Shelter Island History Museum Celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the United States ….

The Shelter Island History Museum Gets Ready

to Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday!

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Next year, our nation observes the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—and here at the Shelter Island History Museum, we’ve already started the celebrations! Our red, white, and blue Christmas tree, complete with our special commemorative holiday ornament, is up and ready for viewing in the conference room. (The ornament itself will be available for purchase at the Havens Store shortly. To pre-order, call us at the number below or email info@shelterislandhistorical.org )

Our dedicated 250th anniversary web page, https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org/americas-250th-anniversary.html is live, and planning is well underway for all the events listed there. Dates to mark on your calendar include:

March:

7th – Spinning Wheel Program, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Shelter Island History Museum

May:

31st – “Historic Homes” Presentation by Zachary Studenroth, 2-3:30 p.m., Shelter Island History Museum

June:
6th – Historic House Tour, Reception and Grand Opening of Shelter Island in the Revolution exhibit, all day, Shelter Island History Museum

28th – Historic Sunday, 10 a.m., Shelter Island History Museum and Union Chapel

July:
12th – “Culper Spy Ring,” Presentation by Bill Bleyer, 2-3:30 p.m., Shelter Island History Museum

18th (tentative) – Anniversary Celebration at the Artemas Ward estate, time TBD

August:
2nd – “Battle of Long Island,” Presentation by Noel Gish, 2-3 p.m., Shelter Island History Museum

The SIHM is also a proud member of the Suffolk250 committee, which is helping track the many reenactments, lectures, tours, festivals, and family-friendly activities slated to take place throughout history-rich Suffolk County in 2026 via their 250th Anniversary Event Calendar at https://www.suffolk250.org.

There you can also find the “Suffolk County 250th Anniversary Historical Passport.” According to the intro, the Passport is a “guide to exploring the landmarks, museums, and historic sites that tell the story of our nation’s fight for independence and Long Island’s role in it. Each page features a participating site or sponsoring organization with a brief description and space for your commemorative stamp.” A physical copy of the Passport is available for a small fee on Amazon, or it can be downloaded for free from the committee website. You’ll see the SIHM entry on page 69!

There will be many more additions to the SIHM semiquincentennial celebration throughout 2026, so watch this space, check our website, our Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up with all the updates!

The Shelter Island History Museum

16 South Ferry Road

Shelter Island, NY 11964

631-749-0025

Open: Wednesday – Friday 10am-2pm

Extended December hours:
Thursday, 12/18 10am-7pm
Monday, 12/22 10am-2pm
Tuesday, 12/23 10am-2pm

And by appointment.