Paint & Sip on february 13!
Join us Friday, February 13 at the SIHM for a St. Valentine's Paint & Sip, presented in collaboration with the Shelter Island Arts Center! Paint your own masterpiece, with guidance and advice from local artists Susan Schott and June Shatken, and enjoy light refreshments. See the QR code on the flyer to register or visit this link:
https://square.link/u/1wnLSBbL
Space is limited, so book soon!
While you’re here, view our current exhibit of the works of Ingrid McBrian, another of Shelter Island’s beloved artists. "Ingrid McBrian: Shelter Island In Thread And Paint” features her drawings and paintings, as well as her highly acclaimed 9’x15’ hand hooked rug, “Miss Shelter Island.” And make sure to stop by the Havens Store for books, gifts and much more!
https://square.link/u/1wnLSBbL
Space is limited, so book soon!
While you’re here, view our current exhibit of the works of Ingrid McBrian, another of Shelter Island’s beloved artists. "Ingrid McBrian: Shelter Island In Thread And Paint” features her drawings and paintings, as well as her highly acclaimed 9’x15’ hand hooked rug, “Miss Shelter Island.” And make sure to stop by the Havens Store for books, gifts and much more!
Registration for the 2026 Summer Children’s Theater Program is now open!
Directed and facilitated by the Brooklyn Acting Lab, the Summer Children's Theater Program invites young artists to explore theater, history, and community through a joyful, immersive creative process.
Over the course of three weeks, children will collaborate on a scripted performance written by BAL artist and playwright Jenna Scotti. Our 2026 production will transport students into the revolutionary past of Shelter Island, where they'll uncover the stories of the Havens family and transform history into a vibrant, original piece of theater. The workshop culminates in a celebratory performance on July 31 for family, friends, and the community to celebrate and share what the children have created.
Details for this summer’s workshop:
Dates: July 13–31
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00am–12:00pm
Final Performance: Friday, July 31
Ages: Children 6–12 at the start of the program
Location: Shelter Island History Museum
Now in its fifth year, and made possible by the Elizabeth Pedersen Fund and the Victoria Loconsolo Foundation, Inc., this cherished part of the Shelter Island summer connects children to the island’s history, builds friendships, and allows participants to experience the joy of live theater.
Directed and facilitated by the Brooklyn Acting Lab, the Summer Children's Theater Program invites young artists to explore theater, history, and community through a joyful, immersive creative process.
Over the course of three weeks, children will collaborate on a scripted performance written by BAL artist and playwright Jenna Scotti. Our 2026 production will transport students into the revolutionary past of Shelter Island, where they'll uncover the stories of the Havens family and transform history into a vibrant, original piece of theater. The workshop culminates in a celebratory performance on July 31 for family, friends, and the community to celebrate and share what the children have created.
Details for this summer’s workshop:
Dates: July 13–31
Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00am–12:00pm
Final Performance: Friday, July 31
Ages: Children 6–12 at the start of the program
Location: Shelter Island History Museum
Now in its fifth year, and made possible by the Elizabeth Pedersen Fund and the Victoria Loconsolo Foundation, Inc., this cherished part of the Shelter Island summer connects children to the island’s history, builds friendships, and allows participants to experience the joy of live theater.
Here’s the link to register:
https://shelterislandhistorical.networkforgood.com/events/95715-2026-summer-children-s-theater-program
Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.
For further information, check this website,
https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org
or the Brooklyn Acting Lab,
https://brooklynactinglab.org.
https://shelterislandhistorical.networkforgood.com/events/95715-2026-summer-children-s-theater-program
Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.
For further information, check this website,
https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org
or the Brooklyn Acting Lab,
https://brooklynactinglab.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 9, 2026
Tracy McCarthy Nanette Lawrenson
Sylvester Manor Shelter Island History Museum
631.749.0626 631.749.0025
[email protected] [email protected]
Tracy McCarthy Nanette Lawrenson
Sylvester Manor Shelter Island History Museum
631.749.0626 631.749.0025
[email protected] [email protected]
SHELTER ISLAND HISTORY MUSEUM AND SYLVESTER MANOR COLLABORATION
Safeguarding Historical Artifacts
Shelter Island, NY – The Shelter Island History Museum and Sylvester Manor are pleased to announce a new collaboration to safeguard historical artifacts during the extensive rehabilitation of the 1737 Manor House.
Directors and Trustees of the two organizations have approved a lease agreement to store Sylvester Manor’s most prized historical artifacts in the Museum’s climate-controlled, fire-proof vault during the anticipated three-year Manor House construction and renovation period. This will safeguard the objects and archival materials, keep them on the Island, and ensure they remain accessible to Sylvester Manor staff for further research while the Manor House undergoes its long-planned rehabilitation.
“As partners, we are making sure that the important documents of our Island’s history are preserved and made available to researchers, scholars and the public,” said History Museum Executive Director Nanette Lawrenson. “Documents from both organizations will serve as the basis for further collaboration on exhibits and programs. We look forward to working together to share stories about Shelter Island and the experiences of its people.”
“We are thrilled to be working with the Shelter Island History Museum to protect these precious resources during the Manor House construction,” said Sylvester Manor Executive Director Stephen Searl. “This partnership covers all three aspects of our mission — preserve, cultivate, and share historic Sylvester Manor."
Future exhibits and programs that highlight the role of Sylvester Manor in Shelter Island’s history will draw inspiration from the Manor’s collections in temporary storage and the Museum’s own archives.
About the Shelter Island History Museum: The 283-year-old Havens House is the anchor of the Shelter Island History Museum. The farmhouse, built by William Havens in 1743 on 1,000 acres, was integral to Island living, serving as a store, tavern, school, post office and town meeting hall. It remained in the Havens family for 170 years. The Shelter Island Historical Society, founded in 1922, took possession of the house and grounds in 1971 and established the History Museum there in 2024. Havens House was placed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1986. Today, the Museum preserves thousands of historic documents and countless artifacts related to Shelter Island and shares that history though exhibits, tours, events and cultural and educational programs. For more information, visit https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org.
About Sylvester Manor: Home for millennia to indigenous Manhansett People, Sylvester Manor is the most intact remnant of a former slaveholding plantation north of Virginia. The 236-acre site passed through 11 generations of Sylvester descendants, from 1652 until 2014, when heirs gifted it to the nonprofit Sylvester Manor organization. Now a historic district of national significance on the New York and National Registers of Historic Places, over the past 370 years, Sylvester Manor has been a provisioning plantation, an Enlightenment-era farm, and a pioneering food industrialist’s summer estate. Today it includes the 1737 Manor House, a restored 19th-century windmill, an Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground, and a working farm, with educational and cultural arts programs open to all. For more information, visit www.sylvestermanor.org.
Photo credit: Adam Bundy
L to R: Peter Dinkel, Oliver Shearer, Stephen Searl, Tracy McCarthy, Nanette Lawrenson, Lenore Dileo-Berner, Chris Carey.
L to R: Peter Dinkel, Oliver Shearer, Stephen Searl, Tracy McCarthy, Nanette Lawrenson, Lenore Dileo-Berner, Chris Carey.
OUR CURRENT EXHIBIT!
"Ingrid McBrian: Shelter Island in Thread and Paint"
This past summer, volunteer Natalie Hurwitz spent many hours in the Shelter Island History Museum archives, carefully examining and cataloguing new donations and acquisitions. She shared in our excitement over each new discovery—and in the occasional challenge of deciphering puzzling materials. But no one could have guessed that Natalie’s most extraordinary find of the summer would come not from our archives, but from her very own cellar.
Natalie and her late husband, Martin Hurwitz, purchased the Captain Wells House on Pheasant Lane in Shorewood in 1985. The Queen Anne–style home was built in 1910 for George Wells, the superintendent of Artemas Ward’s historic sprawling 200-acre estate. Artemas Ward (1848-1925) was named after his great-grandfather, who was a general and the first Commander-in-Chief of the army during the American Revolution.
Ward furthered the family legacy through his impressive career in advertising and publishing, as well as his philanthropy. He founded and published “The Philadelphia Grocer,” and in 1883, he took Sapolio, “a cake of greasy, gritty soap and put it in almost every grocery store in the US,” according to Time magazine. (For more information, see “The Soap, The Salesman and The Sailor” on our website, https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org/the-soap-the-salesman-and-the-sailor.html.) Ward had a genuine interest in agriculture, and in 1892, purchased 200 acres of what is now known as Shorewood on the south side of Shelter Island.
George Wells was affectionately known as “Captain” for the command he took over the property, which included farmland, orchards, berry fields, chicken and pheasant houses, a manor house, carriage house, boathouse, and more. Following Ward's death in 1925, Captain Wells and most of the other laborers continued to work for his son, Artemas Ward Jr., until his death in 1946. The farm was then divided up and sold in separate parcels.
Though originally constructed as a year-round, single-family residence, the Captain’s House was later converted into a boarding house during leaner years. Before the Hurwitzes bought the property, Joe and Margaret Scibilia, the previous owners, had restored the Captain’s House to accommodate a single family in the 1970s. The Hurwitzes continue to lovingly preserve and restore this century-old home that is full of character, history, and quirks. After living there for over 30 years, one may assume that Natalie had already uncovered every secret her home had to tell. Think again!
This past August, Natalie opened a cellar door she had never explored before. Inside was an old steamer trunk, its weathered surface marked with the bold black initials: “A.W.”
In that house, on that property, those initials could only mean one thing—Artemas Ward. Natalie generously donated the trunk to the Shelter Island History Museum, where it will be carefully cleaned, preserved, and eventually exhibited.
Though the trunk bears no manufacturer’s mark, its design and materials suggest it was made between 1890 and 1920, which perfectly aligns with the period that Ward owned the estate. The steamer trunk’s slightly domed lid is made of wood, canvas, and cast iron. The trunk also has a set of four small wheels, which was less common at the time and indicates it may have been customized to his liking. Aside from its painted initials, the trunk offers no clues about where it traveled or what it once carried. But history gives us some clues. For example, we know that Ward regularly travelled between his residences in New York City and his estate on Shelter Island. We also know that he had the concrete pier and boathouse (c. 1910) built to accommodate yachts for easy access on and off the island. It is likely that Ward used this trunk and others like it regularly for his extended visits to the farm.
Natalie and her late husband, Martin Hurwitz, purchased the Captain Wells House on Pheasant Lane in Shorewood in 1985. The Queen Anne–style home was built in 1910 for George Wells, the superintendent of Artemas Ward’s historic sprawling 200-acre estate. Artemas Ward (1848-1925) was named after his great-grandfather, who was a general and the first Commander-in-Chief of the army during the American Revolution.
Ward furthered the family legacy through his impressive career in advertising and publishing, as well as his philanthropy. He founded and published “The Philadelphia Grocer,” and in 1883, he took Sapolio, “a cake of greasy, gritty soap and put it in almost every grocery store in the US,” according to Time magazine. (For more information, see “The Soap, The Salesman and The Sailor” on our website, https://www.shelterislandhistorical.org/the-soap-the-salesman-and-the-sailor.html.) Ward had a genuine interest in agriculture, and in 1892, purchased 200 acres of what is now known as Shorewood on the south side of Shelter Island.
George Wells was affectionately known as “Captain” for the command he took over the property, which included farmland, orchards, berry fields, chicken and pheasant houses, a manor house, carriage house, boathouse, and more. Following Ward's death in 1925, Captain Wells and most of the other laborers continued to work for his son, Artemas Ward Jr., until his death in 1946. The farm was then divided up and sold in separate parcels.
Though originally constructed as a year-round, single-family residence, the Captain’s House was later converted into a boarding house during leaner years. Before the Hurwitzes bought the property, Joe and Margaret Scibilia, the previous owners, had restored the Captain’s House to accommodate a single family in the 1970s. The Hurwitzes continue to lovingly preserve and restore this century-old home that is full of character, history, and quirks. After living there for over 30 years, one may assume that Natalie had already uncovered every secret her home had to tell. Think again!
This past August, Natalie opened a cellar door she had never explored before. Inside was an old steamer trunk, its weathered surface marked with the bold black initials: “A.W.”
In that house, on that property, those initials could only mean one thing—Artemas Ward. Natalie generously donated the trunk to the Shelter Island History Museum, where it will be carefully cleaned, preserved, and eventually exhibited.
Though the trunk bears no manufacturer’s mark, its design and materials suggest it was made between 1890 and 1920, which perfectly aligns with the period that Ward owned the estate. The steamer trunk’s slightly domed lid is made of wood, canvas, and cast iron. The trunk also has a set of four small wheels, which was less common at the time and indicates it may have been customized to his liking. Aside from its painted initials, the trunk offers no clues about where it traveled or what it once carried. But history gives us some clues. For example, we know that Ward regularly travelled between his residences in New York City and his estate on Shelter Island. We also know that he had the concrete pier and boathouse (c. 1910) built to accommodate yachts for easy access on and off the island. It is likely that Ward used this trunk and others like it regularly for his extended visits to the farm.
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CURRENT EXHIBIT:
Behind the Scenes of the "Ingrid McBrian: Shelter Island in Thread and Paint" Exhibit Our Robert David Lion Gardiner Young Scholar Recipient, Charlotte B., was instrumental in creating our current exhibit, "Ingrid McBrian: Shelter Island in Thread and Paint." Her duties included researching our archives for material related to this beloved Shelter Island artist, writing Ingrid's biography, and creating a layout for the exhibit. Charlotte also produced this video outlining some of her efforts.
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OUR MISSION:
The Shelter Island History Museum collects and preserves the artifacts, records and stories that define the island's unique history. We welcome and connect our community by exploring our shared history through exhibits, research, educational programs and performances. Hours of Operation
Wednesday through Friday, 10am to 2pm |
A big THANK YOU to the the New York State Council on the Arts for awarding us one of their 2025 Professional Development Grants for Museums!
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THANK YOU to the North Forker readers for voting us the Best History Center!
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Physical Address: 16 South Ferry Road, Shelter Island, NY 11964
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 847, Shelter Island, NY 11964
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 631-749-0025
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The Shelter Island History Museum's main floor and lower level are ADA accessible.
Service Animals are welcome .
Personal photography, without flash, is allowed in the galleries. No photographic equipment (tripods, selfie sticks) is permitted.
When sharing your photos on social media, please tag the Museum! #shelterislandhistorymuseum
Outside food and drink are not permitted inside.
This is a completely smoke-free location. Smoking and Vaping are not permitted anywhere on the grounds.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 847, Shelter Island, NY 11964
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 631-749-0025
--------
The Shelter Island History Museum's main floor and lower level are ADA accessible.
Service Animals are welcome .
Personal photography, without flash, is allowed in the galleries. No photographic equipment (tripods, selfie sticks) is permitted.
When sharing your photos on social media, please tag the Museum! #shelterislandhistorymuseum
Outside food and drink are not permitted inside.
This is a completely smoke-free location. Smoking and Vaping are not permitted anywhere on the grounds.