity or affirm something about themselves is just my (Maryann) great, great privilege for these 25 years. As Kathryn mentioned, we’re both educators, I was teaching English – continuing that, we have writing workshops, Kathryn teaches photography workshops. We’ve had some great events but it’s the everyday connections. We hope to be able to continue to provide a place for community gathering and for those connections to happen because I think they feed everyone.

Some local folks we wanted to mention, to bring them into the circle because we think many of you will remember them, some wonderful women who have been tremendously supportive of us and sadly now are gone. Berty Holabird, Dolores Zebrowski, Pamela Rossbach, Alexandra Leigh-Hunt, Rita Solo, these are tremendously talented, gifted, intelligent women who each, in their own way, came and introduced themselves to see, became champions of us and have continued to be guiding lights. Maybe one day, we’ll write a book and detail a little bit more, but to just give you a little sense of how that place really represents so many of the people – important people of the community.

Kathryn: I want to mention one other woman – Betty Ann Savage. A fun anecdote about her, we occasionally would be in the Old Whalers Parade on Labor Day weekend or after, and one year we outfitted my truck to be Rocinante from Travels with Charlie, this was well before the Steinbeck house was on the market. We had Herman Melville in the back in the bed of the truck, and we had John Steinbeck in a fishing mac, with a pole and hook, and who wanted to ride shotgun in the truck with me, but Betty Ann Savage. If anyone knew Betty Ann it would be kind of the last thing, I would have expected her to do. She was thrilled.

Bill Mulvihill – the Mulvihill’s have a longstanding place in our community here, I think his parents had a place here on Glover Street. They have donated, between Doloris and Bill, so many acres of land to the town – the great swamp (if anyone has gone there on a hike, I highly suggest it). Both Bill and Doloris just loved Sag Harbor, and Bill wrote the book, he wrote many books, the one that was made into a movie was The Sands of Kalahari. He also wrote South Fork Place Names. He dedicated himself to understanding what all the names of the streets, and the towns and communities around here were like, and South Fork Place Names is a wonderful contribution to the history of Sag Harbor. He would often come into the store, and we would chat, late Friday afternoons.

Kathryn: Maryann mentioned Studs Terkel. The first year that we were in ownership of the bookstore, that would be 1999, … it’s a Saturday morning and in through the door comes Joe Pintauro, a playwright and writer, and with Joe is an older gentleman. He’s saying Kathryn, I want to introduce you to someone and I’m thinking this must be his father. He says, Kathryn this is Studs Terkel, and then Studs took off on a soliloquy in the bookstore, where there were two or three other people, who all stopped and turned to listen to him because Studs and Nelson Algren were very close buddies. They were at the Chicago Writers School. Studs knew that Nelson had given a talk at Canio’s and that we have what we call the Nelson Algren chair. Joe Pintauro is also part of that Chicago School. It was a magical, in person moment, where Studs took over. The people in the store, after he left, said I can’t believe that was Studs Terkel. They were so thrilled.

Maryann: I’ll tell you the little moment of Kurt Vonnegut. He didn’t actually read at the bookshop but years back he read elsewhere at the college, and Guild Hall, etc. One day, he sauntered into the bookshop, Saturday I guess it was, and was looking around, and I tried not to get too starstruck and be cool. Of course, I recognized him, he’s a certain figure you will notice. He comes to the desk with some books and hands me a credit card and says, “I’m a writer”. He slides me the card and says, “Do you take credit cards in this draconian institution?” I said, “Yes we do.” He said “Great, great, do you sell cigarettes?” I said “No, I’m sorry we don’t.” He said, “Darn, then you would have been the perfect bookstore.” He was very warm, charming, and humble.

We had a very unusual request of a customer. He wanted to buy, as a gift, for his wife, who was a writer, the complete OED (Oxford English Dictionary). The complete OED is, how many volumes? Something like 22-23 volumes. What we usually see in college libraries is the condensed version – 2 volumes and you need a magnifying glass to read it. This was a very special couple, and the wife was a novelist, very well known. He wanted the entire set, 20-some-odd volumes. These are giant books, and we had to bring them to Shelter Island, deliver them to their home, without her knowing. … and she was in the house at the time. Each volume is like 4-inches thick and 12-inches high. There was this ruse that her husband built up about how we were going to be going out for a drink, so he was giving us instructions about how we needed to drive around to the back of the household, and he opened the garage and, you know, it takes a while to unload 22 volumes of the OED. Fortunately, she was in a room writing and was not at all aware of what was going on and the gift was a big surprise.

In terms of delivering books, during the Pandemic, which was one of the intense periods that we all lived through.  Of course, the store was closed and we could only have one person in the store at one time to process orders. We delivered books all around Sag Harbor and getting back to the Carol Williams essay, it was just really wonderful to be able to drive down some of these long, winding, flag lot roads to see where people lived and it was another way to get a sense of this place, getting back to the people and the place, and what Sag Harbor is really about. There is just such a diversity not just in the landscapes but the home-scapes within Sag Harbor, from the great old Whaling Captains’ homes to very modest cottages that people live in. That was wonderful. We discovered little neighborhoods we never knew about tucked in here and there in the village. It was a special time.

Speaking of houses, let’s talk about Steinbeck House. We’ve been endeavoring to do what we love best at Canio’s which is bring the community out to the people but also bring people into the store to engage in a community that is substantive and meaningful. One of the things that we are most proud of is the fact that we sort of spearheaded the drive to preserve John Steinbeck’s home. As we all know, it’s now been preserved and we are in our second year of having it as an active writer’s retreat; it is also open to the public for free visitation alternate Saturdays throughout the year, and this coming Labor Day weekend, you can actually get into the house. A great success. It was a two-year battle. Everyone said, “it will never happen” and it did.

There are so many writers that we’ve met over the course of our time there. At one point, we put together a list of the writers that were in and around Sag Harbor and there were over 150 and we probably left out over half of them. It was really impressive. So we’ve met a lot of writers and had intimate and interesting conversations with many of them, but there’s one writer, actually of a couple, who we really kind of were very involved in the process of the writing of the book. By that I don’t mean we edited it, or we actually did anything in terms of putting words into this person’s mouth, but we were observers in close proximity, and that’s Lucette Lagnado, who wrote The Man in the Shark Skin Suit. It was her memoire, and it was her first book. Her husband Doug Feiden, who was also a writer and journalist, wrote for the Sag Harbor Express when he lived out here for several years. They’re both wonderful people and sadly both deceased now but we were really able to have an intimate look at that whole process.   It was a real highlight to our experience to meet these two truly extraordinary individuals and to develop a friendship with each of them and to have wonderful conversations and really, from a distance, but closely observe all of the effort and the struggle that goes into putting a very important book together as Lucette’s memoire is. We do count the two of them as guiding lights continuing.

We should mention just a couple of other highlights. We already mentioned the Sag Harbor Literary Collection we were able to put together with Jim Monaco. There are other community projects that seem to really represent what’s important to us. The bookshop is about connecting people with books but it’s a lot about community.

Before we cover more on that, in terms of another writer that we have become friends with over the course of time, we mentioned Carl Safina. The reason I bring his name back in the conversation is not that he’s giving a talk later this month, though you should make a note of that. It’s because the book that he’s going to be talking about is Alfie, about the owl he rescued and then resuscitated, let out into the wild, and Alfie lives in his back porch essentially for lack of a better way of putting it. We happened to meet Alfie when he first came into his life. Don’t tell the National Wildlife Association. We happened to be over at his house and he had this beautiful little screech owl and everyone there was just oohing and ahhing over Alfie.

Eric Cohen from the John Jermain Library. He had a vision, about a dozen years ago, of forming the Sag Harbor Cultural District and what we would do is bring together all the non-profit, cultural organizations to be able to plan together, to have more synchronicity among our organizations. So, Canio’s Cultural Café, which is a not-for-profit that we started back in 2009, is an educational non-profit and underwrites all the programming that we do at the store. We were a charter member of the Cultural District and for at least five years, the Cultural District worked really well. The pandemic coincided with Eric’s retirement, and it has not yet really resurrected itself. I’m going to put a plug in for the Cultural District to really come back because I think we did a lot of good work together. I think now as Sag Harbor continues to round yet another corner in terms of the direction that we are going, we can’t do enough to promote the cultural aspects of the village we have.

Moby Dick Marathon: Canio’s started the Moby Dick Marathon in 1983. We claim, as Canio’s Books, the first institution to do a marathon reading of Moby Dick. Before the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and before Mystic Seaport. When Canio did it, he did it around the clock, so if were a diehard, you were there for the 36 hours that it took. When we brought it back, we decided we wanted to expand it out because a lot of people would come in the store and say one of two things: you have to bring back the Moby Dick Marathon or God, I could never get through that book. As teachers, we wanted to make literature accessible to people who may not have gotten a degree in English, so by expanding it, by having it over three days, we get hundreds of people to come. People say, wow I never knew there was so much humor in Moby Dick, or I never knew the language was so ethereal and elegant. That really, as a teacher, is a wonderful thing to hear. We do the Moby Dick event every two years as it’s a huge undertaking. Kathryn is the master mind about scheduling, and she finds 10 minute slots of reading time for 160+ readers, it’s amazing. We do it every two years, we did it in 2023, so that means 2025. Wherever we are in June 2025, we will be hosting the marathon and it will circulate around different locations in the village. [Nancy Achenbach offered the ACB House as a location.]

 

Audience: The Canio’s Building was once a dry goods store with residential space upstairs. The center part of the interior of the shop dates from the 1770s. Front portion was added on about 100 years later. In 1930s, there was a riding stable there. After WWII, became an electronics repair shop. It became Canio’s 44 years ago in 1980.

.

Sunday on the Porch: "The LIfe of a 19th Century woman told through the Clothing of the Period"

Mary Jane Marcasiano, SHHM Trustee and costume designer, and Alex McNear, writer and editor, teamed up this year to create our unique exhibit about "The Life of a 19th Century Sag Harbor woman told through the Clothing of the Period and her Writings" and specifically Annie Cooper Boyd.

Annie Cooper Boyd was a life-long resident of Sag Harbor, an artist, and a prolific diarist throughout her life. Raised in the house next door, Annie raised her family in this sweet cottage, now known locally as the Annie Cooper Boyd House and the headquarters of the Sag Harbor Historical Museum.

Sunday afternoon, July 14th, Marcasiano and McNear shared with us  their journey and the choices they made to create an exhibit that reveals not only Annie but what a woman's life was like on the East End between 1882 and 1907, through Annie's clothing, her writings, and her art. 

CLICK HERE to see a video of this Sunday on the Porch.

Jean Held A Sag Harbor Gem

Jean Held - A Sag Harbor Gem

It is with great sadness that we share with you the news of Jean's passing; she was 87 years old. When thinking of Jean so many adjectives come to mind: history lover, naturalist, photographer, conservationist, bird-watcher, beachcomber, graphic designer, author, editor, publisher, researcher, former trustee, bicyclist, tangential conversationalist and a woman with insatiable curiosity about nearly every topic.

We are so fortunate that the Sag Harbor Historical Museum, formerly known as "the Society", has been Jean's second home for decades. Her contributions are too numerous to relate here but the creation, design and editing of the monthly hardcopy Museum newsletter - "The Sentinel" - for years was a labor of love which benefitted us all. Jean was also the creator and curator for numerous exhibits at the Museum, the most popular of which were about the Long Island Railroad hub that came into Sag Harbor, Long Beach, Trout Pond, and Long Wharf. When the dredging began in the harbor during the "rebuild" of Long Wharf a few years ago, not another human being in Sag Harbor was as excited to see what our waters would reveal as Jean was. The dredged material was deposited at Havens Beach, and there for the next two years you could find Jean, no matter the weather, "beachcombing" for historic treasures and any materials that would inform her about some of Sag Harbor's past.Much of what she retrieved from the "debris" were broken pieces of glass, china and pottery which few would find of great interest, but Jean did. This was just the beginning of a quest to get answers. She was determined, tenacious, and seemingly never discouraged which resulted in her proving that three of the fragments of a pottery vessel, known as sherds, in fact, were from stoneware created by the first African-American potter, Thomas Commeraw. "Eureka!" She was thrilled at this discovery and then created an exhibit that shared her findings not just from the late 18th and early 19th centuries but throughout the generations that have lived and worked in Sag Harbor. Jean was a true gem, who added so much to our village, museum and lives. She stopped by the office a little while ago and she was chatting as always about a number of things. She was gently reminded that she was taking tangents to which she replied "I love tangents, don't you?" So very Jean. She is sorely missed and will be for years to come.

If you are interested in reading more about Jean click HERE for a link to an article written in 2022 by Nancy Remkus for the Express News Group entitled "Jean Held Exploring the Mysteries of Home".

SHHM has dedicated a bench in Jean's memory which now graces out front lawn. Visitors have been seen relaxing in the shade enjoying our historic house and Jean's beloved village at large. Please click here to see a video citing our dedication to Jean.

Video of SHHS Preservation Forum December 3rd 2022

Here is a link to the hour and twenty five minute video of the entire Preservation Forum.

The recent Preservation Forum was a resounding success. Over 60 people attended SHHS's second Preservation Forum held Saturday December 3rd at Christ Episcopal Church, and everyone agrees it was much needed and a great success.

Nancy Achenbach, President of SHHS kicked off the forum with opening remarks at 1:00 p.m. and then Randolph Croxton began moderating the event. The panel consisted of four (4) chairpersons of the Village Boards: Will Sharp, Harbor Committee; John Shaka, Planning Board; Jeanne Kane, Zoning Board of Appeals; and, Steve Williams, Historic Preservation & Architectural Review Board.

The goal of the forum was to share the village's preservation oversight process, to increase transparancy, and to "de-mystify" the day-to-day practical details required for the successful managment of preserving history. Questions for the panel were submitted before the event as well as on the way in to the event.

Some of the comments heard following the event were:

"Much needed!" 
"Timely"
"This cleared up so much for me!"
"We need more of these."

Click here to watch the complete video.

Mashashimuet Park Through the Years

Presented by the Park Board of Trustees

2022 Exhibit Opening
Reception & Refreshments
Sunday July 10th - 5:00 p.m.
___________________________

Mashashimuet Park is not only a centerpiece in Sag Harbor but has been the center for community, school and family events for generations. This beautiful park has been the stage for Band Concerts & Plays, Trotting, Bicycle, and Running Races, Tournaments & Team Sports like Baseball and Field Hockey, and, of course, Skating on Otter Pond.

In 1908, Sag Harbor benefactress, Mrs. Russell Sage, began the process to create what would later be named Mashashimuet Park for the youth and families of the area. William Wallace Tooker named the park "Mashashimuet", Algonquin for "Place of the Great Springs".

Let's celebrate this centerpiece together. Come join us for the Opening of this year's Exhibit and hear the Park Board of Trustees talk about "Mashashimuet Park Through the Years". 

Treasure Lost

Michael Heller, a third-generation resident of the East End - is relocating to Greece!

Heller is a photojournalist, documentary photographer, a long-time member of the Hook & Ladder Co. #1 for the East Hampton Fire Department, and the Staff Photographer for the Sag Harbor Express. As such, he has documented Sag Harbor's history in the making.

As Sag Harbor's landscape has been renovated, repurposed and preserved, Heller has been on hand to document four significant, recent projects.

Between 2011 and 2016, Heller photographed the renovation and construction of the John Jermain Memorial Library; the images of which can be found in its archives.

In 2011, Heller was onsite as the four-year project to laboriously convert the lifeless Bulova Watchcase Factory into condominiums began. He documented this event from start to finish in his book Watchcase - The Story of A Rebirth.

On that frigid day in December 2016, Heller was on the scene as a firefighter and then photographer when the building at 90 Main Street, which houses our iconic Sag Harbor Cinema, burned for hours on end. This event he documented in a book entitled A Phoenix Rises - The Fall and Rise of the Sag Harbor Cinema.

And, most recently, Heller was on hand to document the renovation of Long Wharf, from beginning to end, which he documented in A Short History of Sag Harbor's Long Wharf.

Sag Harbor's history in the making ... all documented and preserved by Michael Heller's unique images and words. Heller has given so much to our small village - he is a treasure - one who will be sorely missed.

Michael will not be embarking on this new adventure alone. He will be joined by another Sag Harborite - Jackie Marks, who once served as the Historical Society's archivist before taking a position with the Amagansett Library. Their departure will leave a hole in our small village, one that will not be filled anytime soon. We wish them all the best for their future.

"May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The Rain Fall Soft Upon Your Fields."

A Traditional Irish Blessing

Michael Heller received our Sag Harbor Historical Society 2018 Dorothy Ingersoll Zaykowski Award for Contributions to the Appreciation and Preservation of Sag Harbor History. Photographed here with Jack Youngs, the then-President of SHHS and Nancy French Achenbach, our current President.
 

The Sag Harbor Spur

If you want to study the development of commerce and communities in the U.S., you only have to follow the railroads. The development of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) (1844) opened Long Island for settlement and farming along the railroad line. Between 1870 and 1939, a 4-mile-long spur operated between Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor which enabled the Fahys Watchcase operations to move to Sag Harbor and encouraged the creation of the East End's best trotting course in 1879, located where Mashashimuet Park is today.

Watch the video linked here, by SHHS Trustee, Nancy Remkus, to hear how the LIRR was chartered to connect New York and Boston; be introduced to the Long Pond Green Belt, along which the railroad ran; and, learn about ice harvesting on Round Pond and how the LIRR transported it to New York way back then.

Beachcombing Can Be Fun!

One of the exhibits now on display at the Historical Society's headquarters, the Annie Cooper Boyd House at 174 Main Street, is "Beachcombing for Evidence of Sag Harbor History - 80% Proof" by Jean Held.

Jean has been beachcombing Haven's Beach ever since the village began dredging the west side of Long Wharf four years ago and piping the dredged material at the beach. Sag Harbor and history enthusiasts have collected a treasure trove of artifacts. In Jean's case she has then applied her considerable research skills to determining each artifact's origins. She's worked long, hard and happily and has now created an exhibit for all of us in which she shares her "finds" and some conclusions. Items found date from the Revolutionary Ward to the present  It's a fascinating glimpse into how Sag Harbor society has related to itself, the rest of the U.S., and the world for the last 250 years.

Come see the small treasures found at the bottom of our harbor.

Helping Our Garden Grow

We at the Sag Harbor Historical Society, honored Earth Day and National Garden Month in a special way by inviting families to help us plant an herb garden and bring Annie's spirit to life ... and we had a wonderful time!

Bonnie Grice, dressed in period costume, welcomed the gardeners behind the ACB HOuse where Annie's own kitchen garden would have been. Folks chose thier herbs, Parsley, Sage or Rosemary, and BOnnie was there to assist and offer planting tips and a bit of herb history. Each herb was tagged not only with its name but the gardener's name as well. WE thank the Peconic Land Trust and the Sag Harbor Garden Center for sponsoring this event and providing the herbs.

Between 11:00 and 1:00, Nancy Remkus played music and sang songs on the stairs of the house, facing an audience safely spaced in chairs with no sense of crowding ... on our new front lawn! 

Hopefully every gardiner will return to see how "their garden grows". CLICK HERE TO LINK WITH A SHORT SLIDESHOW that is indicative of how the entire day progressed. Gardiners young and old participated and the individuals shown are only representative of those who helped us celebrate this glorious day in Sag Harbor. Thank you one and all! 

Photos by Claudia Ward, Steve Gould and several attendees (many thanks). Slideshow by Claudia Ward and Music by Alexandre Desplat, "The New York Times" from the soundtrack of Julie and Julia

SPRING! National Garden Month

Happy National Garden Month!! Did you know?

Look what we've found as sleepy old winter as finally retreating ... and here in our own front yard at the ACB House! The colors of Spring are startling on these small, incredibly bold and strong shoots that decide to announce themselves, even if briefly, to let us know that Spring is here. 

We hope you all are enjoying these glorious days and the colors that have replaced every shade of gray imaginable. And this year, we'll all share our joy in each season, in each other, and all the new and clever get-togethers people around our village have planned. Being cautious and respectful to friends and neighbors, of course. 

We hope this small slidehow (click here), uplifts your hearts as it has ours at SHHS. We are so excited about planning our events for the new "front lawn" and sharing them with you soon.

Happy Spring!

Researching Our Irish Ancestry

Last Tuesday March 16th, St. Pat's Eve, the John Jermain Memorial Library and the Sag Harbor Historical Society co-sponsored "Kiss Me I'm Irish - How to Research Your Irish Ancestry". We are happy to report that it was a great success. Fifty seven (57) curious souls rergistered for the event on Zoom and 46 were able to participate. Tucker Roth, one of the Society's trustees attended and reported this:

"Sarah Gutmann's Genealogy program on tracing Irish Heritage was informative and fun. She took us through the process, provided resources and tips on navigating websites like Ancestry.com, Family Search, and census records as well as sources particular to Irish records: the extensive database of the Catholic Church, the National Archives of Ireland and the New York Emigrant Savings Bank. Ancestry.com can be accessed, without charge, through the JJML."

If you want to see some of this event, just click on the LINK HERE.

This event complements the Society's Exhibit for 2021 "Then & Now: A Story of Immigration in Sag Harbor" and represents the first collaboration with the library in a long time. And, we sincerely hope it will be the first of many.

 

Celebrating Women's History Month - Our American Beauty: Dorothy Ingersoll Zaykowski

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
Marcus Garvey

In old Sag Harbor-style, 30 years ago this summer, the community paraded down to Long Wharf to greet the first shipment of Sag Harbor - The Story of an American Beautywritten by local author and historian Dorothy Ingersoll Zaykowski. Dorothy's book continues to be the go-to book for Sag Harbor's unique, celebrated and colorful history beginning with the foot paths of the Algonquian tribe and extending to the glory days of a harbor alive with whalers and whaling ships, coopers, rope-makers, blacksmiths, and the smell of blubber boiled down in try-pots. In the village, church steeples raised to the heaven, and our Main Street was alive with locals, world travelers, barbers, horse-and-carriages, shops, hotels, saloons and brothels.  

Today, celebrating this significant anniversary, Dorothy, and all those who helped her, Nancy Remkus and Jean Held have created THIS VIDEO, in which you will meet some of the folks who have been directly affected by this book and the work of, our friend and former trustee, Dorothy Ingersoll Zaykowski. 

Celebrating Black History Month - The Fortunes

Caroline Charlotte “Carrie” Smiley Fortune was born in December 1860. As  Carrie’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Bowser, wrote in Voices of Sag Harbor, Carrie “was born a slave in Jacksonville, Florida, the daughter of a plantation owner named Smiley and an Indian girl.” Elizabeth explained, “Plantation owners made a practice of recruiting Indian girls from the then western frontiers of the United States.” and “my grandmother Carrie, [was] the issue of her Indian mother and the slave-owning plantation owner.” In the late 1870s, Carrie moved to Sag Harbor to be the personal seamstress for the wife of a Captain  living near the neighborhood of Eastville. Carrie, soon made friends in Eastville and taught them her fine dress-making skills. Just look at the exquisite details in the dress she’s wearing in this photograph.

In 1878, Carrie’s sweetheart, T. Thomas Fortune, arrived from Jacksonville and claimed her as his bride, and they settled in Brooklyn. Carrie kept in touch with her Sag Harbor friends, and the Fortune’s visited frequently during summertime, eventually becoming one of the first African-American families to “summer” in Sag Harbor. Carrie and Thomas had 5 children, 3 of whom died. Carrie, herself, died in 1940 at the age of 80.

T. Thomas Fortune (1856-1928) was born a slave in Marianna, Florida and was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. He attended Howard University briefly, leaving to be a journalist. Fortune established The New York Globe, which later became New York Age, the nation’s leading black newspaper which survived until 1960. “The condition of black people in the southern United States became his primary concern, and the press was his weapon to change those conditions. By 1887, he had established himself as the most prominent black journalist of the time.” Also in 1887, Fortune organized the National Afro-American League “to secure the defense of the black community against lynchings, riots, and other terrorist violence” (source: blackpast.org). This organization served as a model for later civil rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Fortune shepherded and opened doors for leaders like W. E. B. DuBois and Ida B. Wells. Fortune's wife, Carrie Smiley Fortune, was a founder of the National Urban League. Fortune died in 1928 at the age of 72.

Scandal: Friends and neighbors are having a love affair ....

... with Sag Harbor. Listen to many profess their lifelong love for our unique little village. Click on this link.

LIGHT UP THE HARBOR RECOGNITION

Light Up the Harbor!
The Results Are In!
 

We were so impressed with all of entries to the Society's 2020 Light Up the Harbor Event. Heaven knows we all need some light and joy in our lives in these trying times and our friends and families stepped up to the challenge. We had so many entries selecting a handful for special recognition was not easy but, at the end of the day, we all win with this endeavor - participants and spectators alike. Take a look at this SLIDESHOW BY CLICKING HERE. It was created by Nancy Remkus, a SHHS Trustee, showcasing every one of the entries. Tell us they aren't all winners! We'll share the results below as well as a route map that you can drive to see each and everyone of these special creations.

And the Results Are ...

Recognition

• Robert Gibbs & family, 287 Main Street
• Liz McGuire & Maggie Reilly, 291 Main Street
• Jeff Peters & Mary Ann Miller, 365 Main Street
• Susan Fick Pluchino & family, 6 James Place

Honorable Mention 

• Marla Alper & Chris Coffee, 31 Madison
• Shawn Beyer-Mitchell & family, 303 Division Street
• Farrin Cary & family, 11 Oakland Avenue
• Yadira Castiblanco & family, 58 Howard Street
• Mare Dianora & family, 26 Grand Street
• Lisa DiGirolamo & family, 53 Highview Drive
• Bonnie Jackson & Bill Porter, 36 Payne Avenue
• Joe & Karen Lauro, 249 Main Street
• Marie-Christine McNally & the Popadick Family, 25 Burke Street
• Richard Pantina & family, 82 Harbor Drive
• Frieda & James Renner, 22 Forrest Street

Congratulations to one and all!  THANK YOU for Lighting Up the Harbor this year, for all of us to see!

Speaking of seeing, if you feel like taking a drive to see this year's participants and all the lights, print out this post which includes a list of the participants "in geographic order" and an indicative map of where they are. It's a circular route that will allow you see every entry to "Light Up the Harbor 2020" ... and more! We hope you enjoy this as much as we have.

Happy Holidays friends, family, neighbors ... one and all!

CANCELLED: In-Person Light Up the Harbor; But Recognition Abounds!

At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday December 20th, join SHHS outside the Annie Cooper Boyd House to hear The Dickens Carolers perform and for the presentation of the Holiday Home Decorating awards. SHHS asks everyone to participate by decorating their house for the holiday season. LIGHT UP THE HARBOR! We may not be able to congregate close to one another this year but we can share our holiday greetings and cheer with family, friends, and neighbors. Register your home by emailing a photo to info@sagharborhistorical.org; please include your NAME, ADDRESS, AND preferred EMAIL ADDRESS. Recognition awards will be based upon Creativity, Enthusiasm, and Originality. Bundle up and join us please.

Century Arts Foundation

The Sag Harbor Historical Society wants to express its deep and sincere appreciation to the Century Arts Foundation for awarding the Society a $5,000 grant for re-landscaping the front lawn of the Annie Cooper Boyd House to accomodate public gatherings and educational events. The project will entail moving the current garden to the side and back of the house and expanding the lawn up to the boxwoods by the porch. In the days of COVID-19 and even post-COVID-19 days, social distancing, preferably outdoors is needed. The expansion of the front lawn will allow us to sponsor properly socially-distanced events on the front lawn of the Annie Cooper Boyd House.  Many, many thanks to Century Arts, we will be forever grateful. 

Annie's Field of Jack O'Lanterns 2020

The rain ceased just in time for this year's Annie's Field of Jack O'Lanterns at SHHS. Everyone was so creative, some patriotic and some even reflective on this unusual time of a pandemic. Whales, Anchors, Gremlins, Flags, Laughing and Spooky Faces, as well as an imprisoned Joe wearing a Covid Mask. We hope you enjoy this slideshow of many of the contributions and the kickoff to this year's holiday season. Photos and slideshow by Claudia Ward with a very special thanks to Brendon Remler for sharing some of his images especially the ghostly image at the end. Music by Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks Orchestra. Here's the link:  https://vimeo.com/474394563

Sag Harbor Historical Society Uses Video To Help Tell The Village’s Story

This article, written by Stephen J. Kotz, was printed in the Sag Harbor Express on October 29, 2020

The photo is tagged "Nancy Remkus films Nancy Cory at the Old Whalers' Church as part of her series for the Sag Harbor Historical Society. STEPHEN J. KOTZ"

"What started as a series of PowerPoint presentations to introduce students at the Sag Harbor Elementary School to the village’s rich history has morphed into a series of short videos that its creator hopes will help draw attention to the Sag Harbor Historical Society.

Nancy Remkus, a retired teacher and member of the society’s board, has been making the videos with the aid of other society members.

“We want to share more Sag Harbor stories with people and hopefully encourage more people to become members of the society,” Ms. Remkus said.

The initial video featured Deanna Lattanzio, another retired educator, giving a tour of the society’s headquarters, the Annie Cooper Boyd House, which is set back from Main Street just a few paces south of the village’s business district.

Ms. Lattanzio was also enlisted to tell the story of the Cilli Farm, the only farm in the village, which had been owned by her grandfather. Bethany Deyermond, another retired teacher and society board member, took on the role of Sag Harbor’s major benefactress, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, who gave the village the John Jermain Memorial Library, Pierson High School, and Mashashimuet Park and Otter Pond, among other major gifts.

Another video traced the history of the Long Island Rail Road’s service to the village, which was discontinued in the 1930s. Trains followed a spur from Bridgehampton through the Long Pond Green Belt before crossing a trestle along Sag Harbor Cove and arriving at a depot at what is now the site of the village post office.

Ms. Remkus also filmed two videos of historical society board member James Marquardt reading from his book, “True Stories of Old Sag Harbor.” CLICK HERE FOR #1 and CLICK HERE FOR #2.  

So far, though, the most involved production enlisted five narrators from the historical society telling stories of some of the more colorful “permanent residents” of Oakland Cemetery.

WLNG radio host Bonnie Grice tells the story of Captain David Hand and his five wives, four of whom died before the age of 30, while Bethany Deyermond tells the story of Joseph Fahys, who brought his watchcase factory to the village in the 1800s.

Jack Youngs tackles the story of Ephraim Byram, a village clockmaker, inventor, and philosopher, while Ms. Remkus narrates a segment on the philosopher and adventurer Prentice Mulford.

And Ms. Lattanzio describes the life of Fannie Tunison, who was born paralyzed, but who was able to learn how to use her mouth and tongue to thread a needle and sew. She later became her family’s major breadwinner by reading fortune cards and doing other tasks.
Last week, Ms. Remkus started her latest video, one that will tell the story of Dorothy

Ingersoll Zaykowski, whose book, “Sag Harbor: The story of an American Beauty,” is a highly regarded history of the village. For that video, she taped Nancy Cory, a member of the Old Whalers’ Church, Catherine Creedon, the director of the John Jermain Memorial Library; Tony Garro, who leads historic walking tours of the village; and Bryan Boyhan, the former publisher of The Sag Harbor Express.

The videos are available on the historical society’s Facebook page and website, sagharborhistorical.org, under the Blog heading."

 

Oakland Cemetery & Five of its Renowned Residents

Join us as trustees of the Sag Harbor Historical Society introduce you to five legendary residents of Oakland Cemetery: Capt. David Hand, Ephraim Byram, Joseph Fays, Prentice Mulford, and Fannie Tunison.  Listen to the stories of how these five amazing people impacted the history of our village and world. Home to many amazing souls, Oakland Cemetery is the final resting place for many of our friends, relatives and neighbors and many people from our past who have helped to shape history. Interspersed with historic photos and illustrations, these videos share the stories of these remarkable and interesting individuals who at one time or another all called Sag Harbor home.

We hope you enjoy this video and the performances of our trustees Bonnie Grice, Jack Youngs, Bethany Deyermond, Nancy Remkus and Deanna Lattanzio. Thank you all for creating these videos about Sag Harbor's history.  https://vimeo.com/manage/471697113/general

The Anchor to Windward

The Anchor to Windward

These days the headquarters for the Sag Harbor Historical Society (SHHS) at 174 Main Street is known as the Annie Cooper Boyd House after its famous resident artist, but Annie called it her lovely little "Anchor to Windward".  Why?

Mooring during threatening winds, experienced sailors cast an anchor to windward - the direction from which the wind is coming - in order to hold fast and keep from being dashed and destroyed upon the shore. An anchor to windward provides security and Annie found that security in this little cottage she inherited from her father. She wrote its name, "The Anchor to Windward", on a beam above the stairs on the inside of the porch and she even placed an anchor on the roof.

An anchor rests there to this day.

Jim Marquardt Reads

Author and SHHS Trustee, Jim Marquardt, reads one of his True Stories of Old Sag Harbor "It Took a Village" in the linked video.https://vimeo.com/444294252

Two New Trustees

Two New Trustees at SHHS
Over the last several months two new trustees have joined the Historical Society's Board - one is a thespian and one is a writer, and neither can be accurately described by a single word.

Bonnie Grice, the "thespian", has many passions which include history and theater. She started her own theater company, "boots on the ground theater" in 2016 to bring history to life both on stage and in reenactments. You may have seen one of the latter last August when she dressed as a suffragette and walked Main Street celebrating the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote.

Bonnie is also a veteran radio broadcaster and DJ. A two-time Gracie Allen winner, Bonnie has made her mark at a variety of radios stations coast to coast. Most recently Bonnie has had two programs on Sag Harbor's own WLNG: "Rock On" on Saturdays, 3:00-6:00 pm, and "Brunch with Bonnie", Sundays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm.  We are excited to have Bonnie and all her energy join the Board.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Marquardt is the "writer". He has worked for NYC communications firms and corporations as an advertising/promotion copywriter, publicity writer and magazine editor. For twenty-five years he was President of Marquardt & Roche, Inc., Advertising/Public Relations in Stamford, CT.

Jim "retired" to Sag Harbor over twenty years ago but keeps on writing - he's reviewed fiction for Dan's Papers, written fiction that has appear in the North Atlantic Review and the East Hampton Star, and has been a columnist for the Sag Harbor Express for more than ten years, writing about Sag Harbor's colorful history. His stories create an intimate picture of some of the events and people that formed the unique character of a town that has been called an "America Beauty". Many of these stories have been published in his book True Stories of Old Sag Harbor.
 

Suffragettes Marching in Sag Harbor Once More

Yes it's true, two suffregattes were seen marching along Main Street in Sag Harbor the morning of August 26. This time, howver, they were not petitioning to get the right to vote, rather they were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Secretary of State certifying the ratification of the 19th Amendment to our Constitution -giving the right to vote to women. But not all women could vote starting in 1920. It would take almost five more decades before black women would be able to vote. The Women's Suffrage Movement lasted 80 years for some but 125 years for others. Our two suffregettes, Bonnie Grice and Karen Campbell (both SHHS trustees) shone a spotlight on the rights of everyone to vote.

Open Sundays: "Then & Now: A Story of Immigration in Sag Harbor"

Open at Last: Sundays between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.
You may know Aubrey Peterson, a local young man, who has been a docent at the Sag Harbor Historical Society since he was in the 7th grade. This fall he will be a senior, and he has created this year's exhibit, "Then & Now: A Story of Immigration in Sag Harbor".

Visiting the Annie Cooper Boyd House with his mother when Aubrey was young, seeded a lasting interest in history. We hope you will visit the Historical Society one Sunday soon to follow the timeline of Sag Harbor's history through the lens of its natives and immigrants: the Native Americans like Stephen "Talkhouse", the English like Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, the African Americans, the Irish, the Jews, the Italians, and Others. In the meantime, enjoy the virtual tour of the exhibit created by Nancy Remkus, a SHHS trustee, and, of course, Aubrey by clicking this link. https://vimeo.com/449050318
 

Life on the Sag Harbor Cilli Farm

Video - Life on the Cilli Dairy Farm: Deanna Lattanzio is a third generation Sag Harbor resident, a retired teacher from Sag Harbor Elementary School, and a Sag Harbor Historical Society Trustee. She is proud of her Italian heritage. Her grandparents came to America, bought a farm in Sag Harbor in 1922 and began a dairy known as the Cove Side Dairy. Cilli Farm started with just 12 cows but grew to have up to 65 cows. 

Deanna continues to be involved with the Elementary School participating in numerous Morning Programs. One that she created for the children was all about the Cilli Farm and a day in the life of a Sag Harbor dairy farmer. Nancy Remkus filmed Deanna's onsite presentation and we are now sharing it with you here.

https://vimeo.com/441610075

Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation

The Sag Harbor Historical Society (SHHS) wants to express its sincere appreciation to the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation for awarding the Society a $2,000 grant to reimburse a portion of operating expenses incurred during the onset of Governor Cuomo's Executive Order: "New York State on Pause". The Corona virus hit New York hard and fast and SHHS, like so many other non-profit organizations, shut their doors and followed the quarantine directives coming from Albany. But, being closed does not stop the bills from coming in. Insurance premiums, utility bills, phone and internet bills all still had to be paid with no surety that income would follow. March events were cancelled, and then April and May's. Plans for SHHS's primary fundraising event in June were well under way but it too had to be cancelled. And the opening of the 2020 exhibit is "on Pause" for now, as creative minds are trying to determine the best and safest way to continue to share Sag Harbor's history this year. We all are facing these challanges and we are deeply grateful  for the Gardiner Foundation's support at this time.

Please visit the Foundation's website to read about it's fascinating history and it's primary purpose which is to support "the study of Long Island history and its role in the American experience".

Journaling 101

Journaling is seen by some as an intimate recording of personal thoughts and feelings, others consider it a cathardic exercise that relieves tension, and others think of it as an historical documentation of a specific point in time. It truly can be all of these things. The following entries were submitted for our Jounaling posts. The voices are distinctly different, just as the individuals behind them are. Thank you for sharing these thoughts and perspectives. Please continue by sending your submissions to http://sagharborhist@gmail.com

DAVID BRAY

I was not residing in Sag Harbor after 50 years but had just begun being a resident at Peconic Landing when the sequestering began.  I am still sequestered after almost two months. Peconic Landing is still providing services which I might not be receiving if I still was residing in Sag Harbor. 

BARBARA SCHWARTZ

The pandemic of 2020 and how I celebrated my 90th birthday.                                      

It is March 20, 2020 and I am recording my birthday in the midst of the Corona virus. I have lived through the depression, stock market crash, World War II, 9/11 in NYC and I will survive this. During World War II I never felt afraid, we kept busy knitting for the soldiers, collecting aluminum foil, growing victory gardens and other activities. We heard about the war on the radio or saw pieces of it in newsreels on Saturday at the movies but it wasn’t broadcast 24 hours a day on TV as it is now. We had to deal with rationing, I still have my ration book, and we had to darken our windows at night but we weren’t quarantined and isolated as we are now.

A party at Brian & Linda’s was planned for tonight with Deirdre, Liam, Ann, Kathy & Maureen but it had to be cancelled as we were staying indoors. I baked cupcakes and iced them in the morning and that evening face-timed Deirdre and Liam and Sam and they were face-timing with Anna and Nick. We lit our candles and then sang Happy Birthday to one another and blew them out. Liam and Sam baked a pineapple upside down cake for Deirdre. As we were singing my doorbell rang and out in the road in front of my house were my neighbors, about a dozen of them, singing Happy Birthday to me. What a day it was. Despite the gloom and darkness, there was light and gladness tonight. Thank you Sag Harbor.

March 21, 2020 The celebration continued. My neighbors who were in California and Florida sent their greeting on Facebook and said they were sorry they could not be here to join the singing.

My grocery delivery from Serene Green arrived and in the bag was a little pound cake and a birthday card. Everyone has been so nice.

I place an order with Peapod two weeks ago and it will arrive the 30th. They are really busy. My drug store delivered my prescription so there is no need for me to go out.

Today I sent both of my granddaughters, who are nurses, chocolate covered strawberries to thank them for what they are doing in the hospitals under trying circumstances.

Wednesday my order from Everyplate arrived and I started cooking my dinners. It was a box with enough ingredients to make six dinners. That should keep the wolf from my door. On Monday my Peapod order finally arrives, it has taken two weeks to get a delivery date.

I have cleaned my office, organized my desk and will now start on the storage room down stairs. I should have the house pretty organized by the time we are able to go outside again. I do hope we can still have my birthday party with the whole family that is planned for July. We will just have to wait and see.

JUDITH LONG

Coronavirus Diary (March 16)

Liquor store guy asked me to supply my own pen to sign the receipt. I did. 

NPR reports that health workers are taught how to get in and out of their hazmat suits correctly. The protocol is called “don” and “doff”—so courtly, so lovely.

Odd disappearances at Schiavoni's: plenty of eggs, milk and produce. No cheese, oranges, or honey-crisp apples (plenty of other varieties).

Chapped hands from scrubbing for 20 seconds. Never used to wash hands much, as they got clean washing dishes (am I alone in never having owned a dishwasher?).

It looked like Easter Sunday at Long Beach on Wednesday. Tons of adults and kids strolling, walking dogs, riding bikes, flying kites, greeting each other, smiling. Coronavirus briefly forgotten

Coronavirus Diary—II (March 21)

Not isolating! The virus is turning us into socialites. Emailed next-door neighbor Lee and suggested a short walk. We’ve been mentioning this idea for months. Have never done it. Now we do it at social distance. We bump into her neighbor on the other side, who offers us help if needed: “I know you live alone.” (On people offering help: It’s the old double-edged sword: pleasing but I feel as I do when someone gives me their seat on the subway. Really? I look that feeble?) 

On to the deli, where we social-distance chat with a couple of Latinos eating at the picnic table. Back down the sidewalk, we bump into Lee's daughter. More social-distance chit-chat. (I may now be able to tell her two daughters apart.) We head across the street and call on another neighbor—a first. We all seem more chatty and friendly these days.

The Long Beach lot is parked up as if it’s a Sunday in June. Some jerk in a sports car had the nerve to honk repeatedly at a walker strolling down the parking lot, as we tend to do. She held her ground and did not move over. We don’t reward rudeness. All he had to do was say Excuse me.

A friend sends a picture of empty bread shelves at her grocery, except one section: gluten-free bread. Full. No one wants it. Ha ha ha ha. 

 

The Weather Outside is Frightful

 

And the hearth is so delightful!

Holiday Open House

The SHHS Holiday Open House last Sunday was a truly festive event for all. The Annie Cooper Boyd House heralded the event with a wonderful banner created by Peter Solow and his students, and was decorated with wreaths and garland thanks to the genrosity of Phil Bucking's Sag Harbor Nursery. Between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., children and adults listened to the magical stories of Sag Harbor author Billy Baldwin, including The Cookie that Saved Christmas, decorated Christmas ornaments, and enjoyed cider a cookies while singing Christmas carols to music played by Nancy Remkus and Peter Cummings. Billy brought homemade sugar cookies and the Sag Harbor Bakery donated a huge plate of holiday cookies. Billy also sold copies of his book and graciously donated a portion of the proceeds to the Society. The Trustees of SHHS sincerely thank everyone for their generoisty and wish one and all a very happy holiday season.

Enjoy the slide show.  http://vimeo.com/379013364

Annie's Field of Jack-O'-Lanterns

Halloween Eve at the Annie Cooper Boyd House was filled with Jack-O'-lanterns all alight, scavenger hunts, music and laughter. Mr. Reed's class from the Elementary School came the previous afternoon and carved their pumpkins on the front lawn, perching them on the porch rail before they left. At dusk, the tea lights inside were all lit creating a festive but eery feeling at this very old house. 

Two SHHS trustees, Deanna Lattanzio and Bethany Deyermond, had fun creating a scavenger hunt outside and inside the museum, but it was Halloween Eve when the real fun began, with parents and children working feverishly together to check off every one of the 27 items on the list that included everything from a bell to a butter churn.

Music was provided by our own Nancy Remkus and light refreshments were available to all the ghosts, goblins and witches who graced us with their presence.

A Conversation with Bethany Deyermond and the Sag Harbor Express

A member of the Sag Harbor Historical Society Board of Directors and that nonprofits treasurer talks about its newest Halloween happening, “Annie’s Field of Jack-O’-Lanterns,” which will be held on Wednesday, October 30, from 5 to 6 p.m., at the Historical Society’s Annie Cooper Boyd House at 41 Main Street in Sag Harbor.

“Annie’s Field of Field of Jack-O’-Lanterns” will be held for the first time this year, inviting members of the community to the Annie Cooper Boyd House to show off their own carved jack-o’-lanterns and enjoy music, treats and a ghostly parade through the historic residence. Where did this idea come from?

 Of course, the Lion’s Club in Bridgehampton has always had a wonderful event every year the Monday before Halloween and it is a really neat event. Sag Harbor has a lot of Halloween events, but we have never had anything like that and the Annie Cooper Boyd House is the perfect place for a lit pumpkin display — it is set back from Main Street and has a beautiful front porch. For us, this is another way we can get community members to notice the house and hopefully come in and enjoy what it has to offer. Our greatest mission right now is the preservation of that building — it is really what we need to focus on right now — and this is another way to introduce members of our community to this important building.

The Annie Cooper Boyd House, an 18th century home owned by artist and diarist Annie Cooper Body, was left to the Historical Society and serves as both its headquarters and museum. Fundraising through events like this will help aid the society as it moves forward with repairs to the building?

Yes. Right now we are very much focused on fundraising to replace the roof, which of course has to be done historically, in the correct way — we cannot just slap an asphalt roof up there — with wooden shingles. We are not even really sure the last time the roof was replaced but it is very much needed now — there is already a leak onto the front porch and it is our responsibility to ensure that house is maintained properly. Our gala, unfortunately, did not cover the full expense of the roof replacement or the other things we try and accomplish as a historical society, so we are hoping by drawing in more community members through events like this we can get more support for the society and for the building.  

What are other ways the Historical Society supports Sag Harbor history?

Obviously, at this point, we are not in a position of preserving historic buildings ourselves — they are privately owned — but we did work with the Village of Sag Harbor on the restoration and preservation of the Old Jail House. And we do get the word out about the importance of preservation. Homeowners and even realtors will come to the Historical Society when a house is bought or goes up for sale to learn about the history of these places, and the society keeps files detailing that history.

Will “Annie’s Field of Jack-O’-Lanterns” include a contest?

We decided against a content and what to make this a community event — not just a children’s event but one where we can have families come down and join us. And we will have a pumpkin out where we are asking guests to support us with a $5 suggested donation.

We are looking into the future for the Historical Society — we want to get younger families into  the building with their children so they can see what we are all about and maybe join us in what we are trying to do. It will be a nice event, we will serve cider, Nancy Remkus is singing and Jean Held’s exhibit cataloging items she has found on Havens Beach will still be up. When kids come in and see it they think it is really neat and here they are learning a lot about Sag Harbor history.

Are you carving a pumpkin?

Of yes. I will do a good, old-fashioned, jack-o’-lantern. And everyone on our board of trustees is going to carve a pumpkin as well and we will display them about a week before the event. The Friday before, October 25, Nancy Remkus and Deanna Lattanzio are attending Morning Program [at Sag Harbor Elementary School] to talk about the history of Sag Harbor with the kids, which is something they will be doing every month. We are going to talk to them this month about Annie and the House and ask them all to come down with their pumpkins and help fill up our yard.

 

History of Pyes

Last Friday, the Historical Society's "Friday on the Porch" was "The History of Pyes" by Rev. Karen Campbell, with hands on (rolling pin on) experience. It began with an overview of the history of pie including an explanation of how "Four and twenty blackbirds" were "Baked in a pie". This was entertainment.  The kitchen staff would blow smoke in the faces of the blackbirds to stun them, hustle them into a pie, quickly cover them with a crust, and swiftly deliver the delicacy to the lord of the manor before they "came to". When he cut into the pie, the blackbirds would fly out to everyone's amusement.

Rev. Campbell kindly made a small packet of the pie dough ingredients for each participant, who assembled the ingredients and rolled out the pastry dough in the airconditioned whaleboat shop. Apples, peaches, raspberries and blueberries were the filling selections today; no blackbirds here. Small and large pies went home with the day's bakers to be baked off there. Word has it that they were all simply delicious.

Sag Harbor Elementary School 3rd Grade Visits SHHS

A month ago, the 4th grade visited the ACB House, home of the Sag Harbor Historical Society; today, the 3rd graders arrived with lots of curiosity, energy, and chatter. Jack Youngs our VIce President was the leader for this event, pointing out all the nocks and crannies of the 1796 ACB House, giving perspective on the Whaleboat Shop, and tying it all in to their village, and its history. Before they left, Mr. Youngs brought out the rubber mallet and let those who wanted to ring the old school bell.

4th Graders Visit SHHS and Ring the Bell

The Sag Harbor Elementary School 4th grade came to visit SHHS last week and the ACB House and Whaleboat Shop were teeming with inquisitive boys and girls full of energy and curiosity. Before they left they were encouraged to strike a little history - our historic school bell from 1871. Each student struck the bell with all their might - sending deep rings throughout the neighborhood.

2019 SHHS Annual Meeting, Opening & Award

It was a beautiful Spring afternoon in Sag Harbor to gather on the porch of the Annie Cooper Boyd House for the official opening of the Sag Harbor Historical Society's 2019 season. It began with the Annual Meeting, summarizing the past 12 months, describing upcoming events in this season, and announcing the recipient of this year's Dorothy Ingersoll Zaykowski Award for Contributions to the Appreciation and Preservation of Sag Harbor and its History. This year's recipient is Christine "Tucker" Burns Roth, author of Images of America Sag Harbor. Congratulations Tucker. (The book is available for sale in the ACB House as well as here on our website.)

Once business was concluded, the gathering shared refreshments and were able to view this year's exhibits. One is "Outtakes from Images" which are unique images that were not included in Tucker Roth's book. The second is "Long Wharf Archaeology & Havens Beach Over Time", curated by Jean Held.

Anyone who's been in Sag Harbor for the last year plus knows that "they" dredged around Long Wharf and deposited whatever came up over at Havens Beach. Some have been concerned for safety and rightly so but some adventurers have been out there almost daily, in all kinds of weather for months on end, collecting treasurers that were "thrown overboard"? And yes, among the treasures there's also trash. Evidence collected from Havens Beach include many things from whalebone corset stays to colonial pottery sherds, as well as plastic bottles and beer cans. Evidence of our history and also evidence of the need for us all to protect this beautiful harbor we call our own.

We hope you'll visit us this season. We're open Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays 1:00-4:00 p.m.

 

Voices from the Past

This past weekend was the Cultural Heritage Weekend in Sag Harbor and despite gray, damp weather, the village was abuzz. At the Sag Harbor Historical Society (SHHS), "Voices from the Past" were heard on Saturday afternoon as trustees and members read letters, curated by Trustee Barbara Schwartz, from William Cooper's sister and two daughters, all of whom migrated westward in the latter half of the 19th century and missed their family at home. The Annie Cooper Boyd House was filled with interested listeners, each of whom was provided with a handy Cooper family tree as a reference. The letters underscore some of the challenges, describing fires and floods as a few of the gravest, and the voices clearly resound with the authors' loneliness and yearning for family and friends at home in Sag Harbor.

Sag Harbor in the Great War Exhibit

Several Sag Harbor Historical Society members contributed personal items to add to the Sag Harbor Historical Society's contributions for Southampton Town Historian Zach Studenroth's display on Southampton in World War I, 1917-1918. The display, done for the hundredth anniversary of the United States' entrance into World War I is visible in the Southampton Town Hall on the second floor.

While items lent by Dorothy Zaykowski, Jack Youngs, and M.A. Rodriguez were credited in the exhibit text by Zach Studenroth, no caption appears for the Blue Star flag lent by Nancy French Achenbach.

Have you heard SHHS on WLNG?

SHHS Trustee Nancy Remkus created a series of timely spots talking about Sag Harbor History called the "Sag Harbor Minute." Have you heard them on WLNG?

Here's Nancy and fellow trustee Deanna Lattanzio talking about her family's history as dairy farmers:

Nancy and Deanna are back again to discuss local farming, including Sag Harbor's dairy farms and backyard livestock.

Thanksgiving: SHHS & Sag Harbor awarded grants to save Jail Museum!

SHHS Trustee Jean Held and Co-President Jack Youngs just received a $25,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to restore the Old Jail Museum owned by the village of Sag Harbor and operated by the Historical Society.

This year, the mold damage inside, combined with water damage at the outer door, made it unsafe for SHHS to open the Old Jail Museum for Harborfest and some of the other traditional fall openings.

A matching grant of $25,000 was awarded to the Village of Sag Harbor by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation with the intention that this money would also go towards repairing and restoring the Old Jail Museum. Sag Harbor Village's grant writer, Nicole Christian, not only coordinated the applications for the grant, but she was fundamental in helping to identify a path forward to address this need.

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation has a 90 million dollar trust, and they give away 6 million dollars each year. The foundation, established in 1987, is named in honor of Robert David Lion Gardiner, the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner's Island, and a resident of East Hampton Town, who had a strong passion for New York history. More information about the Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation can be found on their website: http://rdlgfoundation.org/

Co-president Jack Youngs writes, "The grant is to be used to fix the Jail both inside and out...the timetable for completion is July of 2017..." The Sag Harbor Historical Society is deeply grateful for the efforts of the Sag Harbor Village grant writer Nicole Christian, and we are overwhelmed with thanks and gratitude for the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation's generosity.

We would like to express our thanks to the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and to Nicole Christian and the Village of Sag Harbor! We look forward to re-opening the repaired jail!

Alexander Hamilton, David Frothingham, and SHHS

This week is the 225th Anniversary of the first copy of Frothingham's Herald which was printed in Sag Harbor, right near the Annie Cooper Boyd House. The Herald was the first newspaper printed on Long Island, predating the Sag Harbor Corrector by more than 20 years.

For many years, the Herald was believed to have been printed in the Annie Cooper Boyd House, which was sometimes referred to as the Herald House. Annie Cooper Boyd believed her home was the site of Frothingham's business, and she certainly shared the story with many visitors to her tea room.

Now, how does any of this connect to the "Ten Dollar Founding Father" enjoying a revival thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda's play? As politics in New York became more splintered during the Federalist Era, restrictions were placed on what could be printed in the press, and newspapers were the battleground for many of these political fights. Printers and editors of newspapers were often strongly allied with the Federalists or Anti-Federalists. Sag Harbor was a bustling port, about to become one of two official ports of entry for New York.

The printer of the Long Island Herald, David Frothingham, or his columnists didn't entirely agree with Alexander Hamilton's Federalists. David Frothingham was arrested for printing material critical of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party under the Alien and Sedition Acts. Frothingham disappeared after his arrest, adding an air of drama and mystery to his story.

SHHS Trustee Barbara Schwartz chased David Frothingham through the archives, trying to determine exactly where he printed his paper, and concluded it was probably across the street from the Annie Cooper Boyd House. This afternoon, SHHS Volunteer Dan Sabloski will share a collection of scanned copies of Frothingham's paper, the Long Island Herald.

For those of you who can't make it in person for this surprise pop-up display, the East Hampton Library's Long Island Collection has digitzed their copies of the Long Island Herald. And you can check out some of the issues Dan Sabloski will be sharing through the East Hampton Library's website.

Here's a link to the East Hampton Library's scan of the very first issue of Frothingham's Herald, which was printed 225 years ago on May 10, 1791.

"As We See It"

SHHS has run a series of advertisements on preservation in the Sag Harbor Express. Because many of them appeared this Winter when people may have missed the Express, we are reprinting them here.

Here's the first one:

"As We See It"

The Village of Sag Harbor is confronted by the challenge of un-regulated and un-fettered development” throughout the community. Historic structures and character are at risk of being lost forever.

There is a need to control the treatment of buildings of special architectural or historic distinction and, or, that are of value as a part of the historic background of the Village. Detrimental treatment includes demolition, alteration or extension, and new construction within historic areas. In addition, there is a need to protect the natural environment and our historic waterfront.

The Historic District designation, the Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review, and the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan are designed to meet these challenges. With these tools the Village is able to control and manage change in a manner that allows accommodation without being locked into a “museum” mentality.

The Village’s Historic District is nationally recognized: on par with Charleston, South Carolina, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Savannah, Georgia and New Orleans’ Vieux Carre’. It was created through the researching and cataloging of hundreds of buildings, residences ranging from the colonial period to late Victorian, and by providing the documented information necessary to have a historic district placed in the National Register of Historic Places. The role of Village’s Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review is to administer and apply the requisite standards to proposed construction activities in the Historic District.

Our Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan and its companion Harbor Management Plan similarly researched and cataloged the marine history and resources of the Village. The entire Village is contained within the Plan and actions proposed, whether private or public, are to be reviewed to assure that the result will be consistent with the Plan’s Policies and Objectives. The Harbor Committee is tasked with performing this review and to make recommendations to the other Village Boards, including the Board of Trustees.

Sag Harbor Boards should be confidant that they work with the support of local, state and federal law. The task of application is in the hands of our elected officials and appointed boards, which will find that they have all the law and guidelines they need to make responsible decisions. The education and training of board members and their advisors, today and in the future, is the key to our success.

As members of the community we all, residents and those whose livelihood is derived from real estate related activity, have a responsibility to educate ourselves and potential newcomers as to what we value and hold important for our community. Knowing a building’s context and place in the history of the Village and guiding potential actions accordingly will benefit the individual owner and the community as a whole.

Sincerely,

Sag Harbor Historical Society

We will continue to post our series "As We See It" here, between other posts.

Event- Save your House!: Historic Preservation Options Explained

SHHS will be co-hosting an event with Peconic Land Trust, Southampton Landmarks & Historic Districts Board, and the John Jermain Memorial Library on April 7th from 3:00-5:00 pm at the Unitarian Church (977 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Tpke.)

We are offering this program free of charge to the public, but it will cost $150 to offer the program, and SHHS and the John Jermain Library are sharing these costs, so we would be grateful for any donations to help with the costs of this program. We hope to be able to offer more programs like this going forward.

There are many options in terms of tax credits and other programs to recognize preservation and conservation, particularly efforts to legally protect a property against development going forward. Peconic Land Trust are local experts on these options, and they have been very successful protecting farmland and open space. Sally Spanburgh and the Southampton Landmarks & Historic Districts Board have been very active in working to research, document, and protect historic buildings and sites threatened by tear-downs, redevelopment, and renovations.

Learn about how you can help protect your house or other houses in the village from becoming the next historic house to be threatened by a renovation or tear down. This is also a great opportunity to learn about resources for renovating, restoring, or preserving your house in a manner sensitive to the valuable historic structure's integrity.

Click here for directions.

SHHS Trustees Take a Stand on Preservation and Tear Downs

The SHHS Trustees are working on several fronts to expand our preservation in advocacy in a way that will be more than just another loud angry voice, trying to focus on education and partnership building.

Our Board's recent Letter to the Editor of the Sag Harbor Express is printed below. Quotes from our letter were also referenced in this recent article by Sag Harbor Express writer Dawn Watson, titled "Land Ho(ld)!"

Dear Mayor Sandra Schroeder, Village Board of Trustees, Mr. Thiele,

The Trustees of the Sag Harbor Historical Society wish to go on record in support of your efforts to change our existing zoning codes. Our mission statement requires the Historical Society to help foster respect for Sag Harbor’s exceptional heritage. We believe that a community has a right and even an obligation to protect the historic treasures which it has been fortunate enough to inherit. We are profoundly aware of the courage being demonstrated by the Mayor, all of our village Trustees, and the professionals who are working hard to come up with stronger laws in support of that goal. For the many, many people in this community who care about such things, the need to improve our ability to preserve old homes and the feel of Sag Harbor is quite obvious. For them, changes in the size and scale of Sag Harbor’s houses have been rapid, obvious, and, in some instances, wrong. This community also understands that when people have a financial interest in this jumbo sizing activity they will organize in support of their own interests. This is why we believe it is important for us, an organized group of community residents, with a long term commitment to Sag Harbor, should publicly applaud the Board’s efforts.

We recognize that there are inevitable challenges to the preservation of this village, and in the present circumstance those challenges are greater than they’ve ever been before. Money is being spent on paid advertisements and law suits which might erode the fighting instincts of some elected officials. However, we believe that under very trying circumstances, you are demonstrating in a most convincing way that Old Sag Harbor is not yet ready to give up the ghost. We urge you to continue your efforts with full knowledge that you have the support and gratitude of the Sag Harbor Historical Society.

Respectfully,

The Trustees of the Sag Harbor Historical Society

Jack Youngs, Diane Schiavoni, Muriel Falborn, Deanna Lattanzio, Jean Held, Barbara Schwartz, Deborah Anderson, Neil Slevin, Ryan Horn, John Borjoren, Nancy Achenbach, Pierce Hance, Joseph Zaykowski, Martha Siegler, David Bray, Andrea Meyer, Christine Roth

SHHS Trustees, and our new part-time office manager, have helped several homeowners research the historic character of their house to help them find the most appropriate ways to add to, preserve and restore their home and property.

Holiday Tea Dec. 27th

Our annual Holiday Tea will take place Sunday December 27th at 3 pm. As usual, we will have some refreshments. Some of our dedicated Board members showed up to decorate the Annie Cooper Boyd House. Have you seen our holiday decorations?

1854 Wall & Forrest Map

This Spring, SHHS was given a damaged map from a house in the Historic District that local contractors T & S Mott were working on. The Motts rescued the damaged map that had been glued to a wall, and delivered it studs and wallboard, to an SHHS Trustee's home. Another SHHS Trustee was able to stabilize and trim the map. SHHS is now in the process of framing the map, which is on view at the Historical Society.

Here's some images from the mostly-repaired map, awaiting the last bit of preservation-quality framing.

Can you find your house? Or the Historical Society's buildings?

Fridays on the Porch Speakers

Our Fridays on the Porch start this coming Friday July 10th. As always, Fridays on the Porch are an informal series with refreshments and a brief program. They are open to the public, and we do not charge admission, although a small donation is greatly appreciated to help offset the costs of hosting the event. All of the "Fridays on the Porch" events take place at 5 pm at the Annie Cooper Boyd House.

Our first program will involve an exhibit of some of the paintings Whitney Hansen painted that are in the new book she and Alex Eames co-authored, Oh, That's Another Story! Some of the people whose stories are in Alex and Whitney's book will be present as well.

Our second speaker will be Mark Cappellino, Stormwater Educator from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Marine Program. Mark will speak to us about how we can help preserve Sag Harbor's waterfront.

The August Fridays will start out with a program from Bryan Boyhan, editor emertius of the Sag Harbor Express. Bryan will be speaking about on August 7th about some treasures from past issues of the Express connected to our mini-exhibit on Sag Harbor's favorite badboy poet, George Sterling.

We'll wrap up on August 21st this year with the popular returning "Show and Tell" program. We encourage you to think about a historic object to bring and share with the group, either asking questions you would like answers to about the object or telling a story about the item.

(Mostly) Digital Local History Resources

SHHS is busy getting ready for our Annual Benefit Party fundraiser this coming weekend (June 20th from 6-8 pm) at Breakwater Yacht Club, but the new Boatshop is open for visitors!

We've had some requests about genealogy in the past, so SHHS wanted to share a couple great resources for genealogists:

The Suffolk County Historical newspapers are largely online. The Sag Harbor Express and Sag Harbor Corrector are available online here.

A lot of local manuscript materials, including deeds, wills, and whaling logs ended up at the East Hampton Library, and many are digitized online here.

SHHS also has a collection of photos that were part of the Historic District expansion back in 1994. Our set isn't complete, but it has many historic houses--and houses that were built more recently in Sag Harbor. These aren't yet digitized, but we're definitely looking into it!

And Sag Harbor Partnership has taken material from the SHHS Walking Tour guide, and some other local institutions to create an app for the Sag Harbor Cultural District. This app is scheduled to be released in the next month, we'll be happy to let you know more soon!

SHHS and Preservation Tools

SHHS is committed to education and preservation. As part of that mission, we have tried to respond to the growing preservation debate in Sag Harbor by developing resources to help support people new to Sag Harbor's existing zoning and the Historic District that encompasses most of the Village. Over the next year, we will be publishing more of these tools and programs.

We are currently putting together a panel discussion on preservation, bringing together voices from some of Sag Harbor's boards (Zoning, ARB, Planning), along with the real estate community. We hope this panel will help identify resources that are needed and can be developed, and make existing resources better known. If you have suggestions for this panel, please contact us.

As the first of these efforts, SHHS and our website developers at Application Arts, Inc. have helped SHHS offer a searchable map of Sag Harbor's Historic District to help determine if a property is in the Historic District.

SHHS Annual Meeting and Summer Dates

This weekend, SHHS began our summer weekend regularly scheduled openings of the Annie Cooper Boyd House. The Annie Cooper Boyd House will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 pm until Labor Day. We will also strive to accomodate guests who schedule an appointment in advance, should you be unable to visit during our regularly scheduled hours. To schedule an appointment, please email office@sagharborhistorical.org or call 631-725-5092.

The Annual SHHS Meeting will be this coming Saturday, May 30th at 3 pm. Our ribbon cutting ceremony for the William Cooper Boat Shop will include some history of William Cooper's whale boats, along with a sneak peak of the inside of the Boat Shop. Refreshments will be served, and a review of some of the upcoming events and recent projects will be offered.

This Summer, SHHS will offer two mini-exhibits, one on local poet George Sterling, and another on Alvin Silver, will accompany the ongoing exhibit highligting some of the unique gifts given to the SHHS over the years.

Tickets for our Annual Benefit Party, which will be June 20th, are on sale via the website, or by calling the office at 631-725-5092.

Our Fridays on the Porch series returns in July, starting on July 10th, and then on July 24th, August 7th and 21st. Fridays on the Porch is a free (donations gratefully accepted to offset the costs) event open to the public with refreshments. Each week we offer a program, exhibit, or activity of some sort. Our first "Fridays" will feature Whitney Hansen and Alex Eames new book That's Another Story. The co-authors will read from their book and display some of Whitney Hansen's paintings that accompany the book.

Our second July speaker will be Mark Edward Cappellino, who will speak on issues related to conservation, preservation of wetlands, and Sag Harbor's waterways.

Boat Shop Opening Sneak Peak

SHHS will have an official opening of the William Cooper Boat Shop during our annual meeting on May 30th. However, we do have some pictures of the progress so far!

Keep your eyes out for your SHHS newsletters, where Chuck Lattanzio speaks about why he worked with SHHS on the Boat Shop project, and Sag Harbor history. SHHS will also be hosting more programs for children in our new space, so keep your eyes out!

Gail Gallagher's posts on Annie Cooper Boyd

From time to time, SHHS gets a visitor at the Annie Cooper Boyd House who shares Annie's passion for creating images. During the end of the last Board of Trustees meeting, the wonderful Gail Gallagher stopped in to explore the Annie Cooper Boyd House. Gail is a painter who maintains a blog, and she produced a beautiful series of blog posts with gorgeous images of what saw at the house.

Her initial post describes how some of the books sold through our website and at SHHS's Annie Cooper Boyd House got her interested in Annie Cooper Boyd as a fellow artist:

"I recently read the wonderful book, Anchor to Windward, The Paintings and Diaries of Annie Cooper Boyd. The book's editor, Carolyn Oldenbusch, offers a glimpse into the life of one of Sag Harbor's early artists by combining quotes from Annie's diaries with sketches and watercolors. There are also some precious early photographs. The book is an introduction to a woman that I immediately wanted to know more about."

- Gail Gallagher, Painting the Hamptons "Annie Cooper Boyd"

Here's a few teasers from her initial visit, where she focused on many of Annie's decorative details:

Gail has since returned to SHHS,to see the bathroom mural Annie Cooper Boyd painted in her bathroom, and she has written a well-researched post about Annie's influences as an artist.

Her artist's perspective shows in both of these post.

Gail's own artwork is inspired by the landscapes she encounters in the Hamptons, and she immediately recognized this same influence on Annie Cooper Boyd. Readers will quickly see the connections between Annie's images and present-day painters like Gail through Gail's insightful words. It is easy to see the connections to many of Annie's waterfront local scenes with fluffy clouds when looking at Gail and Hugh Gallagher's paintings.

Check out her posts on Annie's influences as an artist to learn about who--besides William Merritt Chase--helped Annie develop her skills as an artist!

http://paintingthehamptons.blogspot.com/2015/04/annie-cooper-boyd-artistic-influences.html

Gail also wrote about Annie's life in the 1880s as a young woman in New York City. Check out all of her Annie Cooper Boyd posts here:

http://paintingthehamptons.blogspot.com/search/label/Annie%20Cooper%20Boyd

Sag Harbor in the Movies

Do you know what movie this house appeared in?

Volunteering with SHHS

SHHS is a volunteer organization, and we have had inquiries about how someone could volunteer with SHHS over the last year. We would love to have more volunteers!

What do we need help with?

SHHS trustees will train volunteers if you are willing to learn. These are things we need help with:

•Grant writing

•Fundraiser planning, hosting, organizing

•Publicity

•Monitoring Village Government meetings relating to Historic Preservation

•Guest blog posts or digital photography

•Graphic design for pamphlets and signs

•Newsletter article writing, production, and mailing

•Digital text transcription of historical documents: diaries, letters, etc.

•Conducting Oral histories

•Repairing, cleaning, and preserving historic tools for the William Cooper Boatshed

•Monitoring Village Government meetings relating to Historic Preservation

Maintaining the Annie Cooper Boyd House and grounds:

Repairs

Painting

Gardening

Weeding and clearing backyard

Constructing a wellhouse to cover our well

Historical research on:

Nancy Willey

Nancy Willey and her Frank Lloyd Wright House

Oakland Cemetery

Architecture and local buildings

Exhibits

Genealogy of local families

Program development:

Walking Tours

School Programs

Public Lectures

Docent at the Annie Cooper Boyd House

Docent walking tours

Docent at the Sag Harbor Jail Museum

 Is there something you are trained in, interested in, or experienced with that you would like to help SHHS with? We welcome suggestions! Email us

Breaking Ground for the William Cooper Boat Shop

Loyal newsletter readers may remember that plans to expand or rebuild an outbuilding on the property to create an exhibit and education space. The building plans have changed several times, but this week SHHS received our building permit to create a new accessory building using a gift from Trustee Barbara Schwartz. Our builders broke ground, and we look forward to sharing the progress with you!

 

 

Fridays on the Porch Recap

As everyone starts to settle into their fall routines, some of you may be missing SHHS's summer "Fridays on the Porch" series.

Here's a few pictures, recapping the series.

Our first Friday, July 11th, our Long Island Railroad exhibit had an official opening. Exhibit creator Jean Held was on hand to answer questions about the exhibit.

On July 26th, SHHS hosted a "Show and Tell," inviting our members to bring a treasured object or a mystery in to share. The event was a huge success, and we hope to make it an annual occurence.

Turnouts continued to be huge for our August guest speakers. Michael Leahy from the Committee to Preserve Historic Cedar Point Lighthouse became our first speaker to offer two sessions of his presentation. Mr. Leahy spoke in our back room (where Annie hosted tea guests), which provided a bit more distance from the socializing crowds on the porch. Mr. Leahy's August 8th presentation offered insights to the plans for Cedar Point park and lighthouse, along with a history of the lighthouse.

We expect Bill Clark III, who spoke August 22nd, will hold the record for his turnout for quite some time. Mr. Clark offered an astonishing three sessions of his presentation. A sixth generation ferryboat captain, Mr. Clark spoke about his family's history running South Ferry and the developments in technology that changed the ferry service.

Hotels in the Railroad Era

Perhaps the most famous hotel in Sag Harbor is the American Hotel, with a prominent Main Street location.  Addison Youngs and his father-in-law Captain William Freeman opened the American Hotel in 1877, as on the first hotels on Long Island to offer the conveniences of electric lights, steam heating, and indoor plumbing. Previously, the building existed as a commercial space for furniture-maker Nathan Tinker, on the site where James Howell operated an Inn in the pre-revolutionary period. The structure that currently stands is not pre-revolutionary, and it reflects construction after the 1845 fire. It reflects the c. 1880 expansions and additions of Addison Youngs. These expansions included the iconic front porch, which is now a popular dining area.

Also near the American Hotel was the Mansion House, located in the present-day municipal building. Built in 1846, in the glory days of the whaling industry, the Mansion House also provided a free carriage service to the steamboats. The Mansion House hotel included several shops.  One of the shops was the pharmacy operated by local anthropologist-historian-pharmacist-photographer William Wallace Tooker.

Near the present-day Corner Bar, the Oakley family built an expansion of their Nassau Hotel. However, the Nassau Hotel caught fire in 1854, and by 1859 the Oakley family had to auction the hotel. The new owner continued to operate a hotel under the name Nassau House on the site.  Other fires and remodeling influenced the ownership and façade of the hotel. By 1894, Nassau House was remodeled into the four-story building with modern utilities remembered as the Hotel Bayview.

Several boardinghouses operated in the village during the 19^th century, including a few that catered to specific summer clientele, like the Lobstein House, the Lily Pond House, the Lundhurst Hotel, and the East End Hotel, and the Bijou Hotel.  From 1891 until 1970, the preferred summer accommodations for the wealthy and celebrities was actually on Brickkiln Road outside the village. This hotel was called the Sea View Hotel (later Hill Top Acres) operated on Brickkiln Road.

For the less famous, Hedges House opened in 1817, across from the Nassau Hotel, catering to sailors during the heyday of the whaling industry. Betsy Josie also operated a boarding house on Meadow Street, in the path of the railroad. Her fight with the Long Island Railroad is featured in SHHS’s current exhibit on the Long Island Railroad in Sag Harbor.

Association of Suffolk County Historical Societies Meeting

SHHS joined other historical museums helping Eastville Community Historical Society host the Association of Suffolk County Historical Societies. Eastville CHS organized a lovely series of walking tours for attendees. The event was an excellent opportunity to talk to other organizations about challenges facing local historical socities and show off some of Sag Harbor's history.

Here's a slideshow from the event:

Positive Press Continues on Long Island Railroad Exhibit

This summer continues to see some very positive press coming back as the local papers review SHHS's "The Long Island Railroad in Sag Harbor" exhibit.

In case you missed a week, here's some of our reviews:

Sag Harbor Express coverage

East Hampton Star coverage

Dan's Papers coverage

The exhibit will remain on display until October, and SHHS is happily collecting locally tied Long Island Railroad stories from Sag Harbor residents and visitors. If for some reason you are unable to make our regular summer Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1-4 pm, you can call the office to setup a special appointment to view our exhibit.

The Fordham Family's Revolutionary War

While the Fourth of July has many special traditions in Sag Harbor, the village sent several men to fight for independence. Last year, SHHS provided a brief history of the Battle of Sag Harbor. Continuing on the theme of recognizing our Revolutionary War history for the 4th of July, this year the focus will be on the Revolutionary War service of the Fordham family.

23 of Sag Harbor's verterans are known to be buried in the Sag Harbor Old Burying Ground. Of those veterans, almost a quarter were the sons, grandsons, or sons-in-laws of Nathan Fordham of Bridgehampton.

Nathan Fordham of Bridgehampton died in 1774. His sons, Daniel, "Esquire" Nathan, and Ephraim Fordham all fought for the Patriot cause. His son-in-law Braddock Corey also fought with the Americans.

"Esquire" Nathan Fordham, known for his title as a lawyer (probably to distinguish him from all the other men of the same name in the family) was a member of Sag Harbor's Committee, a group of local supporters of the Provincial Congress, and an early leader in the Patriot political movement. "Squire" Nathan Fordham served in Josiah Smith's militia regiment, and fled to Connecticut when Long Island fell to the British. "Esquire"'s son John Fordham also served in the militia and is recorded among the refugees in Connecticut.

Brother Ephraim Fordham appears to have captained a ship, probably a privateer, during the war. He helped move his family and his brothers' families to Connecticut. He signed the Articles of Association, an open political declaration of support for the American cause.

Daniel Fordham joined Colonel Mulford's militia men. During the war, Daniel Fordham, like many other Long Island volunteers, was able to get leave to transport families between British-occupied Sag Harbor and American-controlled Connecticut. Daniel's wife Phebe Jessup Fordham and her daughters and younger sons to eventually travel to Connecticut for safety, staying first in Saybrook and later in Middletown. That move was probably quite a challenge, considering it involved rowboats and small children. Phebe had 10 children, her youngest children were born in 1771, 1774, and 1779 respectively. The youngest son was born during the Fordhams' time as refugees in Connecticut.

Phebe and Daniel Fordham's older sons, Nathan and Frederick Fordham, served under Colonel Henry B. Livingston's 4th New York Regiment of the Continental Line. The Fordham brothers were involved in defending New York during the Battle of Long Island. Both brothers were captured and imprisoned in the Wallabout Bay Prison Ships where they survived for an astonishingly long period of approximately 6 years (an average life expectancy of 3-6 months on the prison ships makes this hard to believe). During Nathan and Frederick's imprisonment, Daniel secured permission to travel to Sag Harbor and repair his son Nathan's home after it was attacked by plunderers.

Frederick Fordham died at age 17 from mistreatment during his imprisonment, after surviving several months on the Wallabout Bay prison ships in Brooklyn. Fordham's imprisonment experiences were probably comparable to Captain Thomas Dring and Joseph Plumb Martin's and others who recorded their life on the HMS Jersey. Frederick was released from Wallabout Bay as he neared death in 1782, and he was able to make it back to Sag Harbor before he died. His uncle, Captain Ephraim Fordham, appears to have returned to Sag Harbor around the time of Frederick's burial.

Daniel's son Nathan became a refugee in Connecticut following his release from the prison ships, like the rest of the family. Nathan seems to have stayed in East Haddam, CT, like some of Daniel's brothers. Nathan would later become one of the ship captains of Sag Harbor, and he and his wife Mary Howell Fordham would name two sons after Frederick, although neither of those boys lived until adulthood.

Sites associated with the Fordham family in Sag Harbor include the the American Hotel, which was the site of Daniel Fordham's inn. The Long Wharf also has strong associations with the Fordham Family. The first Long Wharf was built in 1761 by a Nathan Fordham (probably "Esquire" Fordham) and James Foster. In 1771, Daniel Fordham became a shareowner in the original Long Wharf. A later descendant, John Fordham, operated a blacksmith shop known locally for eel spears and clam rakes. Somehwere near where the Watchcase Factory condos are currently being built, Ephraim Fordham and another Fordham family member owned homes in the late 18th Century. Ephraim's home was closest to where Sage Street hits Madison Street, and the property probably extended to Church Street.

Daniel Fordham's home was probably near the present-day American Hotel, and other Fordham family members owned businesses along West Water Street, one of them is probably near where the Post Office is today. Braddock Corey lived somewhere on Union Street, probably between the Old Whalers' Church and Main Street.

Benefit Party this weekend: Tickets available at the door!

The Annual Benefit Party for SHHS is this Saturday from 6 to 8 pm at the Breakwater Yacht Club. The theme is "All Aboard" for Sag Harbor, reflecting our Railroad exhibit. For those of you who haven't purchased tickets through our website via Paypal, you can pay at the door. Tickets are $80. SHHS will offer a raw bar, cocktails, and appetizers for guests. Numerous local restaurants have donated meals or gift certificates, which we will raffle off. Additionally, a slide show and a few selected images from our curator will be on display to bring the "Long Island Railroad in Sag Harbor" exhibit to our guests.

Annual Meeting Open to the Public

Just to clarify: Our Annual Meeting at 3 pm on Saturday will be open to the public. Some local coverage indicated the meeting was for members only, but the Annual Meeting is free and open to the public! Hope to see you there, and feel free to bring friends!

The Long Island Railroad Arrives...

Do you know why Long Island Avenue has that name? No, this isn't a trivia question for the owners of the late Bill Mulvihill's book on Long Island Place Names... This is a post with a few tidbits about the Long Island Railroad coming to Sag Harbor!

The Railroad came to Sag Harbor in 1870, bringing with it the kind of industry and factory work that doesn't mesh with the grassy beach front lawns from television references to the Hamptons. Those factories included the famous Fahys Watchcase Factory (later the Bulova Watchcase Factory) and everything from Bliss Torpedo Factory to Maidstone Flour Company. The railroad came in as the last whaling ships left the village.

The whaling industry experienced a crash following the Gold Rush. While a good portion of the Sag Harbor Whaling Fleet lies in San Francisco's harbors, other whalers moved on to new industries. With new technology, whale oil was no longer the valuable energy source it once was.

Bringing the Long Island Railroad to Sag Harbor as industries collapsed might seem like an easy sell, given all the efforts to avoid disasters in our economy lately...but Sag Harbor has always had an independent mind--or many minds! This was a civic issue that deeply divided local residents, even producing split opinions within families...

The SHHS exhibit on the Long Island Railroad in Sag Harbor chronicles the fight to bring the Railroad to Sag Harbor. Our Annual Meeting will include the exhibit opening, along with a reading from an 1870 newspaper article on the arrival of the railroad, read by Sag Harbor Express Editor Emertius Bryan Boyhan.

Stop in anytime after the exhibit opens at the Annual Meeting to learn more about our favorite Sag Harbor characters, like Frank French, Captain Gibbs and the fearsome "Fenian" woman Betsy Josey....

 

Getting Ready for Summer

This time of year, everyone's focused on getting ready for summer. SHHS has posted a whole bunch of our summer events to our calendar page. We hope while you're making plans you'll stop by and check out what we're offering this summer.

The ever-popular Fridays on the Porch will be back, along with our annual benefit party, which will return to the lovely Breakwater Yacht Club. This season we will be featuring an exhibit on the Long Island Railroad in Sag Harbor.

Our Annual Meeting will kick off the season on May 31st at the Annie Cooper Boyd House. Stop by, see our new exhibit, meet our newly nominated Trustees, learn about some of the projects we've been working on (like the William Cooper Boat and Toolshed!) and join us for refreshments.

SHHS Newsletter in the Mail!

The semi-annual SHHS newsletter was mailed April 16th! Keep your eyes out! And for those of you who are members, if you don't get your newsletter within the next few days, please reach out to us and say something! We've upgraded our mailing list to a new database program that should make it easier to keep track of address changes and membership changes, but we don't want to miss anyone!

We also are hoping to start a more customizable e-mail newsletter, so please make sure we have a current e-mail address for you!

Trustees meet with archival expert

Virginia Antonucci-Gibbons, the Regional Archivist for the Long Island Library Resource Council (LILRC) visited the Annie Cooper Boyd House as a guest of our Archives Consultant Jackie Marks. Jackie asked Virginia to meet with SHHS to help us learn more about the best ways to store our archival collections.

We have embarked on a big project this past year to begin to inventory our collections, and to develop more formal policies about our collections. As part of that, we're also reviewing the best way to store the items and papers in the SHHS collections.

SHHS Trustees, including Tucker Roth, who has diligently spent the last several years working on SHHS's grant applications, joined Jackie Marks for the meeting with Virginia Antonucci-Gibbons.

Ms. Antonucci-Gibbons complimented SHHS's Dorothy Zaykowski's files, initial collection inventories, and the organization of the SHHS office. She encouraged SHHS to find a way to seal the wooden walls in some of the areas where archival materials are stored to create a more preservation-safe enviorment for papers and fabrics. She also tried to help SHHS figure out how to make metal shelving work in the space we have, since metal shelving is the preservation standard. Her recommendations will influence Tucker Roth's upcoming grant applications.

She also asked us important questions about what parts of our collection are most in-demand, to help us focus our collecting policies.

Policy for Group Tours

Over the course of the last year, SHHS's archival consultant Jackie Marks and several Trustees, including the many-talented Dorothy Zaykowski, Barbara Schwartz, and Jean Held, have worked to develop policies to help us deal with different requests from the public.

The Annie Cooper Boyd House sees a steady volume of visitors throughout the year, including tour groups. We also receive a large number of research requests. We try to handle all requests as fairly as possible, and to respond to the specific needs we encounter.

In recent years, we have dealt with more complicated situations, such as publication requests, or special requests for tours requiring our volunteers to be in multiple places throughout the village. This has prompted us to establish more formal written policies.

The first set of guidelines we are releasing is our policy for group tours, which are designed for large parties to see sites throughout the village.

Policy for Guided Group Walking Tours Of the Village of Sag Harbor

Contact: Sag Harbor Historical Society Office 631-725-5092

Each tour lasts approximately two hours and includes the following historic sites:

• The Annie Cooper Boyd House, home of the Sag Harbor Historical Society & Museum (c.1796)

• The Custom House (1791)

• Hannibal French House (built 1875)

• The Old Whaler’s Church (built 1843-1844)

• The Fire Museum (built 1833; became home of Montauk Hose Co., and Gazelle Hose Company beginning in 1896)

• Sag Harbor Jail Museum (1916)

Reservations to be made in advance by calling 631-725-5092, via email, or in person at our headquarters in the Annie Cooper Boyd House located at 174 Main Street in the Village of Sag Harbor.

Small and Large Groups Welcome.

At the discretion of the tour guide groups of more than twenty visitors may be separated into smaller groups to ensure the fullest enjoyment and benefit of all.

Fee to be paid in full before or on the day of the tour. Please make checks out to: Sag Harbor Historical Society. Receipt for payment upon request.

Groups of twenty people or less: $100.00

For each additional visitor a fee of $5.00 will be charged.

New Exhibit Space

SHHS Trustees and The Wharf Shop's Gwen Waddington recently worked out a wonderful arrangement to provide a new home for the historic display case previously used in the Wharf Shop.

Wharf Shop customers will remember that the five foot case was previously used to display scrimshaw gifts in the store. SHHS Co-President Jack Youngs arranged to have Twin Forks Moving and Storage help us move the case down the street to the Annie Cooper Boyd House. SHHS member Joe Zaykowski Jr. graciously volunteered to help us take parts of the case apart to help with the moving process. Joe has also agreed to help us figure out how to get the pieces through our front door safely, so the case can be reassembled.

The case was purchased in 1924, and was originally used in Cook's Department Store, according to the Wharf Shop ladies. The back is filled with small drawers for storage. SHHS has previously used cabinets and drawers for displays, like our Alvin Silver Company mini-exhibit and the previous exhibits on Annie Cooper Boyd's pressed seaweed collection.

We are grateful for the Wharf Shop's donation, and we hope to use the case for upcoming exhibits and displays, including this summer's Long Island Railroad Exhibit and the William Cooper boatshed tools.

Happy Birthday John Steinbeck!

Today's Google Doodle is in honor of John Steinbeck's 112th Birthday. John Steinbeck moved to Sag Harbor in 1955, and his widow Elaine remained a prominent force in cultural circles in Sag Harbor until her death.

John Steinbeck is a particularly important figure in establishing Harborfest, which has also been called the Old Whalers' Festival and The Sag Harborfest. This event, designed to celebrate Sag Harbor's Whaling History, just celebrated a 50th anniversary this fall. Steinbeck used his prestige and connections from writing speeches for President Johnson to arrange for dramatic Coast Guard demonstrations and international whaleboat races. Every year during Harborfest, at least one event to commemorate John Steinbeck's life and work occurs. Steinbeck's commitment to Sag Harbor continues to be a model for many newcomers today.

In honor of Steinbeck's Sag Harbor life, here is a video touring his property on the cove. While the video's creator acknowledges some historical errors, it is a beautiful tour of the place where John Steinbeck worked in Sag Harbor.

Video of John Steinbeck's Sag Harbor property

Preserving Local History: Southampton Petition and SHHS

Preservation--and what that term truly means--has been an ongoing issue in the Village of Sag Harbor lately. Zoning and Architectural Review Boards held hearings on several controversial projects in the Village over the last few years, and there are continually more proposals for remodeling, renovating, and even entirely rebuilding properties throughout Sag Harbor.

Similar issues are facing surrounding villages, and the two towns that make up Sag Harbor. We hope you will take some time to read Sally Spanburgh's Change.org petition on 436 Gin Lane in Southampton. This very historic property is up for demolition. Sally Spanburgh has worked with SHHS to try to develop some programming about how to research historic homes--a key task for many who are updating and renovating their historic homes.

Sag Harbor is unique with some of the village's preservation restrictions, because the entire Historic District was nominated for a protective designation, as this blog has previously discussed. However, that designation doesn't apply to houses outside the Historic District, and areas along much of the waterfront.

SHHS Trustee meetings have spent many hours over the last few years debating our role in local preservation movements, and how SHHS can work to support preservation without duplicating the work of other organizations. SHHS Trustees recognize that historic homeowners need to be able to safely maintain and care for their homes and businesses. The Trustees also believe it is deeply important to document and preserve Sag Harbor's historic character. Of course, one of the most beautiful and challenging aspects of Sag Harbor living are the number of different approaches to tackle the same problem...

Preservation is the least restrictive and least disruptive set of standards for historic structures. It does not require rebuilding to a specific period, like a restoration standard. This broad umbrella term remains an increasingly pressing issue in Sag Harbor for multiple reasons, and this blog will continue to have commentary on some of the competing interests that require thoughtful attention from people who care about the historic character of the Village of Sag Harbor.

We hope our members will continue to reach out to us about their thoughts and concerns with local projects and preservation issues, to help our Trustees.

The Old Jail Museum

If you're getting sick of winter weather, this may be a good time to reflect on the conveniences of modern life, and the comforts of home.

Many people forget that SHHS also opens Sag Harbor's Old Jail Museum. The Jail Museum allows us to examine many of the modern "more humane" changes that came when the jail was built in 1916, additions like running water and indoor toilets. The Old Jail remained in service until the late 1970s.

This modern jail required some careful planning to be sure the inmates couldn't hurt themselves or attack anyone with the newfangled plumbing. Even faucets had to be designed so the prisoners couldn't hurt themselves.

Also included in the Old Jail Museum are several exhibits of Sag Harbor police memorabilia. A small exhibit in honor of police department employee Mary Menaik is visible in our slideshow tour. Visitors are able to see more about the tenure of Chief Harrington, and recurring issues for the police department, like fights at the Black Buoy (also known as the Sand Bar) and the voyeur nicknamed "Peekaboo."

In 1996, SHHS arranged to reopen the jail as a museum, and or the last 17 years, we have maintained and opened the jail for special events, and by request for tours. We try to open it several weekends in the spring, summer, and fall. You might see the signs around town... Or SHHS Trustee Jean Held might ask if you want to go to jail as you wander Main Street!

Since we usually can't open the Jail Museum until the weather gets a little warmer, here's a slideshow photo tour for you! Click on the picture to start the slideshow.

SHHS in the Snow and the Meneely Bell

So, for those of you who aren't around this winter, this is what the Annie Cooper Boyd House looked like with some snow...we've gotten more lately!

If you missed it this fall, we were grateful to have Andy Toro of Toro Tool & Die install the Meneely bell the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum gifted us. This bell hung at the Union Schoolhouse (which is now the Municipal Building) when Annie Cooper Boyd went to school there. If you're a regular newsletter reader, this project might sound familiar.

At this point, it's safe to say the bell is pretty well covered by snow, but you should keep an eye out for it after the snow starts to melt!

Holidays with SHHS at the ACB House

Did you get to see the holiday decorations at SHHS?

The SHHS Annual Holiday Tea Party had a wonderful turnout, and the cider and sweets drew on the traditions of Annie Cooper Boyd's hospitality. Annie operated a tea room for many years out of her home (which is now the SHHS Headquarters), where she would serve tea and tell stories about the village and some of the curiosities she collected. The SHHS tea party serves as a nod to that history.

Inspired by Annie's collections, SHHS member Wendy Sherman started a photo project, highlighting some of the treasures in Annie's home, which we will feature soon. We hope this will help visitors focus on some of the curiosities Annie treasured. These photos from the Holiday Tea were provided by Wendy, and SHHS is very grateful for her efforts!

For those of you who missed our gathering, we're including some holiday party pictures. We were thrilled Jackie Marks, our archival consultant, and her family were able to join us. We were also grateful to see many other familiar faces! Do you know anyone in these pictures? Scroll through and take a look!

 

Holiday Tea December 28th

Our annual Holiday Tea will be at 3 pm on December 28th at the Annie Cooper Boyd House. We hope you will be able to join us for refreshments! This event is free and open to the public, and there is no need for reservations.

SHHS will be drawing inspiration from Annie's favorite recipes. Over the years, Annie Cooper Boyd offered a tea service, with a bit of historical show and tell, to many local visitors.

The Other* Victorious Battle of Sag Harbor–1813: Guest Post by David Thommen

Many of you may have started this article in your SHHS Sentry Newsletter. Here is the extended version! Enjoy! SHHS applauds David Thommen for his efforts to erect a memorial marker and put together a ceremony in honor of the 200th anniversary of the battle that took place on July 11, 1813.

The following was printed in the SHHS Sentry, and it is the speech prepared and delivered by David Thommen on 11 July 2013:

Tension between the United States and Great Britain had been escalating for at least a decade before President James Madison signed a bill declaring war on June 18th, 1812. Although there were many factors leading to the hostilities, the actions of the Royal Navy stood out among the Americans. Britain was engaged in a colossal struggle with Napoleon’s France. One of their tactics was a global economic blockade to prevent ships from neutral nations to reach ports controlled by the French. This required the British to maintain the largest navy in the world estimated at 1,000 ships. This created a shortage of able-bodied seamen.  Undermanned British warships stopped neutral ships and took the sailors they needed by force. American ships were often targeted, and the Americans saw this as a just and sufficient cause for war. Then, for more than two and a half years battles raged from the northern Canadian borders to the Gulf of Mexico. And, a sea war was fought on every ocean in the world. In the fall of 1814, delegates from both sides negotiated in Ghent, Belgium, and on Christmas Eve 1814 the Treaty of Ghent was signed thus ending hostilities and restored “status quo ante bellum.” Word of a treaty did not reach North America in time to stop the famous Battle of New Orleans on January 8th, 1815 or the 5-day Battle at Fort Bowyer in Alabama starting on February 12th, 1815.

• The Fort On High Street— The Fort at Sag Harbor was built sometime during the summer or fall of 1810 when Brigadier General Joseph G. Trotten was a 22-year-old West Point Graduate, 1st Lieutenant and engineer in the U.S. Army. From 1808 through 1812 he was the assistant to the army engineer and was instrumental in the building of the defenses of New York Harbor and having special supervision of the construction of Fort Clinton at Battery Park in lower Manhattan. He chose our site as it must have afforded the best view for a lookout and best placement for the coastal artillery. The Fort would have been constructed of stone and timber with a wooden parapet wall. The grounds surely would have contained officers’ quarters, militia barracks, mess hall, guardhouse and a storehouse for gunpowder, weapons and shot. The artillery was composed of cannons referred to as 9 and 18 pounders. The weight reference pertained to the weight of the cannonballs they fired. According to cannon expert, Richard Hendrickson of Bridgehampton, a 9 pounder would have a barrel length of about 5 feet and threw a shot about the size of softball. An 18 pounder had a barrel length of 10 feet and its shot was the size of a melon. Our fort was manned by the ranks of the Fourth Regiment of The New York Artillery, the equivalent of today’s Army National Guard. Three thousand men were assigned to the Fort working rotating tours of duty. I have seen estimates that about ten officers and fifty men were assigned at a time. The fort’s site was preserved as a village green when the Sleight Hill /High St. property was subdivided, and the stone was placed in 1902 by Mrs. Mary Gertrude Aldrich of the first Sag Harbor Historical Society.

• The Battle—In the spring of 1813, a British fleet appeared in Gardiners Bay under the command of Sir Thomas Hardy. On May 1st, American Gen. Abraham Rose was ordered by the commander-in-chief to call together the field and staff officers of the most easterly regiment and arrange alarm signals with them, places of rendezvous in case of attack, and to consider methods of arming the people. Henry P. Dering was to have charge of the signals at Sag Harbor in case a landing should be attempted.Guards were kept at the Three Mile Harbor Gut. 16-year-old Charles R. Hand of Amagansett was there one evening and saw British armed boats leaving the fleet and proceed toward Sag Harbor. He ran home, saddled his mare, and galloped to Sag Harbor to give warning all in 40 minutes. The warnings signals were given, and the militia and fort were readied to repulse the attack. Captain Henry Green and militiaman John Gann were the sentinels on the wharf. Green heard a boat and challenged it. Obtaining no reply, he fired and the battle was under way.

The following excerpt is from General Rose’s official report.

“Sir, about 2 o’clock this morning, five barges from the British squadron came and made an attack upon Sag Harbor, took three vessels, set fire to one, but met with a reception so warm and spirited from our militia there stationed, who are entitled to much credit, as also many citizens of the place, that they abandoned their object and made a very precipitate retreat. They threw some shot almost to the extreme part of the place, but fortunately no lives were lost or injury done except to the vessels which they had in possession, one of which was bored through and through by an 18 lb. shot from the fort. It is probable the enemy must have suffered, as they departed in such confusion as to leave some of their arms and accoutrements.”

*The first “victorious battle” was Meigs Raid in 1777. For more information on Meigs' Raid, check out SHHS's Fourth of July Post: http://sagharborhistorical.org/wordpress/?p=138

About David Thommen's Ceremony to commemorate the Battle of Sag Harbor in 1813:

The Flag

The flag I have chosen to fly today is of the 15 star and 15 stripe design. Adopted by Congress in 1795 and adding 1 star and 1 stripe each for the admission of Kentucky and Vermont to the Union it flew until 1818. At that time the design was changed back to 13 stipes to represent the 13 original colonies and 1 star would be added for every new state on the 4th of July after its admission to the Union. This is the flag that flew here during the 1812 conflict and according to United States Flag etiquette is appropriate to fly over an historical site. this is also the design that flew over Fort McHenry during the battle of Baltimaore on September 13th and 14th 1814 when Frances Scott Key wrote the words to our National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner.” The actual battered flag from that battle can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. It measures 30 x 42 feet.

In Honor

Today we dedicate this place to honor those who fought to protect our homes and families from hostile invaders and to the memory of militiamen Nathanial Baker and John Pierson who lost their lives on this spot on February 18th, 1815 in an explosion while attempting to fire the cannons once more in celebration of the war’s end.

Note that images from David Thommen's memorial event feature veterans in civilian clothes, instead of a traditional uniformed color guard. This is a particularly fitting choice, since the men involved in the Battle of Sag Harbor were members of the militia. This means they were civilians, who often wore minimal or mismatched uniforms, or in the case of an emergency, might just leave whatever they were doing to respond.

A Call for Sag Harbor Stories and Pictures

As you celebrate the holidays, you might encounter some stories and pictures that SHHS would love to include in our upcoming projects!

SHHS Trustee Martha Potter, who helped put together the Voices of Sag Harbor book project during her time at John Jermain Memorial Library, and brings extensive oral history experience, is leading a project to collect oral histories on the Bulova Watchcase Factory. If you or someone you know worked at Bulova Watchcase Factory we would love to hear from you and interview anyone who worked in the watchcase factory.

SHHS plans our Spring/Summer 2014 exhibit to focus on Sag Harbor and the Long Island Railroad. Many who have been around the village for awhile remember the Long Island Railroad Station that used to be in Sag Harbor. Many others have memories of taking the train into the village. SHHS would love copies of photos in your posession related to the Long Island Railroad in Sag Harbor. Do you have pictures of the old station or train tracks downtown in your personal and family photograph collections? If so, SHHS would love to hear from you!

Please email us at info@sagharborhistorical.org or call the office at 725-5092.

SHHS is particularly interested in any images of Mr. Sweezey, who both worked on the railroad and invented a special signal for when the train was coming later.

Excerpts from Robert Browngardt's

In honor of Veteran's Day, SHHS decided to share highlights from one of the Fridays on the Porch series that focused on the Browngardt Family's military service in Sag Harbor.

Robert Browngardt spoke with SHHS sharing several of his family's military service stories, along with pictures and documents related to his stories.

The Browngardt family's military service history goes back to before the family came to America when family members served in Kaiser Wilhelm's army in Germany.

SHHS was thrilled to see many of Browngardt's friends and family in the crowd, and several audience members filmed Mr. Browngardt's speech with smartphones.

Here's a few pictures and excerpts from the action-packed talk:

"We were getting blasted by the Germans...I only wish I could have lasted longer... the Army always sent the wounded men home as soon as possible..."

"There was one crew member on Robert's plane, he was the navigator that didn't make the flight up from Australia..."

"The Admiral wants to see you in his cabin..."

The Browngardt family famously lost Robert's brother Arthur after his aircraft crashed. Lieutenant Arthur Browngardt called his B-25 J  bomber, an apache aircraft, the "Sag Harbor Express," a title shared with the village's newspaper. Arthur Browngardt and his aircraft and crew went down fighting in the Philippines, crashing into a cathedral.

The church bears a marker with the following inscription, describing the incident:

"AT 9:30 am. ON 07 JAN. 1945, A NORTH AMERICAN MITCHELL B-25 J BOMBER No.11-43-36 “SAG HARBOR EXPRESS; PLOWED THROUGH THE ROOF OF THIS CHURCH AFTER IT WAS HIT BY JAPANESE FLAK AS IT WAS BOMBING CLARK FIELD DURING AN ALL-OUT 5TH AIR FORCE ATTACK. IT MADE A GAPING LARGE HOLE ON THE ROOF, LEAVING ITS LEFT WING CAUGHT AMONG THE CEILING RAFTERS. IT THEN CRASHED TO PIECES AND INTO A HUGE FIREBALL ON THE PATIO OF THE HOLY ANGEL ACADEMY NEARBY, KILLING THE ENTIRE CREW. THE PILOT AND CO-PILOT WERE THROWN CLEAR OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT UPON IMPACT WHILE THE REST WERE EITHER MANGLES, PARTIALLY BURNED OR CHARRED BEYOND RECOGNITION. JAPANESE TROOPS BILLETED IN THE SAID ACADEMY RUSHED OUT IN PANIC WITH THEIR RIFLES AND FIRED VOLLEYS AT THE FLAMMING WRECKAGE. LATER THE JAPANESE GATHERED THE CADAVERS AND ARRANGED THEM SIDE BY SIDE, WITH THEIR PERSONAL EFFECTS PLACED ATOP THEIR CHESTS. THE THEN PARISH PRIEST OF ANGELES REV.FR.COSME BITUIN WAS ALLOWED TO CONDUCT LAST RITES. THE JAPANESE BURIED THE BODIES IN A SHALLOW GRAVE ABOUT 200 YARDS SOUTH OF THE WRECKAGE. IN FEB. 1945 AFTER THE LIBERATION OF ANGELES, A U.S.ARMY GRAVEYARD UNIT EXHUMED THE REMAINS AND WERE SHIPPED BACK TO THE U.S.A. FOR PERMANENT INTERMENT. THE BOMBER CREW BELONGED TO THE 499TH BOMB SQDN. NAMED “ BATS OUTA HELL” 345TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP NAMED “AIR APACHES” FIFTH AIR FORCE, U.S. ARMY

THE CREW OF THE B-25 “SAG HARBOR EXPRESS WERE:

2ND LT. ARTHUR BROWNGARDT

PILOT – SAG HARBOR, LONG ISLAND, NEW, YORK

2ND LT. JACK B. BARTLOW

CO-PILOT – 8624 WOODBRIDGE, CINCINNATI, OHIO

2ND LT. HOWARD C. LEBECK

NAVIGATOR – 93 E. SCHLEY BLVD., BREMERTON, WASH.

T/SGT. WILLIAM H. NOE

ENGINEER-GUNNER – ADDRESS UNKNOWN

T/SGT. CLARENCE H. GILBERT

RADIOMAN-GUNNER – ADDRESS UNKNOWN

S/SGT. ENGLEHARDT VON HEBEL

GUNNER – ADDRESS UNKNOWN"

Robert Browngardt noted that his brother Arthur's aircraft decorations have remained popular with hobbyists, and images of his brother's plane are visible on many sites online, like this one.

Robert's brother Richard has also spoken about the loss of their brother, and Robert spoke about the differences between his wartime experiences in the Navy and his brother's experiences as a child on the homefront.  An interview with Richard was published by the Cleveland Plain Dealer here. The dinner menu imaged for the article from Ted Browngardt's 1943 Christmas on the USS Wasp was shown as Robert spoke at SHHS, along with several other family pictures and papers.

 

Art & Architecture's "Walking Tour of Historic Sag Harbor "

SHHS was thrilled to hear from Art & Architecture Quarterly East End as they put the finishing touches on their own "Historic Walking Tour of Sag Harbor."

SHHS is particularly pleased by how well the AAQEE guide meshes with the walking tour SHHS previously created, catering to different needs. The SHHS tour works well for people looking to visit the village on foot, especially those without a clear handle of local streets. The AAQEE tour is website based, making it easy for those with Smartphones to compare images and note details from different angles as they traverse familiar streets.

AAQEE's guide is particularly lovely for those interested in architectural history, or interested in learning more about the architectural details of houses on the SHHS tour. Additionally, for those of you planning a visit to Sag Harbor, or wondering about whether an SHHS Walking Tour is worth the shipping fee we charge, you can get a sense of some of the buildings in Sag Harbor's historic district.

Bear in mind the SHHS Walking Tour Guide, which is printed and updated with some local government grant-funding, is designed to cater to those who need street maps, have time for a longer tour, or might not be familiar with local streets.

The photo-heavy AAQEE online tour exhibit is a delight to look at, and we encourage you to take a look here: http://www.aaqeastend.com/contents/portfolio/sag-harbor-walking-tour-of-historic-sag-harbor/

Reflecting on “Fridays on the Porch”

One month after our last "Fridays on the Porch" event, the SHHS Trustees met and discussed this summer's series, reflecting on what worked and what didn't work.

Everyone agreed Robert Browngardt's talk on his family's history of military service was one of the best presentations all summer. For those of you who missed Robert Browngardt's lecture, we will share some pictures and quotes later.

The Trustees also agreed having our donation jar out front has drastically helped offset the cost of our low key, open to the public, free events.

However, there were some serious questions about next year's "Fridays on the Porch" series. Should we continue having speakers? Who should we invite to speak? What about having mini-exhibits, which would do less to interrupt the flow of conversation? Well, what do you think? Do you like having a specific topic for a speaker? Should we continue the guest speaker format or add different formats?

SHHS would love your comments or your feedback via our poll!

Phones Will Be Off at SHHS for 8/29 and 8/30

Please be patient with us this week, we expect our phones will not be operating for Thursday and Friday of this week.

For the time being, webmaster AT sagharborhistorical DOT org will be checked every few hours, and there will be someone at the SHHS house on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm.

Additionally, the outage will be caused by computer maintenance timed to coincide with an upgrade to our fire and alarm system.

Our computer system will be in the shop to be partitioned to allow us to run some new content management software, which is the current industry standard for museums and small library collections like the materials SHHS owns at the Annie Cooper Boyd House.

Both of these upgrades are routine, and the alarm upgrade reflects SHHS's efforts to make sure we meet current code regulations for a building that gets opened to the public.

We appreciate this is a difficult time with the holiday weekend approaching, and we apologize for the timing.

Join us for our last Fridays on the Porch this year!

As usual, "Fridays on the Porch" will begin at 5 pm, at the Annie Cooper Boyd House. The event is free and open to the public, but we rely on donations to be able to host these events. The event will include wine and appetizers.

This Friday, August 23rd, will be the last of the popular "Fridays on the Porch" series for this year. SHHS hopes to bring back the event next year.

For our last event, local resident Robert Browngardt will speak about his family's military service from the Civil War through World War II. Browngardt's family legacy includes a dramatic series of events surrounding a World War II aircraft crash!

We hope you'll be able to join us for this wonderful sample of Sag Harbor history!

Stay tuned for the list of historical events and activities SHHS has helped organize and sponsor for Harborfest, which is coming up fast! Harborfest will be September 7th this year.

Trees, Thanks, and Looking Forward!

The SHHS Trustees all breathed a giant collective sigh of appreciation and gratitude when Patricia Piotrowski of Bartlett Tree Experts offered to donate her services, not only for the care of some invasive bugs eating our boxwoods, but to take down a giant tree that had grown a little too close to the Annie Cooper Boyd House.

Taking down this tree was the right decision for a variety of reasons. Obviously foremost was the safety for our historic building with the recent extreme weather trends. The health of the tree according to Bartlett Tree Experts (and other arborists we asked for a second opinion), and the way the tree was growing also influenced SHHS's decision to consider removing the tree.

Additionally, the SHHS Trustees are working towards rebuilding the falling down shed in the yard of the Annie Cooper Boyd House, with hopes of using the space for some of our school groups and lecture sessions. This project dovetailed nicely with the consult from the arborists we spoke with about our buggy boxwood problem.

Patricia Piotrowski's offer from Bartlett was no small gesture. This came at a time when SHHS has struggled to meet our routine expenses, and we were facing repairs that needed to happen to keep our building safe.

SHHS Trustee and photographer Jean Held documented the efforts of the Barlett crew removing our tree. Because of Bartlett's donation of continued tree maintenance for our property, the SHHS Trustees are relieved to be able to approach the start of hurricane season thinking about historical matters, upcoming exhibits, and grant writing!

Dramatic pictures from our tree removal, showing just how close the tree was to the house are visible here:

Next time you're at the Annie Cooper Boyd House, take a look out the dining room windows! You'll be able to see the changes from Bartlett's wonderful work. We hope you'll be with us this Friday August 9th for the next Fridays on the Porch!

And stay tuned for progress on the William Cooper Boat Shed Project! We hope one day soon we'll be hosting an event in that space!

4th of July: Sag Harbor Revolutionary War Sites

On another note, for the Fourth of July, SHHS would like to remind everyone of our Revolutionary War Battle related sites. If you're looking for a way to add some history to your holiday, stop at Foster Memorial Long Beach, where the American militia under Lt. Col. Return Jonathan Meigs landed when they crossed Long Island Sound from Connecticut to raid British outposts in Sag Harbor.

The American forces rowed across Long Island Sound in a dinky little boat called a "whaleboat," much like what's visible in the front yard of the Whaling Museum. After leaving the boats at Foster Memorial Long Beach (which SHHS recently offered an exhibit about), the Americans came into Sag Harbor and seized and destroyed goods at the Long Wharf and what is now the American Hotel on Main Street. At the American Hotel, then a hotel owned by the Howell Family, the troops seized some British affiliated soldiers, and continued to what is now known as the Old Burying Ground, the cemetery next to the Old Whalers' Church on the corner of Union and Madison Streets.

British soliders built a fort in the cemetery that had been used for burials since at least 1767. This was a common practice during the British occupation of Long Island, designed to break the spirit of the rebellious colonists. The British fort in today's Old Burying Ground was located at the top of a hill in the center of the cemetery. The cemetery still has a noticeable incline in the center, along with an indentation in the middle of the hill, reflecting the British soldiers' fortifications.

No Americans died during this highly successful raid, which has been largely forgotten, but it came during a period of stalemate, making it a significant morale booster.

The Old Burying Ground is also a significant Revolutionary War site since it is the final resting place of several Revolutionary War veterans, along with their families. The Burying Ground signs out front, and inside the hedges note several veterans.

Fridays on the Porch Start July 12th and Old Jail Museum open July 6th!

Our annual open house series of casual summer gatherings will start on July 12th at 5 pm. Some of our gatherings might include a guest speaker, but the focus is on casual conversation and refreshments. If you're in the village for a long weekend, or you have some time after work on a Friday, stop by and join us for a nibble or a drink on our beautiful porch! The SHHS Trustees will be available to chat if you have something on your mind, or if you would like a personal tour of the house!

The Annie Cooper Boyd House is open Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1-4 pm through the Summer Season.

Additionally, as a reminder to appreciate the liberties we have, SHHS will open their satellite museum at the Old Jail House, accessible from Division Street and Main Street, behind Page at 63 Main and the Sag Harbor Police Department buildings.

A Sneak Peek of Some of the SHHS Benefit Party Pictures!

In case you weren't lucky enough to join us at the Breakwater Yacht Club, we had wonderful weather and delightful breezes, along with a record turn out! Stay tuned for more pictures, and an update on our July 12th and 13th events!

Join us with Mac Griswold on Saturday!

Just a reminder-- This Saturday, May 25th, is our annual meeting, at 3 pm. We hope to see you there! Mac Griswold will be speaking about her book The Manor: Three Generations at a Slave Plantation on Long Island. We will also have an assortment of refreshments. We're looking forward to seeing you at SHHS's home, the Annie Cooper Boyd House.

 

Annual Benefit Party

Invitations for our June 15th benefit party are going out to our membership list shortly! If you aren't a member yet, consider joining! Or call the office at 631-725-5092 about getting tickets or joining our mailing list! We greatly appreciate your support at this annual fundraiser, which is our main source of income to maintain the historic home that houses our headquarters, a research library, and a museum open to the public.

Great Resource for Homeowners in the Historic District

The village of Sag Harbor is unique because of our Historic District. Our Historic District, which covers a large portion of the village, is on the National Register of Historic Places. This huge honor requires a community effort to support and sustain the historic character of our village.

The Sag Harbor Historical Society plans to offer links and resources as we move forward to help homeowners in the Historic District understand some of the national standards for historic places and historic preservation. Locally, our Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board handles issues related to historic preservation and structures in the historic district.

We hope that helping people in the Historic District get information about guidelines for historic preservation and historic structures, we will be able to help remove some of the mystery from the process of upkeep required to keep our historic district livable.

Please expect to see links in the future related to standards and guidelines for things like coping with extreme weather. The guidelines we will share will be from reputable sources, like the National Trust, the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) or the National Parks Service (which establishes the criteria for historic places to be eligible for the National Register).

One of the main resources we will draw from are resources related to the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Rehabilitation," and the Technical Service materials produced to support and clarify those standards.

To kickoff these links, we would like to share the link to "Interpreting the Standards" Bulletins from the National Park Service, which cover smaller issues many building owners may encounter in the Historic District, such as how to handle porch repairs, or how to address deteriorating plaster inside a building.

Upcoming Events

Our annual meeting and our annual benefit party are both fast approaching! We hope to see you soon! Stay tuned for news about walking tours in July and our shed project!

This year our annual benefit will take place at the lovely Breakwater Yacht Club, where we will kick off the "Salt Air" theme for the new cultural district! Tickets are $80. We hope you'll save the date!

Our annual meeting is also rapidly approaching! We would love to see you May 25th at the Annie Cooper Boyd House at 3 pm!

Please join us for our Annual Meeting May 25th!

We will be holding our annual meeting on May 25th! We would love to see you at the Annie Cooper Boyd House (the SHHS house) at 3 pm! As usual, there will be refreshments at the end of the meeting.

We will be giving you an update on our summer gala, along with the big projects we have been working on! Expect to hear updates on our smaller exhibits for the summer, along with information about the "Salt Air" themed community-wide Cultural District partnership, and a few changes in our executive board structure for the year ahead. We hope you will join us!

In the meantime, consider dropping in on an event at the Eastville Community Historical Society put together this Thursday, April 25th at 5:30 pm. This event will bring together several local historians to speak as a panel about some of the area's older burying grounds, including Sag Harbor's Old Burying Ground.

Sag Harbor Historical Society now accepts donations via Paypal!

We are happy to announce we are now able to accept donations via Paypal!

Please send us an email if you have any problems at payments@sagharborhistorical.org.

"On This Day" added to our Calendar

The Sag Harbor Historical Society added several important events in Sag Harbor's history, including birthdays of important characters like John Steinbeck and Mrs. Russell Sage to our calendar.

Some of these anniversaries will help you better anticipate local events designed to commemorate these people or events. For example, many years a group of reenactors based in Connecticut, like the 6th Connecticut regiment, will travel to Sag Harbor for the anniversary of Colonel Meigs' raid.

We hope having these dates readily available will help groups planning events in Sag Harbor. Some of these dates will be tailored each year to reflect current exhibits at the Sag Harbor Historical Society's Annie Cooper Boyd House. Others will recur each year.

Please be sure to read our calendar carefully to distinguish "Historical Anniversaries" and "On This Day" events from things that are happening this year!

Our calendar is available at: http://sagharborhistorical.org/blog2.php

A big thank you to Trustee Muriel Falborn for all her hard work collecting our first batch of dates!

Join us celebrating the Long Wharf Deed Dedication!

On February 8th there will be a ceremony formally transferring the deed for the Long Wharf from Suffolk County to the Village of Sag Harbor. This transfer was arranged by Legislator Jay Schneiderman.  Legislator Schneiderman invited the public to meet in front of B. Smith's at 12 noon for the ceremony. Legislator Schneiderman partnered with the Sag Harbor Historical Society recently to fund our revised pamphlet "A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Sag Harbor," along with another project on historical markers we're looking forward to sharing in more detail.

The Sag Harbor Express covered the transfer in detail.

Welcome to our new site!

The Sag Harbor Historical Society's Annie Cooper Boyd House started the year in festive colors, thanks to Trustee John Bjornen's work. In case you haven't seen the decorations, we're bringing them to you!

Our digital home has gone through a dramatic makeover too, thanks to Robert Cugini and his employees at AppArt! Keep checking in as we grow into our beautiful new website!

 

Sag Harbor Historical Society Blog

Welcome to the new Sag Harbor Historical Society Blog!

This is where we can post news, articles, or other important information and then allow users to comment...

Stay tuned for updates!