Suffolk County Historical Society: ‘Ode For The Fourth’ by Mary L. Gardiner, 1851

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FROM THE SCHS LIBRARY & ARCHIVE

“How shall we know it is us without our past?”
– John Steinbeck

Ode for the Fourth of July, 1851, by Mrs. Mary L. Gardiner. Printed at the Corrector Office, Sag-Harbor. (From the Collection of the Suffolk County Historical Society Library & Archive.)

‘Tis Freedom’s bright morn! Let her nation arise!
Send up her oblation of praise to the skies!
From the heart’s glowing altar, let incense ascend,
And pulses of free men in harmony blend.
‘Tis the birth-day of Liberty! …

Mary L. Gardiner of Sag Harbor published The Prose and Poetical Writings of Mary L. Gardiner in 1843 (New York: J. Winchester), dedicating the volume to Benjamin P. Thompson, her “early friend and patron.”

HOLIDAY CLOSURE: We will be closed on Saturday, July 4, 2026 in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

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