This Giving Tuesday, your donation will go twice as far. Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, every dollar raised will be matched up to $20,000!
Your support helps us provide freshly grown produce to local food pantries throughout the coldest months, ensuring over 200 Shelter Island residents facing food insecurity can enjoy healthy, nourishing food from our fields.
Together we can keep growing and providing fresh food!
School vacation is a wonderful time to explore Sylvester Manor! Our School Break Program weaves the music of a composer throughout the week, drawing inspiration from the natural world and the changing seasons. This year, children will discover the music of 17th-century English composer Henry Purcell while planting herb gardens, making tinctures, performing a puppet show, and more.
All sessions are led by Hannah Gray, a certified Forest School educator and Director of our Summer Youth Program. Sign your child up today to experience a dynamic, science-based, re-wilding curriculum, created in the spirit of kindness and compassion for the children of our changing world.
Stay tuned for details on our Thanksgiving produce boxes, available for pre-order soon and ready for pickup the week of Thanksgiving. Boxes will include fall vegetables, Manor Made items, eggs and pork.
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Farm Update
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The first frost of the season arrived on the morning of October 24th. Root crops and greens can withstand a light freeze, so we’ll be able to harvest a healthy variety of produce for the Farmstand and our food pantry partners through the end of November, and beyond! Some things we’re working on include harvesting Brussels sprouts, planting garlic, mulching strawberries, and replacing the cherry tomatoes and peppers in the high tunnel with winter crops like chard, kale and spinach. We’re also busy sowing protective cover crops on vacated fields.
Special thanks to our CSA members for their participation this year. Our last CSA share for the season was distributed on Halloween and we are beyond grateful to our farmers for such a bountiful season. We are also grateful to our volunteers who, even at this late date, continue to join us in stewarding this community farm. Stay tuned for our 2027 CSA sign up which will start in early January.
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Farmstand Update
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This month the Farmstand is stocked with fresh, cold-hardy autumn produce. A variety of fresh vegetables and herbs, including carrots, radishes, leafy greens, broccoli, peppers, cabbage, winter squash and sweet potatoes are being harvested daily. From hearty soups and roasted root vegetables to fresh, leafy salads, there’s plenty to inspire your autumn cooking.
We’ll continue restocking the Farmstand on weekends with fresh eggs, woodland-raised pork, and just-picked produce straight from our fields through November 15th, our last day open for the season.
Facebook: The Farm at Sylvester Manor Instagram: @thefarmatsylvestermanor
Farmstand Hours Until Nov. 15
Friday – Sunday
9am-5pm
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Strengthening Partnerships Through Shared History
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Sylvester Manor recently visited the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) to connect with students from its Fiske Center for Archaeological Research and the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus as part of the Mellon Foundation-funded Constant and Carmichael Research Project. UMass Boston is also a valued partner in the Sylvester Manor Higher Learning Project, alongside Bard Graduate Center and New York University.
During the visit, students and staff explored the ongoing work to catalog and study artifacts recovered through archaeological excavations at Sylvester Manor. The group also traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, with UWI professors and students to visit the newly opened Black History Center at the Newport Historical Society. Executive Director Akiea de Barros Gomes led a tour highlighting Newport’s history in the transatlantic slave trade and its historic connections to the West Indies.
These visits strengthen our partnerships with UWI and create valuable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and deeper exploration of Sylvester Manor’s historical connections to Barbados.
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Save The Date: Windmill Lighting
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Gather with the community and share in the holiday spirit as we light the 1810 Dominy Windmill. We invite you to celebrate the season and this festive time of year up at the Windmill. Light refreshments will be served. No RSVP necessary, just show up!
Friday, December 4
4:00pm
Windmill Field
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Artifact of The Month Returns
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For November, we’re featuring a pair of handcrafted silver spoons from our collection that belonged to Brinley Sylvester (1694–1752) and his wife, Mary Sylvester, née Burroughs, (1701–1751). Brinley built the present Manor House between 1735 and 1737, replacing his grandfather Nathaniel’s original house. Brinley and Mary moved in with their two daughters, Margaret and Mary, who were teenagers at the time.
The spoons were made by Jacob Hurd, one of Boston’s most prolific silversmiths from 1723 to 1758. Hurd helped establish the reputation of American-made silverware as equal in quality to pieces imported from England. Because the American colonies were not able to mine and refine their own silver, the spoons are made of “coin silver,” recovered from coins.
The misshapen bowls of the spoons may hold clues to their history. The basin’s worn shape may suggest heavy right-handed use, though future use-wear analysis could help us better understand how they were handled over time.
The spoons are displayed on Brinley’s chair-table, which remains preserved at the Manor House today. These special objects hold stories of the past, offering a fascinating glimpse into the everyday lives of the family who first called Sylvester Manor home nearly 300 years ago.
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A New Option for DAF Giving
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We’re pleased to share that Donor-Advised Fund payments are now available on Sylvester Manor’s online donation forms! This new feature makes it easier to recommend a gift from your donor-advised fund directly through our website, without navigating to a separate platform.
As you consider your year-end giving, you can now select DAFpay when making an online gift to support Sylvester Manor’s Farm, educational programs, and historic preservation.
The trails and grounds are open for your enjoyment, seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. Pick up a map highlighting our four walking trails (Creekside, Woodlands, Old Growth Forest and Farm). Paper maps are available at the kiosk at the front entrance to the Manor and also at the Welcome kiosk located by the parking area near the bathrooms. You can always download a digital version by clicking the button below.
Due to storm damage, the Land Bridge is temporarily closed. Please adhere to the posted trail closures.
Leashed dogs are welcome, but please pick up after your dog and dispose of the waste properly. No bicycles or motorized vehicles are allowed on the trails. The public restrooms are open to the public.
Download the “Sylvester Manor Walking Tour” from the App Store for a self-guided tour of the grounds. Use the app and learn more about our historic property at your own pace.
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Preserve, Cultivate and Share Historic Sylvester Manor
By aaq|2026-11-04T17:27:28-05:00November 4th, 2026|Bulletins, Capital Campaigns, East End, Events, Tours|Comments Off on Sylvester Manor: Thanksgiving Boxes | Farmstand Update | Windmill Lighting, 12.4th | Trails Open thru Dec ….
