THIS MONTH’S NEWS
- IN CELEBRATION OF THE 375th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON A documentary film culminating the 375th Anniversary celebration of the founding of Southampton Town will air on local public television throughout August.
The two-and-one-half-hour film explores 21 unique areas of Southampton Town, including all 18 hamlets and three special sections: Hayground, Mecox and the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.
Town Councilman John Bouvier, liaison to the Landmarks Board, said in a prepared statement that the documentary “captures an important moment in time today,” standing as a record of Southampton culture and natural history.
Scheduled airings of the documentary are Tuesdays at 3:20 p.m., Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. Optimum cable customers can view it on government access Channel 22.
- Summer Exhibit – A PLACE CALLED QUIOGUE – This years exhibit is being very well received! Our neighbors in Quiogue are most pleased to have details about the settlement of the area on display and to note their families part in the subsequent development of the area. If you are not too familiar with Quiogue (pronounced Qui og NOT Quee og) than stop by any Saturday between 10 AM and 2 PM and learn about this local history!
- Last month ten dedicated members took part in a four hour long training session with All Museum Services’ Steven A. Czarniecki to learn the accessioning process. Among them were Anne Moore Hutton, Marsha Kenny, Bo Bishop, Kitty Gilmore, and Kathy Clarke.
This specialized training was graciously funded by The Robert L. Gardiner Foundation , who continues to support museums all over Long Island. We are grateful to be the recipient of this grant so we may stay current in our accessioning practices, and train new volunteers to do this important work. When museums take in artifacts and make them part of their permanent collections, there is a long, very careful process that needs to be followed. The Westhampton Beach Historical Society regularly receives donations of fascinating items from local citizens. First, each item must be considered by a committee – we simply don’t have room to accept all items, and we look especially for items related to “the story” of Westhampton Beach and the surrounding hamlets, or for items of particular educational value. If accepted, the accessioning process begins. The process includes numbering, cataloging, measuring, photographing and recording where each item came from and of course who donated the item. It is important that all items accepted into our permanent collection are properly accounted for, and cared for. Training includes learning how to document acquisitions in Past Perfect, our museum software. We are looking forward to our next training session with All Museum Services.
- 1935 ART DECO FRIEZE SCULPTURES FROM THE BEACH LANE BRIDGE LIVE AGAIN AT THE WESTHAMPTON BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY! In 1995 the Beach Lane Bridge [also known as Rogers Bridge] in Westhampton Beach was reconstructed. The old bridge was a small double-leaf bascule drawbridge built in 1935 with funding from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). One of the unique features of the bridge was the frieze of bas-relief sculptures on the bridge tower depicting farmers, fishermen, hunters and birds.Created in 1935 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the WPA was responsible for the construction of thousands of public buildings, bridges and dams during its eight-year existence.
- Through the Federal Art Project, the WPA employed thousands of artists to design murals and sculptures to adorn those projects. Lieutenant H.M. Ericsson, a Westhampton Beach artist who is also credited with designing a three-cent stamp, designed the bas-reliefs on the Beach Lane Bridge. Mr. Ericsson died in 1969.
- By the 1990s, nearly 60 years after its construction, the Beach Lane Bridge had deteriorated significantly and was in need of reconstruction. However, as the 1935 Bridge was on a list of sites eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, it had to be offered “free to any interested party for relocation and reuse” before it could be torn down or reconstructed. There were no takers, so the bridge was taken apart and reconstructed. The bas-reliefs were saved, however, and two found their way to a home on Moniebogue Lane. When the owners sold the house recently, they donated the bas-reliefs to the Westhampton Beach Historical Society.The bas-reliefs are in excellent shape and have been set on the Historical Society grounds located at 101 Mill Road in Westhampton Beach. Thanks to John Berdinka, who built a display wall to raise them up, the 1935 Art Deco frieze bas-reliefs can be seen and admired by all those interested in the history of the Westhampton area.
Coming Up…
– NEXT MONTH – September 2016
- September 10 is scheduled to be our next Yard Sale. If you have donations for the sale please call the office (631-288-1139) to arrange drop-off or pick up of larger items.
- September 17 – Quiogue Walking Tour – Come join us on a tour highlighting the beautiful historic homes on Quiogue.
- Trustee Dot Berdinka, in coordination with the local Elementary School, is hard at work planning a tour of our local cemetery. The tour will highlight 8 local men and women, whose contributions to the community have had a lasting impact. Members of our Education Committee are developing lesson plans and activities for the visiting fourth grade classroom students. This event is scheduled for late September, exact date to be announced soon.