Oysterponds Historical Society: Fall / Winter 2024 Newsletter w/ Message from Director, Alison Ventura ….

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Fall/Winter 2024 Newsletter

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A message from Alison Ventura, OHS Executive Director…

Now that the dust has settled on another successful season, we at OHS can catch our breath and look back on the events, exhibitions, and goings-on that filled the calendar. Of course, none of this is possible without the support and engagement of our members, volunteers, staff, and board members—we note with great satisfaction that it indeed takes a village to run Oysterponds Historical Society!

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A look back at a few of this past year’s noteworthy events…

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2024 Summer Gala

OHS’s Summer Gala & Auction was magical. Multi-color lights and bouquets of zinnias greeted attendees, who enjoyed wine, specialty cocktails, and a delicious array of food—including the return of the raw bar! The silent auction featured the works of favorite local artists and a host of fun and unique experiences, while the live auction boasted exceptional pieces by Richard Serra and Joel Shapiro. As the year’s most important fundraiser—attended by well over 300 guests—the event raised nearly $100,000 for OHS’s operating budget. The planning and creative vision of event co-chairs Jeanne Markel and Carol Markel and the hard work and resourcefulness of art committee co-chairs Catherine Chermayeff, Katie Sonnenborn and Emily Bellos guaranteed that the night would be a smashing success.

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Free Talks in the Schoolhouse

OHS hosted several compelling, well-attended and well-received free talks in the Old Point Schoolhouse this past year. Author Kyle Marshall, author of Americana: Farmhouses and Manors of Long Island, offered an expert look inside some of Long Island’s most intriguing and beautiful country houses. Dr. Lucinda Hemmick and Ephraim Horowitz of the Southold Indian Museum presented a fascinating talk entitled “Ancient Artifacts of Eastern Long Island,” which examined 12,000 years of history, Algonquian culture, and the landscape that changed from the Ice Age to the present day. And OHS’s own Collections Manager and Southold Town Historian Amy Folk gave an engaging talk on the history of Orient’s Hallock Farm, once dubbed “the Long Island Vegetable Factory.”

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School Visits to OHS

This year, OHS’s relationship with Oysterponds Elementary School proved to be stronger than ever. Students were given free memberships (along with membership cards!) to Oysterponds Historical Society. OHS sponsored numerous visits, including an introduction to the Red Barn exhibition on North Fork fishing and farming history; a Volunteer Day that saw scores of students planting daffodil bulbs throughout the OHS campus; and OHS was delighted to serve as the last stop for the community’s Halloween parade down Village Lane, where—on an unseasonably warm fall day—cider and donuts were served to the costumed crowd.

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Red Barn Opening

John & Joyce Holzapfel—among OHS’s most indefatigable volunteers—were responsible for transforming the Red Barn (formerly a space reserved for storing the largest items in OHS’s collections) into a multi-media exhibition space devoted to the storied farming and fishing history of Oysterponds. A slide show projection of historic photographs and three interactive computers help illuminate history and traditions that for centuries formed the backbone of the North Fork. In June OHS hosted a party to celebrate the exhibition’s opening and salute the incredible work of John & Joyce.

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Spotlight on Donations to the OHS collection

OHS would not exist today if not for the example set 80 years ago by George R. Latham, who was instrumental in the creation of its collection. Since its founding in 1944, OHS has continually relied on the generosity of its neighbors to help build one of the most significant collections representing a single location on Long Island.

In the recent past OHS was extremely fortunate to have been given not one but two remarkable 19th century oil portraits. Oysterponds sisters Elizabeth Brown Dyer Tuthill (right) and Laura L. Dyer Holmes (left) were both painted in 1842 by 19-year-old William Garl Brown, Jr., in a manner typical for the period. Brown, Jr. went on to become an acclaimed, nationally-known portrait artist whose later works included noteworthy depictions of prominent Southerners, including statesmen and military officers.

These two works, in exceptional condition and in their original, matching frames, remarkably remained in two branches of the family up until they were donated to OHS. We are indebted to Ruth Tuthill and her brother Lyle Tuthill, who donated the portrait of Elizabeth Brown Dyer Tuthill, and to Sally Leety-Stevens, who donated the portrait of Laura L. Dyer Holmes.

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Not a current OHS member? Join the OHS team!

If you are a member, we offer a heartfelt thank-you and ask that you please consider making a year-end donation.

Volunteers are the backbone of OHS—if you’d like to volunteer in 2025, please email us at office@ohsny.org.

Your continued support makes it possible for us to bring the community together to share experiences and celebrate the history and culture of this special place. Thank you!

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Visit our Website

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Mission

Oysterponds Historical Society (OHS) brings people together to share and celebrate the unique history and culture of Orient and East Marion. By presenting shared experiences from the past, we connect our rich heritage to the present and pass it on to future generations.

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