Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society Website

 

Historical Society Elected Officers For 2008:

President: Dr. Jan Harting-McChesney
1st Vice President: Dr. Carol Bleser
2nd Vice President: TBA
Treasurer: Jonathan Pokorny
Corresponding Secretary: Robert Duckworth
Recording Secretary: David Cleaves
Historian: Victor Principe
Curator: TBA
Archivist: Margaret Munson

 

The Bellport Brookhaven Historical Society's Annual Summer Gala

This year's Gala is planned for Saturday, August 9, 2008. Click here for more information about the Annual Summer Gala.

The Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society is located at 31 Bellport Lane, right next to the Bellport Village Hall.

The Society was founded in 1958 by a small group of Bellport residents and in 1964 received its full state charter. It is a not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation and interpretation of Long Island's past, and particularly the history of the Bellport, Brookhaven and East Patchogue area. The Society pursues this goal through its museum, the historic Post-Crowell House and the buildings that make up the Museum Complex. The Society provides gallery exhibitions, museum exhibits and educational programs to the community. Its publication of studies on local history and culture provide knowledge and insight into the cultural inheritance of the area. A major purpose of the Society is the preservation of Long Island antiquities and historic documents and the extensive collection of books, manuscripts, maps, postcards and other memorabilia is on permanent display and available to historians, researchers and local schools for class visits.

In 1967 Miss Florence Crowell deeded her property and house at 31 Bellport Lane to the Society. The house was built in 1833 by Hiram Post, a master ship builder and cost $800. He built for the ages...the house foundation is made of ship ballast stone, there are extra heavy floor beams and the older sections of the house contain square nails and wood pegs. The flagpole is a ship mast and the fish on top is a replica of the trout carved to celebrate Daniel Webster's 1827 trout catch on Carman's River.

Other buildings on the property include the Barn Museum holding the Sperry gyroscope exhibit, the Wilbur Corwin decoy collection, the antique tool collection and dolls and toys from the mid 1800's. New to the Barn Museum is the collection of antique wedding gowns donated by Bellport residents.

The Brown Building houses the legendary Pelletreau doll collection of more than 500 miniature dolls from throughout the world and the extensive antique painted tin collection. The Museum Complex also includes the Blacksmith Shop, the Chester Memorial Boathouse; the Milk House and the Gazebo.

The Museum Complex is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday,11:00 am to 4:00 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Admission is free to Society members. For non-member adult admission is $5; $4 for seniors. Children 12 and under free. For more information call 631-776-7640.

The Exchange Shop, on the museum grounds, is open Memorial Day weekend until mid-December from 11:00am to 5:00pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It features antiques and collectibles for sale. Donations and consignments are accepted on Wednesdays from 10:00am to Noon.