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SUMMER CHILDREN’S THEATER PROGRAM
The Shelter Island History Museum’s Summer Children’s Theater Program, directed and facilitated by the Brooklyn Acting Lab and made possible by the Elizabeth Pedersen Fund, is back! This year, the program has expanded from two to three weeks, and will take place July 28 to August 15 from 9am to Noon.
Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to explore the rich and vibrant history of Shelter Island through a playful and immersive theater workshop. Guided by the Brooklyn Acting Lab's professional theater artists, participants will bring stories to life using text, music, dance, and visual art. The program culminates in a celebratory performance on August 15 at 2pm for family, friends, and the community to celebrate and share what the children have created. This marks the fourth year for the workshop. Past themes for the shows have been: 2022: The Water Protectors 2023: Children's Stories of Shelter Island 2024: The Magic of Neverland on Shelter Island The 2025 theme is a Land of Oz-inspired tale. Beginning with the massive hurricane of 1938 that battered Shelter Island, children will journey to a magical world where they meet zany and fantastical characters linked to the stories of our beloved “rock”. The program is limited to 25 participants only. The cost is $1300 per child. A 10 percent discount is available for a second child in the same household. Please contact SIHM directly about information on discounts for additional children in the same household. HERE'S THE LINK TO REGISTER:
https://shelterislandhistorical.networkforgood.com/events/81763-2025-summer-children-s-theater-program |
Coming (very!) soon to the Shelter Island History Museum grounds - the Spring Havens Farmers' Market! Make sure to stop by on Saturday, April 19, between 10am and 2pm, to sample the wares of your favorite local farmers, artists and craft vendors. Satisfy your hankering for our summer Havens Farmers' Market, which returns May 24, with this one day preview! Besides food and beverages, enjoy artisans with festive handicrafts, story time with the Shelter Island Library and much more. See you April 19! |
Your History, Your Museum – Your Help!
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On Tuesday, May 20, Shelter Islanders will get the chance to vote on four propositions on the school ballot. Proposition 4 asks: “Shall the Board of Education of the Shelter Island Union Free School District, Suffolk County, New York, authorize an annual appropriation of $275,000 for operational and maintenance expenses of the Shelter Island History Museum for the fiscal year 2025-2026 and to levy the necessary tax, therefore?” We are asking you to vote YES on the proposition.
There are many reasons why the SIHM is seeking taxpayer support. First, we cannot fulfill our mission – to “welcome and connect our community by exploring our shared history through exhibits, research, educational programs and performances” – without sustainable, reliable funding. Second, we are so grateful for the generosity of our friends and patrons, however the amounts raised through donations are unpredictable and often not enough to cover basic expenses for heat, electricity, insurance, staff, security and the like, which cost more than $36,000 a month. Third, we also receive grants, however, they are time-sensitive, never a guarantee and are targeted for specific donor-designated projects. Finally, without public funding, the Museum cannot enhance its community services by expanding free programs and exhibits year-round. The $275,000 requested is 63% of our annual operating budget of $434,000. The Museum tax rate would be $0.0433 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. If your property is assessed at $1,000,000, for example, the total increase on your 2025-26 tax bill would be $43.30. That’s $3.60 a month — about the price of a cup of coffee. Property assessed at $2,000,000 would see an increase of $86.60. Our proposition – Proposition 4 – affects only Museum funding and has no impact on the school budget. Voting takes place May 20, from noon to 9 p.m. at the Shelter Island School Gymnasium. All registered voters who reside in the Shelter Island School District are eligible to cast their ballots. Anyone wishing to register can do so from 2 to 6 p.m. on May 8 in the school lobby. Absentee ballots can be requested from the school district beginning April 20; they must be received by the School District Clerk no later than 5 p.m. on May 20 for your vote to count. For further information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions, 2024 Profit and Loss statement and 2025 Operating Budget. Your Museum thanks you in advance for your support! Help us make history! 
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Why is the Shelter Island History Museum seeking taxpayer support? Public funding would provide a stable foundation to ensure the Museum remains open with free access to all. The History Museum cannot fulfill its mission to “welcome and connect our community by exploring our shared history through exhibits, research, educational programs and performances” without sustainable, reliable funding. Having public funding would give us the ability to expand activities and programs for adults, children and families. It would ensure that our archives and collections continue to grow so we can better understand how Shelter Islanders — generations of our families, friends and neighbors — lived and worked and how their legacy relates to the broader history of the East End. 2. How much money is the History Museum requesting? We are asking for $275,000, which is 63% of our annual operating budget of $434,000 for 2025-26 and annually thereafter. The funding request will appear on the same ballot as the Shelter Island Union Free School District budget as Proposition 4. Your vote on Proposition 4 is for Museum funding only. It has no effect on the school budget. 3. How would it affect my taxes? The Museum tax rate would be $0.0433 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. If your property is assessed at $1,000,000, for example, the total increase on your 2025-26 tax bill would be $43.30. That’s $3.60 a month — about the price of a cup of coffee. For property assessed at $2,000,000, it would be $86.60. 4. How would the History Museum use the money? The money raised would help cover the cost of the History Museum’s general operations as well as necessary repairs to and maintenance of our buildings, including the 282-year-old Havens House. In turn, the Museum will be able to expand education and community programs, the Living History Project, lecture series and workshops for residents and visitors of all ages year-round, free of charge. We will increase our capacity as a research center by growing our archives of historic documents and oral histories, and improve public access and interaction with our collections of artwork, farm and seafaring tools, clothing, furniture and household items. Be assured that all of our treasures will be maintained safely and without concern of deterioration for future generations. 5. Doesn’t the History Museum already have a lot of money? It built that new wing after all. The project was made possible only through the incredible generosity of Bill and the late Elizabeth Pedersen and 425 individual donors. We are proud of the extensive work to preserve and restore Havens House along with the conference room and archival vault. However, the project was not the result of a bountiful cache of funds. 6. Why isn’t fundraising enough? Like most small non-for-profit organizations, the Museum depends entirely on donations, which can be unpredictable and unreliable. We struggle every year to raise enough money to keep our doors open and the lights on, so to speak. Nothing about that has changed. Our operating budget is bare bones. Basic expenses for heat, electricity, air conditioning, insurance, staff, security, supplies and general maintenance cost more than $36,000 a month. 7. Don’t you receive grant money? Yes, we do apply for grants when appropriate but they do not cover general operating expenses. Grants are not guaranteed. Funding is time-limited and targeted for specific donor-designated projects. The availability of federal grants is uncertain after the President issued an executive order to freeze the funding. The order is being challenged in court. 8. How can the History Museum ask for taxpayer funding anyway? Sections 253-256 of the State Education Law allow museums and libraries to seek public funding through ballot propositions. The Shelter Island History Museum was chartered by the New York State Board of Regents in December 2024. Other East End historical organizations, including Rocky Point, Sag Harbor, Westhampton, East Hampton and Southampton, have transitioned from societies to museums. All have seen their funding propositions pass. 9. Why should I support the Museum’s funding proposition? The Shelter Island History Museum is your museum. Every person who lives on Shelter Island is a part of its history. Every person who owns property on Shelter Island owns a piece of its history. A favorable vote on Proposition 4 means you are willing to invest in our mission to preserve the island’s unique story and be a partner in our efforts to share it. 10. Will the Museum still fundraise if the proposition is approved? YES! We will continue to seek private donations and hold fundraising events to fully fund our operations and public programs and to establish an endowment fund to invest in the Museum’s future. 11. What happens if the proposition doesn’t pass? Without public funding, the Museum will be unable to enhance its community services by expanding free programs and exhibits. We would also need to postpone badly needed repairs to the exterior and infrastructure of Havens House. The Museum would have to continue to devote most of its resources to fundraising rather than fulfilling our mission adequately. 12. When does the voting on Proposition 4 take place? Voting takes place from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20 at the school gym. 13. Who can vote? All registered voters who reside in the Shelter Island School District, which encompasses all of Shelter Island, are eligible. Those who wish to vote but are not yet registered can do so from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on May 8 in the school lobby. Absentee ballots can be requested from the school district beginning April 20 and must be received by the School District Clerk no later than 5 p.m. on May 20, or your vote will not be counted. |
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NEW EXHIBITS COMING
SOON! BEHIND THE SCENES of Moving Day! Volunteers came together to help us continue making progress in preparing the Museum for the Spring and Summer season. We could not be happier with the new shelving for our art collection! Thank you to our volunteers and staff for their continued hard work.
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FROM our ARCHIVESSocieties, Secretaries, and a Magic Carpet
Shelter Island is often described as sleepy—but those who live here know better. Our community has always been active, as evidenced by the rows upon rows of our archive vaults dedicated to local clubs, societies, and organizations. Islanders have been forming groups to create change, manage local resources, and foster community since our earliest days. Organizations like the Daughters of the American Revolution, the League of Women Voters, and the Garden Club are just a few examples of the many women-led groups that have shaped our history. This week, we celebrate the power of women organizing by looking back at one of the earliest examples in our archives: the Women’s Missionary Society of the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. With roots stretching back centuries, the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Society once had branches across the nation. However, two of the earliest artifacts in this collection seem to contradict each other about when the Shelter Island chapter was founded. One points to the fall of 1891 and another to 1896. The first entry in the latter source, written by Mrs. G.R. Havens, tells us that on October 20th, 1896 a group of women unanimously voted to organize the Women's Missionary Society— and it seems the rest is history. As we continue flipping through these more than a century old pages we come across the Constitution of the Women's Missionary Society written by its earliest members in 1896. You’ll probably recognize some familiar member names on these pages... As hoped, the Society made local, national and global impacts. Its sewing group crafted hospital gowns and linens for medical centers in need, including hospitals in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. They provided support for a School of Nursing and Advanced Medical Program in Thailand and contributed to the Baghdad School for Girls. In the years before AI meeting summaries and Zoom recordings, organizations of all sizes relied on the labor of secretaries to keep diligent minutes and records. Often overlooked, these women became the unintentional historians of their time. Thanks to the meticulous work of the Women’s Missionary Society’s secretaries, our collection preserves over sixty years of its membership and activities. One such woman was Ingrid McBrian, who served as the Society’s secretary from 1951-1954 and remained a member for many years. In a delicate, flowing script, she chronicled each meeting, leaving behind a detailed record of the Society’s efforts. Ingrid was one of the original members of Montclair Colony—as well as a gifted artist. A painter, draftsman, and renowned weaver, she transformed recycled materials into stunning rugs. One of her rugs is entitled “One World” and perfectly represents the border-crossing compassion behind the charitable work done by community organizations like the Women’s Missionary Society. The 135-square-foot masterpiece highlights notable scenes from around the globe, including the pyramids of Egypt and the United Nations building in New York. The “One World” rug was exhibited across Long Island and, according to a 1958 newspaper clipping, was the “hit” of the Women’s International Exposition in Manhattan. Furthering the message of her work, Ingrid often dedicated earnings from her various exhibitions to local organizations like the public library, the Dorcas Society, and, yes, to the Women's Missionary Society. Shelter Island has always been alive with the creativity of local artists, the hum of hardworking organizations, and the extraordinary actions of so-called ordinary people. There is wonder to be found in ordinary things—the humble work of women gathering to help those in need, the meticulous notes of a secretary that allow us to glimpse the past, or a scrap of fabric, once destined for a landfill, carefully woven into something beautiful. |
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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And THANK YOU to the North Forker readers for voting us the Best History Center!
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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
The Shelter Island History Museum: Closed until Spring The Havens Store: Closed until Spring |
To read the Shelter Island History Museum Annual Report in full, scroll up and down the document. To view it on a mobile device, click the link "here" where it says "click here to download."
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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
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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.