New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Southampton

Forgotten Treasures in the Samuel L. Parrish Collection

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Madonna and Child with Bronzes by Tom EdmondsSamuel L. Parrish (1849 – 1932) was a prosperous NYC attorney who summered in Southampton on Long Island. He was born into a wealthy Quaker family in Philadelphia and attended Harvard, where he developed an interest in Italian art. After graduating, Parrish went to Italy for a year studying Classical and Renaissance art.

In 1877 he opened a very successful law practice in the city of New York. He visited friends and family in Southampton during the summer season and traveled to Italy regularly. While there he decided to open an art museum in Southampton. [Read more…] about Forgotten Treasures in the Samuel L. Parrish Collection

Dead Humpback Whale, Dolphin Wash Ashore On Long Island Beaches

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ECO Smith and NOAA federal agent assess a 41-foot humpback whale washed ashore at Lido Beach on Long Island in January 2023Two marine mammals recently washed-up dead on Long Island beaches.

On Sunday, January 29, New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Della Rocco, Vandenbos, and Zullo responded to a complaint of a deceased dolphin that had washed up on Egypt Beach in Easthampton, Suffolk County. [Read more…] about Dead Humpback Whale, Dolphin Wash Ashore On Long Island Beaches

Preserving Long Island Black Heritage: Pyrrhus Concer Homestead

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Pyrrhus Concer (Southampton Historical Society) Demolished in 2014, the Pyrrhus Concer Homestead in Southhampton, Long Island, was finally recognized as a Historic Landmark by Southampton Village in January 2021. Pieces were salvaged before the house was torn down and preservationists have been working to bring it back to life and properly interpret it ever since.

Though born into slavery, over the course of his life Concer would become one of the most well-respected members of the Southampton community. After being freed as an adult, Concer went on to have a long and storied career as a whaler and boatsteerer. He was one of, if not the first, African Americans to enter Japan. Thanks to well-kept records including whaling logs and documents related to his local philanthropy, Pyrrhus Concer’s life is one of the most complete histories of a formerly enslaved person in America.

[Read more…] about Preserving Long Island Black Heritage: Pyrrhus Concer Homestead

New Technology Being Deployed At Lake Agawam Algal Blooms

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harmful algal bloom on Lake AgawamThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the start of a new research project to evaluate the potential efficacy of ultrasonic devices to reduce harmful algal blooms (HABs) on Lake Agawam in the village of Southampton on Long Island. [Read more…] about New Technology Being Deployed At Lake Agawam Algal Blooms

Tour of Southampton’s Gardens Set

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Peconic Bay View by Averitt Buttry 2020The Southampton History Museum has announced “An Outsider’s View,” a tour of Southampton and North Sea gardens and landscape settings, set for Saturday, September 12th, from 1 to 4 pm.

With designs ranging from a structured formal garden of clipped hedges and detailed gates to a waterfront cottage garden bursting with flowers and native flora, each setting will provide a look at the interplay between the landscape and the home’s architecture and history. [Read more…] about Tour of Southampton’s Gardens Set

Whaling Captains Lecture in Southampton

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Captain Albert Rogers Mansion c 1890In 1893, Southampton historian William S. Pelletreau wrote that it was “safe to address almost any middle-aged man one might meet as ‘Captain’, for the chances were that he was one.”

Zachary Taylor, curator at the Southampton History Museum, is set to give PowerPoint lecture on sea captains who made Southampton their home, using research and photographs from the Museum’s archive on Saturday, March 7, at 1 pm. [Read more…] about Whaling Captains Lecture in Southampton

Rogers Mansion Candlelight Tours in Southampton

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Candlelight on the piano by Liana MizziRogers Mansion in Southampton, NY, is set to host self-guided tours of the mansion on Saturday, December 14th, and Saturday, December 28th.

Guests will be able to see a 20 room home as it was in the 1920s filled with holiday decorations. Also, the exhibit “High Style in the Gilded Age: Southampton 1870-1930” will be on display showing ball gowns worn by Southampton women along with their stories from that era. Some of the women featured will be Consuelo Vanderbilt and Millicent Rogers. Refreshments will be served. [Read more…] about Rogers Mansion Candlelight Tours in Southampton

Southampton History Museum Harvest Fair Set for Sept 21st

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Shinnecock Tribe dancing by Crazy CowThe Southampton Historical Museum’s 2019 Harvest Fair has been set for Saturday, September 21st, from 11 am to 4 pm, at Rogers Mansion, 17 Meeting House Lane, Southampton. This event is free and open to the public.

Activities include outdoor crafts, tool making demonstrations, Shinnecock Tribe dancing, farm animals, a thrift shop and an 1850 wedding re-enactment. [Read more…] about Southampton History Museum Harvest Fair Set for Sept 21st