Bay Shore Historical Society

09/02/2026

🍎Happy First Day of School to all Bay Shore School Students!✏️📓
📝We hope all Bay Shore students have a wonderful school year.📚
This picture is from circa 1909 and is of Principal Alexander with a Third Grade class at the Fourth Ave. School. This photo was donated to the Society by Jerome Gleason from his family collection.

08/30/2026

Read all about our August Monthly Meeting in the Islip Bulletin! Guest speaker Marsha Collock presented "The Stanford White Murder" highlighting the grizzly affair that was consistered to be the crime of the Gilded Age.

The Bay Shore Historical Society holds monthly meetings at the Bay Shore - Brightwaters Public Library on the third Thursday of the month. Meetings are open to the public and refreshments are served. See our schedule for our 2026 meetings and events at: https://www.bayshorehistoricalsociety.org/programs-news

08/24/2026

The Bay Shore Historical Society will meet on Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 7 PM at the Bay Shore - Brightwaters Public Library (1 South Country Rd Brightwaters, NY).

Guest speaker John Lazzaro Photography will present "A Vanishing New York, Ruins Across the Empire State". New York is filled with forsaken buildings, each ravaged by the exploits of modernization, each having fascinating histories. This photographic essay explores over 40 of the most evocative abandoned sites in the Empire State and puts their individual stories in the larger context of New York’s historical legacy. Photographer and author John Lazzaro traveled the state, capturing what's left of such places before they are inevitably swept away by time.

The meeting is open to the public at no charge. Refreshments will be served. Learn more at: https://www.bayshorehistoricalsociety.org/programs-news
The Bay Shore Historical Society holds monthly meetings at the Bay Shore - Brightwaters Public Library on the third Thursday of the month.

08/22/2026

On August 22, 1851, the U.S. racing schooner America outraced a fleet of 14 British yachts around the Isle of Wight in England to win a 53-mile regatta. This historic victory gave birth to the America's Cup. Bay Shore’s Captain Leander Jeffrey, a prominent navigator and world sailor, would serve on the winning America's Cup sailing team four different times. Jeffrey served on the yacht Columbia in 1871, which was the first defender of the America's Cup.

To learn more about Bay Shore's maritime history, visit the Gibson-Mack-Holt house on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1 PM to 4 PM to view our exhibits. We are fortunate to have copies of Captain Leander Jeffrey’s sailing logs that have been transcribed for all to read.

08/21/2026

Special thanks to Guest speaker Marsha Collock, for her presentation "The Stanford White Murder". Stanford White murder was considered to be the crime of the Gilded Age. The infamous murder highlights the inequities of the Gilded Age and the era’s divide between the rich robber barons and working class.

The Bay Shore Historical Society holds monthly meetings at the Bay Shore - Brightwaters Public Library on the third Thursday of the month. Meetings are open to the public and refreshments are served. Stay up to date with our 2026 meetings and events at: https://www.bayshorehistoricalsociety.org/programs-news

08/19/2026

Newsday's recent article "Movie firsts on LI: How many do you remember?" highlights Carleton Opera House as one of the first movie houses on Long Island. The opera house was built in 1900 by Carlton E. Brewster Sr., and it was the first performance venue in Bay Shore. The theater was originally used to host Vaudeville plays, which were multipart programs that included acts like comedy skits, singing, and dancing. The theater began showing film reels in the mid 1910s.

To learn more about Bay Shore's film history, visit the Gibson-Mack-Holt house on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1PM to 4 PM to view our movie theater exhibit room.

Read Rafer Guzmán's full article at: https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/long-island-movie-theaters-uwxv5b69

08/16/2026

Reminder, the Bay Shore Historical Society will meet this Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 7 PM at the Bay Shore - Brightwaters Public Library (1 South Country Rd Brightwaters, NY).

Guest speaker, Marsha Collock, will present "The Stanford White Murder". Stanford White was a "famous Gilded Age architect who was murdered on June 25, 1906, by millionaire Harry Kendall Thaw. The killing took place publicly at the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden in New York City, a building that White himself had designed." Come learn about the twists and turns of the " Trial of the Century."

Marsha Collock is a lifelong resident of Long Island as well as a lifelong follower of classic films. She does not consider herself a historian in the classical sense, but instead, a Fan with a capital "F" who has a vast storage of knowledge on the subject. She is the author of the classic film blog "A Person in the Dark". See Marsha's blog at: https://flickchick1953.blogspot.com/

To learn more about Bay Shore's film history, visit the Gibson-Mack-Holt house on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1PM to 4 PM to view our movie theater exhibit room.
The meeting is open to the public at no charge. Refreshments will be served. Learn more at: https://www.bayshorehistoricalsociety.org/programs-news

08/10/2026

I used to be lost, but then I found a sign that changed my point of view.

Come visit us at the Gibson-Mack-Holt House, 22 Maple Ave., Bay Shore, NY, from 1 PM - 4 PM on Tuesdays & Saturdays. Expand your point of view on local history by exploring our museum exhibits, Historical Reference Library, and vintage gift shop.

Special Thanks to the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bay Shore for championing the Maple Ave. sign post as part of Bay Shore's ongoing revitalization projects.

08/07/2026

Read about our Bay Shore Historical Society annual Dinner by the Bay in the Islip Bulletin. We gather annually with our members, guests, and community leaders to calibrate our mission to collect, preserve, and share the rich history of our community.

This year we were honorUnited Veterans Beacon Houseeacon House President Frank Amalfitano at our dinner. The Bay Shore Historical Society teamed up Alyson Richman - Authoryson Richman at our June meeting to raise $850 from sales of her novel “The Time Keepers” which we proudly donated to the United Veterans Beacon House. Richman's book tells the story of the fictional 1979 Long Island town of Bellegrove, which was inspired by Bay Shore, and explores the impact of the Vietnam War and the challenges that veterans face.

Learn more about supporting the work of the Bay Shore Historical Society at: https://bayshorehistoricalsociety.org/membership

The Bay Shore Historical Society hosted its annual Dinner by the Bay on Thursday, July 16 at Captain Bill’s Restaurant & Catering. Their yearly dinner is an opportunity for   members …