Shelter Island Historical Society
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    • 2021 Events >
      • May 29-Sept 4: Havens Farmers Market
      • July 24: Book Signing "Long Island Migrant Labor Camps"
      • July 24 & 25: A Hill of Beans, Musical
  • Contact
     William Havens built his farmhouse in 1743 on 1,000 acres.  It originally had four first-floor rooms with two above, a central chimney and cooking hearth, and two doors at either end of the hall facing North and South.  This allowed the summer breeze to blow through the home.​
     In 1761, William’s son, Captain James Havens and his wife, Elizabeth, took over the homestead and named it “Heartsease.” Here, they raised their 11 children.  As the family grew and prospered, two rooms were added to the second floor.  The home was also a store, a tavern, a school, the post office and the town meeting hall which served a community of 27 households.  Captain Havens was a privateer during the war for independence and a Representative of Suffolk County in the New York Provincial Congress of 1776.
​     
Henry Havens took over ownership of Heartsease upon his father’s death on March 15, 1810.  He established himself as a Commercial Merchant in New York and enjoyed the respect of the business community.  Henry was one of the men who founded the East River Savings Bank in 1848.
     When Henry passed away in 1856, his son, Asher, took over the business.  Asher used the house as a summer residence and made some changes to the structure of the home. Asher died in 1884 and his son, Henry P. Havens II and his family inherited the house.  The youngest of his four daughters, Mildred, was the last Havens to be born in the house.  In 1911, Henry’s daughter found the house and farm becoming a burden.
      In 1913 they sold the property to “William P. Richardson and others.”  The property passed in rapid succession to Payson Thompson, George A. Washington, Charles A. Knight, and in 1923, Mary Hillman.  Before Hillman, one of these owners had two first floor rooms converted into one large room and had done some modernizing which destroyed the period charm.
     In 1925, Heartsease was purchased by an Island family, Mr. & Mrs. Frank B. Sherman.  They ran the place as a lodging house and then, their home.  The Shermans lived peacefully in Heartsease for about the next thirty years. 
In 1966, Mrs. Alice Sherman, by then widowed, was still living in the Havens House.  Upon learning of the formation of the Shelter Island Historical Society, she asked if they would be interested in purchasing the house to prevent it from future neglect.  The Society was able to purchase the house with the help of generous friends.
     Upon Mrs. Sherman’s passing in April 1971, the Society took possession of the house and grounds.  The Society’s first priority was to provide basic structural repairs immediately.

     In 1986, the Havens House was placed on both the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo of The Shelter Island History Center by Michael Moran.
Photo by Michael Moran. Click here to visit moranstudio.com

1969 drawing by DMS Hopping of "Conjectural elevation, Havens House-1743 period. Shelter Island, NY."
Drawing of south-side view and 1st floor plan of Havens' homestead "Heartsease" 1743 Saltbox.
Photo of New York State Education Department Historic Marker sign: "James Havens Member of the Provincial Congress lived in this house, built 1743, which remained in the Havens family until 1925."
Image of "Heartsease, Summer Residence of Asher C. Havens, Shelter Island, Suffolk County, New York."
Plaque on front door of Havens House Museum: "This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior."
Newspaper clipping of photo of Mrs. Alice Sherman, 1969.
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  • Home
  • Havens Store
  • Education/Programs
    • The Shelter Island History Project
    • Time Travelers Youth Program
    • Race, Ethnicity & Class on SI, 1652-2013
    • Voices from the Vault
    • Then & Now
  • Living History Project
  • The History Center
    • Construction
    • Exhibit: Witness the Manhansett
    • Exhibit: Helena Hernmarck
    • Exhibit: Alan Shields
    • Online Exhibit: Walter Cole Brigham
  • The Archives
    • House/Building Registry Project
  • The Havens House
    • Renovation
    • Havens DIMONscape
    • History of Shelter Island
  • The Society
    • Leadership
    • Partners
  • Support
    • Donate Now
    • Elizabeth Pedersen Educational Fund
    • Volunteer
    • Shop AmazonSmile
  • Events
    • Connecting from a Quarantine Kitchen
    • 2021 Events >
      • May 29-Sept 4: Havens Farmers Market
      • July 24: Book Signing "Long Island Migrant Labor Camps"
      • July 24 & 25: A Hill of Beans, Musical
  • Contact