Suffolk County Historical Society

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Suffolk County Historical Society Founded in 1886, to collect, preserve, and interpret the ongoing history of Suffolk County, NY Over 20,000 historical artifacts are cared for in the museum.

Permanent and changing exhibitions are used to interpret important themes in Suffolk County history.

America 250 BOOK & BOTTLE Lecture: George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring with author Bill Bleyer. Saturday, October 1...
10/08/2026

America 250 BOOK & BOTTLE Lecture: George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring with author Bill Bleyer. Saturday, October 17, 2026 - 1:00 PM.

Learn the true story of the Culper Spy Ring from former Newsday reporter Bill Bleyer, author of George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide. History enthusiasts have long been fascinated by the operation of the Long Island-based Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution, especially since the airing of the television series Turn. Over the years, there have been many legends, such as the role played by Anna Strong’s clothesline, and speculations about how the spies operated to support George Washington’s Continental Army. This PowerPoint lecture will separate facts from fiction and detail the ingenious operation of the intelligence network that helped the American Patriots win the war.

Members Free, Non-Members $8. Includes refreshments. Registration + non-refundable prepayment required. *Seating is limited!* Call 631-727-2881 X100 to reserve your spot! This event will also include a BOOK SALE & AUTHOR SIGNING! Book Sale: $26 (author accepts Cash, Venmo, Zelle, & PayPal).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bill Bleyer was a prize-winning staff writer for Newsday for 33 years, specializing in history and maritime issues before retiring in 2014 to write books and freelance for the newspaper and magazines. He has written seven books published by History Press: The Roosevelts in New York City (2025); The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound (2023); George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (2021); Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History (2019); Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island’s Welcoming Beacon (2017); Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt’s Summer White House (2016); and, with co-author Harrison Hunt, Long Island and the Civil War (2015). Bleyer has been featured on C-Span and his work has been published in American Heritage, in Smithsonian Magazine’s digital edition, and in America’s Civil War, Naval History, Sea History, Lighthouse Digest, Civil War News, and other publications.The Hofstra University graduate has taught economics and journalism there and maritime history at Webb Institute, the naval architecture college in Glen Cove.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! BOOK & BOTTLE Lecture: The Devil in New York: The Witchcraft Trial of Goody Garlickwith Tara Ri...
10/01/2026

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! BOOK & BOTTLE Lecture:
The Devil in New York: The Witchcraft Trial of Goody Garlick
with Tara Rider. Saturday, October 3, 2026 - 1:00 PM. Members Free, Non-Members $8. Includes refreshments. Registration + non-refundable prepayment required. *Seating is limited!* Call 631-727-2881 X100 to reserve your spot!

The most famous American witch-hunt began in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, yet three decades earlier Long Island had its very own witchcraft trial--the trial of Goody Garlick. Accusations of flying on poles and cavorting with the devil ran rampant in the colonies during the seventeenth century and led to hundreds of accusations of witchcraft. To understand what happened during these trials, we must first understand the stresses of ordinary life at the time in New York and why the fear of witches existed. The trial of Goody Garlick acts as a lens to understand the hysteria associated with these accusations.

This lecture will be presented by Tara Rider, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer and Faculty Director, Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.

SUFFOLK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
300 West Main St. Riverhead, NY 11901
www.SuffolkCountyHistoricalSociety.org

TRICK OR TREAT AT THE HAUNTED MUSEUM !!!Saturday, October 24, 2026 --- 2pm-4pm$2 admission per person ~ Family Fun for A...
10/01/2026

TRICK OR TREAT AT THE HAUNTED MUSEUM !!!
Saturday, October 24, 2026 --- 2pm-4pm
$2 admission per person ~ Family Fun for All Ages!
Bring your tiniest tots to your tallest teens for a comical and fun Haunted Museum Halloween Event! Trick or Treat from museum gallery to museum gallery, and enjoy our “Haunted Hunt” scavenger hunt, as you encounter our ghosts and ghouls living in our haunted hallways! You might even hear a ghost story or two! Enjoyable (not TOO scary) fun for even the youngest of witches and goblins! More info.: 631-727-2881 x100.

We apologize for any inconvenience! Stay safe!
09/26/2026

We apologize for any inconvenience! Stay safe!

SPECIAL CONCERT EVENT!HARLEM BLUES & JAZZ BAND “ALL STARS” Tribute ConcertIn Memory and Tribute to Founder “Doc” Al Voll...
09/03/2026

SPECIAL CONCERT EVENT!
HARLEM BLUES & JAZZ BAND “ALL STARS” Tribute Concert
In Memory and Tribute to Founder “Doc” Al Vollmer, and musicians Danny Mixon and Ray Blue

Saturday, September 19, 2026
3:00pm-5:00pm
Concert is FREE with $5 museum admission
SEATS ARE LIMITED/RSVP required at 631-727-2881 x100.

Internationally Renowned HARLEM BLUES & JAZZ BAND comes back to Suffolk County Featuring: Greg Murphy • Bertha Hope • Bill Wurtzel • Annette St. John • Barry Bryson John Cooksey • Kim Clarke • Willie Applewhite • Keisha St. Joan • David Lee Jones • Tommy Morimoto • Michael Dawson • Special Guests

Harlem Blues and Jazz Band was formed in 1973, when a passionate music aficionado, Dr. Al Vollmer, recognized that a significant pool of the great NYC jazz musicians of the 1920s and 30s had retired as musicians. Motivated to revive their talents, Vollmer encouraged these talented artists to pick up their instruments once again, and Harlem Blues and Jazz Band was formed. The band toured the world, established not only to continue the legacy of the country’s greatest jazz ensembles but also to pay homage to the genre’s roots: The Blues.

$5 admission, members free -- RSVP at 631-727-2881 x100

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER for Saturday's **Summer Concert Series with Tom’s Country**—Tom Cilmi, vocals, guitar. Saturday...
08/27/2026

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER for Saturday's **Summer Concert Series with Tom’s Country**—Tom Cilmi, vocals, guitar. Saturday, August 29, 2026, 11 a.m. Limited Seating! Call Now to Reserve Your Seat! Registration Required: 631.727.2881 x100.

Tom Cilmi is an acoustic country music performer from Bay Shore. With a father who played jazz saxophone in the 50’s and 60’s and a mother who loved to dance, Tom was exposed to all sorts of music from an early age. From playing drums and then guitar in his early teens, to hard rock music in a high school band, to playing popular rock and roll in a band while in his thirties, to his most recent incarnation as a country music performer, Tom is no stranger to the stage. He began performing country music as a soloist several years ago, and as the genre grew in popularity in recent years, so has Tom’s schedule. While his typical repertoire is heavily weighted towards contemporary country, Tom also plays some classics.

Suffolk County Historical Society Museum
300 W. Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901
631-727-2881 x100
www.SuffolkCountyHistoricalSociety.org

AMERICA 250: Our "Visions of Freedom" exhibit by Women Sharing Art has been extended by popular demand! Now in our Gish ...
08/14/2026

AMERICA 250: Our "Visions of Freedom" exhibit by Women Sharing Art has been extended by popular demand! Now in our Gish Gallery thru December 23, 2026!

In "Visions of Freedom," over 30 talented artists bring together diverse perspectives to explore what freedom means in the American experience. Through deeply personal expressions and varied artistic languages, from richly textured mosaics and luminous glass pieces to evocative photographs and expressive paintings, the exhibit celebrates both historical ideals and contemporary interpretations of liberty, identity, and possibility. Drawing on each artist’s unique background and voice, the works invite viewers to reflect on the many dimensions of freedom in a nation shaped by diverse cultures, struggles, and stories.

"Visions of Freedom" is not only a visual display of craftsmanship across media but also a thoughtful dialogue about the ideals at the core of America’s ongoing journey.




Suffolk County Historical Society Museum
300 W. Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901
www.SuffolkCountyHistoricalSociety.org
Gallery Hours:
Weds. to Sat., 10 am - 4:30 pm, excluding holidays.

Our History Through Music SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Continues on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 11 a.m., with J. K. Hodge, Cl...
08/06/2026

Our History Through Music SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Continues on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 11 a.m., with J. K. Hodge, Classical Piano, and Guest Rachel Hall on Violin!

Limited Seating! Call Now to Reserve Your Seat for Saturday's performance! 631.727.2881 x100. Concerts are free with museum admission ($5 adult, $3 senior, $1 child, members free).

Join us on a musical journey recalling the beauty and resilience of classical music, performed by film composer and pianist J. K. Hodge, accompanied by Rachel Hall on violin. Mixing artful interpretations of classics, paired with the history and biographies of many classical composers, Mr. Hodge will deepen your connection to classical music while broadening the scope of contemporary classical music today.

About the Artist: J. K. Hodge developed his talent and skill as a young performer on the piano before becoming a film composer. He resurrected several Buster Keaton silent films with original scores and has worked with Douglas Maxwell Myer composing the musical scores for short nature films across the eastern seaboard. Mr. Hodge's Chopin-inspired contemporary classical compositions have earned him much acclaim as a New York-based concert pianist and composer. Mr. Hodge’s most recent EP, "Holding Daylight," is available on Spotify.

More information: https://www.viberate.com/artist/jk-hodge/

Our Summer Concert Series is sponsored in part by Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and the Suffolk County Legislature.

SCHS Photos of the Week: The Rogers Mansion, formerly Whaling Captain Albert Rogers' Homestead, Southampton, and the Rog...
08/06/2026

SCHS Photos of the Week: The Rogers Mansion, formerly Whaling Captain Albert Rogers' Homestead, Southampton, and the Rogers Family Coat of Arms. (Images from the Suffolk County Historical Society's Library & Archive.)

The Rogers Mansion in Southampton occupies the lot awarded to William Rogers (ca. 1606–1667), an early European settler. William was born in England around 1606 and immigrated to Connecticut in 1640, relocating to Southampton by 1644. He later moved west to Huntington, leaving his Southampton property to his son Obadiah. The house remained in the Rogers family for several generations. The main Greek Revival-style structure standing today incorporates elements of an earlier redesign in about 1843 by Captain Albert Rogers (1807–1854), a direct descendant of William Rogers. Serving as the headquarters and exhibition space of the Southampton History Museum since 1943, the site features other historic structures in addition to the Rogers Mansion.

**Y-DNA Project Unlocks Roots of the Rogers Family of Southampton and Huntington**: Are you a descendant of the Rogers family? Breakthrough Y-DNA testing has bridged a centuries’ old gap between Suffolk County history and English heritage. Genetic analysis reveals that descendants of seventeenth-century English emigrant William Rogers of Suffolk County, such as Capt. Albert Rogers (1807-1854), share Haplogroup I-BY157942, a genetic signature that ties the family to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. William’s sons, Obadiah Rogers (1633-1692) of Southampton, Jonathan Rogers (1636-1709) of Huntington, and Noah Rogers (1646-1725) of Branford, Connecticut (and their descendants), all stem from the same paternal lineage.

Learn more about this Rogers lineage by joining the Rogers/Rodgers Y-DNA effort at FamilyTreeDNA:
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/rogers-sc-ga-al-tx-nm-ca/about

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER for Saturday morning's concert with Cafe Society Jazz Band! Call 631-727-2881 x100 to register....
07/31/2026

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER for Saturday morning's concert with Cafe Society Jazz Band! Call 631-727-2881 x100 to register.

Our History Through Music SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Continues in August! Saturdays, 11am - 12pm - Free with Museum Admission ($5 adult, $3 senior, $1 child, members free).

August 1 – Café Society Jazz Band
Join us for a morning of JAZZ!!! The Cafe Society Jazz Band takes us back in time from the 1920s to the 1940s, evoking memories of the Gatsby era through a repertoire of classic jazz standards.

Limited Seating! Call Now to Reserve Your Seat! Registration Required: 631.727.2881 x100.
Concerts are free with museum admission, sponsored in part by Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and the Suffolk County Legislature.


Suffolk County Historical Society Museum
300 W. Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901

Address

300 W Main Street
Riverhead, NY
11901

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm
Saturday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+16317272881

Website

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