Three Village Historical Society

10/10/2026

Elouise at the Three Village Historical Society farmers market on an absolutely gorgeous day ☀️🍂

Sometimes you just have to stop and take the picture 📸

10/09/2026

☀️ sunny & 72 ☀️

If you custom ordered weather for the perfect Farmers Market Friday - this would be it!

🌽 Join us on this gorgeous Autumn afternoon for live music, a mobile book store, lawn games, delicious dinners, free museum tours, and nature crafts for kids

And of course all your favorite farm fresh produce, locally grown right here on Long Island

🥐 Grab a bakery treat and a scrumptious latte, pick up some custom cookies and hot pretzels for the long weekend, fill your tote bag with fresh flowers, and feel the joy of shopping small & supporting local

Clearance sale: always wanted a Three Village Farmers & Artisans Market t shirt of your own? They're available in 3 comfy cozy colors and now only $10 through October (or until we run out!) Get your totally awesome tee today!

10/07/2026

👻 Archive Wednesday: Spooky Sketches from the Melville Family Papers👻

Just in time for spooky season , we found a few slightly spooky faces hiding in the Melville Family Papers… 🎃👀

These sketches were created by Francis “Frank” Melville (1832–1916), a Brooklyn-born painter and etcher. Francis was the father of Frank Melville Jr. and grandfather of Ward Melville, placing him at the beginning of a family legacy that would become deeply connected to the development and preservation of Stony Brook and the surrounding Three Villages.

Francis was an accomplished artist who worked in pencil, ink, charcoal, watercolor, and etching. His artistic career extended overseas, where he spent time working in Great Britain and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy, Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, London Salon, and Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Today, examples of his work can be found in the Walker Art Gallery, New York Public Library, and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

His artwork makes up the first series of the Melville Family Papers and includes portraits, figure studies, landscapes, sketches from Long Island and Europe, watercolors, and preparatory drawings for later etchings.

Were these drawings actually intended to be spooky? Probably not. But between the shadowy figures, skeletal-looking forms, and that wonderfully dramatic expression, we think they’ve earned their Halloween moment!

You never know who or what might be staring back at you from an archival box… 🎃📜

📂 Melville Family Papers, Series I: Francis Melville Papers, Box 5, Etchings & Drawings

10/06/2026

One of the most common requests we hear each year are "this event is great! We wish it happened more than once!"

You asked - we answered! The Winter Holiday Market is now indoors over 2 days at the beautiful & historic Setauket Neighborhood House!

🎁 the rumors are true 🎁

The annual indoor Winter Holiday Market hosted by Three Village Historical Society & Museum and the Three Village Farmers & Artisans Market will take place on TWO dates this year!

❄️ Presented in partnership with the beautiful Setauket Neighborhood House, this 30+ vendor event is your perfect opportunity to shop small and support local this holiday season.

🛍 Featuring a carefully curated selection of artisans, crafters, makers, bakers, and creators across a variety of goods, you'll find different booths both days - so come once or come twice for a wonderful and unique shopping experience!

📌 Save the date:
Sunday, November 29
Sunday, December 13

11 am - 4 pm

🥰 This is one of our favorite holiday traditions where the whole community comes out - we can't wait to see you here!

>>> Have you picked up something beautiful, memorable, or delicious at our Winter Holiday Market? Let us know some of your favorite finds from past years!

10/02/2026

🔎 FAQ 🔍

Culper Spy Day - your questions answered!

🕰️ When:
10 am - 4 pm
*please see website for full list of timed activities and openings*

📍Where:
Activities take place throughout the Three Village area
start and end at Three Village Historical Society & Museum
93 N Country Rd, Setauket NY 11733

🚌 How:
We provide a FREE hop on / hop off trolley tour operating all day from 10 am - 3:30 pm, stopping at 6 sites with easy walking access to 10 sites total!
Park at any one of the 6 trolley stops and join in any time

🚗 More:
There are several participating sites NOT on the trolley that you will want to drive to - addresses are on our website

⏳ Duration:
You could truly spend all day exploring, so dedicate as much or as little time as you like!
Most activities take place on the grounds of TVHS and will continue all day
Some sites are open shorter time frames

👟 Wear:
Comfortable, closed toed shoes are encouraged, especially on uneven ground such as the graveyards, and for stability in the historic houses

💰 Cost:
Culper Spy Day is FREE to attend!
There are only a few activities with a nominal fee:
Museum tour: $5
Sherwood Jayne Farm: $5
Brewster House: $5

Everything else is free to participate with the exception of food trucks

🧁 Hungry:
We are pleased to offer several snack & meal stops throughout Culper Spy Day
Level Up Kitchen and the Branded Bun at TVHS
Dilly Dilly Donuts at Caroline Episcopal Church
McNulty's Ice Cream Truck and ALatte Coffee Company at Patriots Rock
Level Up Kitchen Cafe at Emma Clark Library

You are also welcome to check out any of our local restaurants for full lunch & dinner menus for during or after your tour!

🚻 Restrooms:
Restrooms are available at
The Setauket Neighborhood House (indoor)
Emma Clark Library (indoor)
Caroline Church (indoor)
Setauket Presbyterian Church (indoor)

🎧 Accessibility:
Loud noises take place frequently near the museum with musket drills & cannon firing - if someone in your party is sensitive to loud noises, we advise head phones or ear plugs

🎭 Showtimes:
Shadows Rise: A Culper Spy Ring musical will be performed at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm on the TVHS stage
(no tickets needed)
Treason's Trial will be performed at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson at 2:30 pm & 4:30 pm - tickets are free, first come / first served

🧸 Kids:
Culper Spy Day welcomes history lovers of all ages, including little learners! We have face painting, story time, meeting soldiers, colonial cooking, hands-on demonstrations, crafts & activities, and a scavenger hunt to keep them busy & excited!

❓ What else?
Have more questions we didn't get to answer? Drop them in the comments and we'll get you all the info!
Want more details?
Check out our website:
https://www.tvhs.org/culper-spy-day

10/02/2026

☀️ who ordered the sunshine??? ☀️

After last week's wash out, we are so grateful to see sunny & 80 degrees for our first Friday in October!

🍂 While we expected falling leaves and a little sweater, this is the PERFECT start to our Autumn weekend in Setauket

Today's farmers market is chock full of farm fresh produce, bakery delights, live music, pizza on wheels, New York cheese, small batch distillery, hand pies to snack on the go, homemade sourdough, artisan candles / jewelry / pottery, and banana bread lattes (whattttt?)

📌 PLUS the Little Free Library, typewriter poetry, Ask a Historian with Bev Tyler signing his brand new book, and free museum admission on Culper Spy Day eve!

Seriously, you just have to get here!

⏰ Beware the time change:::
October hours are 3 - 6 pm

So come early and come hungry!

🥰 We can't wait to spy you in Setauket

10/01/2026

🚌 around town 🚌

What makes Culper Spy Day different isn’t simply the subject matter — it’s the collaboration!

While many communities celebrate their history from a single museum or historic site, Culper Spy Day invites visitors to explore an entire historic landscape.

More than forty historical, educational, and cultural organizations come together to tell one story from many perspectives.

In partnership with Tri Spy Tours, the Three Village Historical Society & Museum coordinates an immersive experience that stretches well beyond the museum walls.

Visitors can board a free hop-on, hop-off trolley connecting six stops and ten historic sites, explore special exhibit at local museums and libraries, meet living historians, taste traditional colonial recipes, attend demonstrations, and step inside buildings that have stood since the eighteenth century.

Swipe through for where to explore on Culper Spy Day: Saturday, October 3 and see our website for a full list of participating sites and their open times.