Shelter Island History Museum: “Artemas Ward” Steamer Trunk, c. 1890 – 1920 / Featured Acquisition ….

This past summer, volunteer Natalie Hurwitz spent many hours in the Shelter Island History Museum archives, carefully examining and cataloguing new donations and acquisitions. She shared in our excitement over each new discovery—and in the occasional challenge of deciphering puzzling materials. But no one could have guessed that Natalie’s most extraordinary find of the summer would come not from our archives, but from her very own cellar.

Natalie and her late husband, Martin Hurwitz, purchased the Captain Wells House on Pheasant Lane in Shorewood in 1985. The Queen Anne–style home was built in 1910 for George Wells, the superintendent of Artemas Ward’s historic sprawling 200-acre estate. Artemas Ward (1848-1925) was named after his great-grandfather, who was a general and the first Commander-in-Chief of the army during the American Revolution.

Ward furthered the family legacy through his impressive career in advertising and publishing, as well as his philanthropy. He founded and published “The Philadelphia Grocer,” and in 1883, he took Sapolio, “a cake of greasy, gritty soap and put it in almost every grocery store in the US,” according to Time magazine. (For more information, see “The Soap, The Salesman and The Sailor” on our website, https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org/the-soap-the-salesman-and-the-sailor.html.) Ward had a genuine interest in agriculture, and in 1892, purchased 200 acres of what is now known as Shorewood on the south side of Shelter Island.

George Wells was affectionately known as “Captain” for the command he took over the property, which included farmland, orchards, berry fields, chicken and pheasant houses, a manor house, carriage house, boathouse, and more. Following Ward’s death in 1925, Captain Wells and most of the other laborers continued to work for his son, Artemas Ward Jr., until his death in 1946. The farm was then divided up and sold in separate parcels.

Though originally constructed as a year-round, single-family residence, the Captain’s House was later converted into a boarding house during leaner years. Before the Hurwitzes bought the property, Joe and Margaret Scibilia, the previous owners, had restored the Captain’s House to accommodate a single family in the 1970s. The Hurwitzes continue to lovingly preserve and restore this century-old home that is full of character, history, and quirks. After living there for over 30 years, one may assume that Natalie had already uncovered every secret her home had to tell. Think again!

This past August, Natalie opened a cellar door she had never explored before. Inside was an old steamer trunk, its weathered surface marked with the bold black initials: “A.W.”

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In that house, on that property, those initials could only mean one thing—Artemas Ward. Natalie generously donated the trunk to the Shelter Island History Museum, where it will be carefully cleaned, preserved, and eventually exhibited.

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Though the trunk bears no manufacturer’s mark, its design and materials suggest it was made between 1890 and 1920, which perfectly aligns with the period that Ward owned the estate. The steamer trunk’s slightly domed lid is made of wood, canvas, and cast iron. The trunk also has a set of four small wheels, which was less common at the time and indicates it may have been customized to his liking. Aside from its painted initials, the trunk offers no clues about where it traveled or what it once carried. But history gives us some clues. For example, we know that Ward regularly travelled between his residences in New York City and his estate on Shelter Island. We also know that he had the concrete pier and boathouse (c. 1910) built to accommodate yachts for easy access on and off the island. It is likely that Ward used this trunk and others like it regularly for his extended visits to the farm.