Annual Holiday Celebration

The Annual Holiday Party will be held on Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 4:00-7:00 pm, beginning with a program of Seasonal and Gospel Music from 4:00-5:00 pm  presented by Rev. Kenneth Nelson and the Choir at the historic Hood A.M.E. Zion Church on the corner of South and Summit Streets. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the Seasonal Music Program at the oldest building in Oyster Bay still used as a church.

After the concert, the holiday celebration will continue until 7:00 pm at the Earle-Wightman House Museum, which will be decorated in old-fashioned candlelit fashion. With refreshments and music setting a festive mood, you'll ring in the holidays at this annual party for Society members and friends. Don't miss the opportunity to sing, see old friends, and view the current exhibit, Tracing Peg: Slavery in Oyster Bay.

Contributions appreciated. For additional information, call the Museum at 922-5032.

Tracing Peg: Slavery in Oyster Bay Exhibit

Opening on Sunday, October 11, the new exhibition at the Oyster Bay Historical Society, Tracing Peg: Slavery in Oyster Bay traces the life of a young woman who was a slave in Oyster Bay.   Curated by Danielle Apfelbaum, a volunteer and candidate for the Master of Library and Information Science degree from the Palmer School at C.W. Post, the exhibition, timed to coincide with New York State Archives month, utilizes documents from the archival collections of the Society and the Town of Oyster Bay. A special Archives Month reception will be held at the Society's Earle-Wightman House Museum on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 3:00-5:00 pm.  The exhibition closes December 23.

WWII Roundtable Discussion & Exhibit

Oyster Bay Goes to War

In Honor of our brave Service men and women — past and present — and in commemoration of D-Day, the Oyster Bay Historical Society will present Oyster Bay Goes to War: a roundtable discussion at the Oyster Bay Community Center on Church Street in conjunction with the opening of a remarkable new exhibition at the Earle-Wightman House, 20 Summit Street, on Sunday, June 28, 2009 from 2:00-4:00 pm

Both events will include interviews with WWI Veterans who call Oyster Bay their Home Town. Participating in the roundtable discussion will be Nick DiSantos, who was with the Eighth Air Force; Paul Noonan who was with Patton’s Third Army; and former Centre Island Mayor James Mooney who will be sharing his experiences in the Air Force in the Pacific War. Donald Gromisch, an expert on WWII will be presenting the big picture of the war itself, while the WWII veterans will be telling of their own personal experiences in the war, said Oyster Bay Historical Society Director Tom Kuehhas. There are several other veterans who may be contributing to the program that day, he added.

The exhibit will be filled with dramatic and nostalgic photographs of those challenging times, and will make you proud to be a citizen of Oyster Bay. This is a wonderful opportunity to show your support for those who have served our Great Country.

Refreshments will be served at the exhibit opening reception at Earle-Wightman House. The cost is $20 for Members and $25 otherwise. Proceeds benefit the OBHS Building Fund and will be matched by the Dolan Family Foundation.

To reserve by mail, please make your check payable to Oyster Bay Historical Society and mail before 6/22 to PO Box 297, Oyster Bay, NY 11771. After 6/22, please pay online with your major charge card or PayPal*. Questions: Call 516-922-5022.

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Please bring these items to the Exhibit to be sent to our men and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq
Baby wipes Baggies (all sizes) Bars of soap (small individual bars are excellent) Body and foot Powder (Bonds brand suggested) Crossword puzzle books, etc. Dental Floss Disposable razors Envelopes Games (playing cards, small board games, checkers, etc.) Greeting Cards with envelopes Hand and body lotion (small bottles) Magazines	Paperback books Pens Shampoo and conditioner (small bottles are the best) Shaving Cream Snack foods (cookies, candy (no chocolates), peanuts. etc.) Socks, white crew type Sun Screen Tissues Tooth brushes Toothpaste T-shirts (white) Writing paper
Cash contributions will also be appreciated and will be used to purchase above items.

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*MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express payments to the Oyster Bay Historical Society are processed through PayPal to OBHS advisor Louis J. Bruno and do not require a PayPal account.

Winter Exhibit: The Love Letters of Luis and Jane Bush Francke

The Winter exhibit of the Oyster Bay Historical Society opens Saturday, February 7, 2009 at the Society's Earle-Wightman House Museum and continues thru Sunday, April 26, 2009. The exhibit, called Dearest Jane ... Love L: Jane Bush and her love letters from Habana, consists of letters and photographs documenting the courtship of Luis Francke, who operated a sugar plantation and refinery in Matanzas, Cuba, and Jane Bush de Lamoutte, a rural Indiana girl educated in Paris then briefly married to Alexander de Lamoutte of New York.

After their wedding, the Franckes established a home at Glenby, their estate in Upper Brookville. Today, volunteers at the Jane Francke Bird Sanctuary, on the grounds of the former estate, maintain the legacy of Mrs. Francke's love of ornithology and her commitment to open space on Long Island and throughout the country.

The Society invites you to read Luis Francke's beautiful letters of love and celebrate Valentine's Day at a special reception on Saturday, February 14 from 4:00-6:00 pm.

Please call the Society at 922-5032 or email for more information.

Exhibition Opening: Revolutionary War Events

The Society's Fall Exhibition on Oyster Bay's role in the Revolutionary War will open on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 2:30 pm at its Earle-Wightman House Museum, one of only three Nassau County sites on the State's Revolutionary War Heritage Trail. The Exhibition includes rare artifacts and documents as well as the opportunity to try on a reproduction uniform and equipment.

The ground-breaking Exhibition will include a rare uniform coat worn by an Oyster Bay Loyalist during the war, a period musket and bayonet, an inscribed powder horn owned by another Oyster Bay Loyalist, period cannonballs, assorted documents, smaller objects, and period illustrations. This is a unique opportunity to learn the role played by Long Island Loyalists in general, and Oyster Bay and Queens County Loyalists in particular, while seeing rare artifacts and handling authentic reproductions of the items worn and carried by Revolutionary War soldiers.

Please call the Society at 922-5032 or email for more information.

NOTE: The Exhibition was originally scheduled, and announced in The Freeholder, for a November opening. A delay in obtaining signs and showcases necessitated rescheduling.