Upcoming Events

“Fall In”: WWII Basic Training Experience

Saturday, October 11

12pm – 1pm

Fall in, recruits! Step back in time and experience what life was like for young Americans training to serve in World War II. In this immersive, hands-on program, you’ll watch an actual WWII training video, then you’ll take part in a simulated WWII Drill and Ceremonies guided by museum staff in period uniforms. Can you keep up with the fast-paced training like new recruits did in the 1940s? Learn how to march in formation and follow drill commands. Along the way, you’ll discover how teamwork, discipline, and determination helped prepare thousands of young people for life in the military during one of the most important times in world history. 

Long Island and Whaling Lecture

Wednesday, October 22

11am – 12:30pm

Historian, author and retired Newsday reporter, Bill Bleyer, gives a presentation about Long Island’s whaling history spanning from the Native Americans who hunted whales offshore from canoes, to the first whaling companies in America in Southampton, to the rise of industrial-scale whaling in Sag Harbor, Greenport and Cold Spring Harbor and much, much more.

Haunted Village

Saturday, October 25

11am – 4pm

Step back in time for a hauntingly fun day of history and Halloween at our Haunted Village Experience! Join us for the return of this beloved event as the past comes alive—and perhaps a little undead—with eerie tales and festive delights inspired by Long Island’s own haunted legends.

Ghost Hunting: A Special Halloween Event at Rogers Mansion

Saturday, October 25

6:30pm – 10:30pm

Ever wanted to be a ghost hunter? Join the crew of the Long Island Paranormal Investigators as we spend the night exploring the 1843 Rogers Mansion and find out what it really takes to be a Paranormal Investigator. You will get a chance to participate in experiments to test various paranormal theories, learn about the paranormal, hear great spooky stories and maybe even leave with one of your own.

Famous Long Island Shipwrecks Lecture

Wednesday, November 5

11am – 12:30pm

Set sail through centuries of maritime history in this captivating lecture by historian, author, and retired Newsday reporter Bill Bleyer. Explore some of Long Island’s most dramatic and tragic shipwrecks, from the Dutch vessel Prins Maurits, lost while bringing colonists to the New World, to the British warship HMS Culloden, wrecked off Montauk during the American Revolution. Learn about the doomed immigrant ships Mexico and Bristol in the 1830s, the fiery destruction of the Lexington—the worst disaster in Long Island Sound history—and the wartime sinking of the USS San Diego during World War I. The program concludes with the mysterious loss of the tugboat Gwendoline Steers in a 1962 Winter storm. This lecture offers a compelling look at how these maritime tragedies shaped the region’s seafaring legacy.

Voices of Valor: Stories from the Next Generation (Free)

Saturday, November 8

12pm – 1:30pm

Join us for a powerful and heartfelt program that brings history to life through the voices of those who know it best—the children of Southampton’s World War II servicemen and women. As part of the Homefront to Battlefront: Southampton During WWII exhibit, this event offers a rare opportunity to hear deeply personal stories that have been passed down through generations.

Uncovering the Past: Archaeology at Sylvester Manor (Free)

Thursday, November 20

2:30pm – 4pm

Explore how archaeology sheds new light on the contributions and experiences of Black and Indigenous communities at historic Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island over the past four hundred years. Supported by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, graduate students from the University of Massachusetts Boston will share how archaeological discoveries help us better understand how people of African, European, and Native descent interacted, adapted, and transformed the world around them—creating a complex and interconnected history that still shapes our lives today. Join us to learn how the soil beneath our feet inspires a deeper understanding of our collective history.

Learn & Explore

With Love From the SHM 
Keene’s Book Shop

Did you know that Robert Keene—Southampton’s Town Historian and longtime president of the SHM board—once ran a bookstore out of one of the oldest buildings in Southampton?

Read the full story in our latest With Love From the SHM post, now live on Facebook, Instagram, and our website:  www.southamptonhistory.org

Visit our four historic sites