Photo of the Week
——— Monday, June 28, 2021 ———
FROM THE SCHS LIBRARY ARCHIVES
“How shall we know it is us without our past?”
– John Steinbeck
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SUFFOLK COUNTY FAIR
by Wendy Polhemus-Annibell, Head Librarian
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Suffolk County Fair Exhibit of the Central Islip State Hospital at the Riverhead Fair Grounds, 1907, by Hal B. Fullerton. (Image from Harry T. Tuthill Fullerton Collection of the Suffolk County Historical Society Library Archives. Copyright (c) Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved.) [ED: to view the Fullerton photograph, please visit www.schs-museum.org]
Organized by the Suffolk County Agricultural Society, the Suffolk County Fair took place for nearly a hundred years–from the 1840s through most of the 1930s. The annual fair was originally held at several locations around Suffolk County. In 1867, a group of Riverhead citizens purchased twenty acres of vacant land west of the Riverhead Cemetery and donated it to the agricultural society so the fair could be held annually at a permanent location.
The first fair at the new site was held in 1868, and from that point on the Riverhead Fair Grounds became the locale of the annual Suffolk County Fair–as well as the site of numerous other popular events in Suffolk County’s history. Babe Ruth once played a baseball game at the venue, Teddy Roosevelt campaigned for New York State governor there, and harness races were held on the track. The Riverhead Fair Grounds continued to host the annual county fair until the property was sold in 1936 to the Riverhead School District.
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AMERICA IN PRINT Now in our Staas Gallery!
Before the 1800s, art was largely reserved for the wealthy, but with the invention of lithography in 1796 – and particularly color lithography in 1837 – printers were able to mass-produce beautiful color prints that were cheap enough for anyone to buy. Suddenly, art was available to all–from such notable printers as Louis Prang, Napoleon Sarony, and Currier and Ives. Featuring themes of nineteenth-century life in landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes, and more, as well as rare examples of “lithographic Long Island,” this exhibit captures the evolution of an American art form.
Our newly renovated Grand Staas Gallery includes a new ceiling and paint, upgraded climate control, and “green energy-efficiency” lighting, earning us the recognition of a PSEG “Certified Green Energy Business”!
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www.suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.org
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To View 2014 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2015 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2016 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2017 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2018 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2019 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2020 Photo of the Week pages click here.
To View 2021 Photo of the Week pages click here.
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AAQ / Resource
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