The Northport Historical Society is the recipient of an original Stanley Twardowicz painting which was recently donated to the museum by Amy Fredrick. As Amy explained, her father, Robert Seaman, then a resident of Glen Cove, bought the painting from Twardowicz for $5.00 in 1961. The gouache and ink on paper is titled “#44” and was painted in 1958, two years after he moved to Northport. An abstract expressionist, Twardowicz, whose paintings are found in the Museum of Modern Art, the Hecksher Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is best known for his movement of color. He also painted in the “color field” style. Both styles were developed in the late 40s and are considered the first American art movements to become influential in Europe. The donated painting, as well as paintings and prints from other Northport artists, will be on display in the Northport Historical Society’s Museum at 215 Main Street from March 1 – 31^st.     

The Benefit Committee

On Thursday, October 27^th, the Northport Historical Society, held its annual benefit and this year’s honoree was the Society itself. Celebrating its Diamond Anniversary, the Society bedecked the Northport Yacht Club in sparkling lights and gemstones to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of their founding in 1962 by Marilyn Campbell.

Part 6:  2012-2022 – History in the Making

I want to start this month’s article with an apology for an error made in my last installment. It was reported that John Amato was responsible for refinishing our floors during a major restoration project, however, it was Tom Gulemi of American Floor Refinishing who did the beautiful job. John Amato refinished the cabinetry, which also came out beautifully.

At our 2012 annual meeting, Board President Steven King stated, ‘Now, as always, we face new challenges, such as better integrating ourselves with the digital age and improving the accessibility of the collection to future generations.’ The Society did indeed spend the next decade doing just that.

Part 5: 2002 - 2012: New Century, New Milestones

The early part of the decade saw some upheaval in staff and board members; however, the Society maintained a full slate of programs, exhibits and events which included, “Northport in the First World War,” “Women of Distinction,” and “Master Builders of Northport.” Gardens on the Harbor and the Holiday House Tour were very successful fundraisers as well as Sunset on the Harbor and Mrs. Nigro’s Tea Room. In 2003, the Society hosted its first Long Island Arts and Antiques Discovery Day. Modeled after “Antiques Roadshow,” ticket holders were given the opportunity to bring their treasures to be appraised by a panel of experts, including Lark Mason, who had often appeared on Roadshow.

This companion to the Black History of Northport Walking Tour explains one of the few detailed stories of tension between Northport's Black and White residents in the early twentieth century.

This companion to the Black History of Northport Walking Tour explains one of the few detailed stories of tension between Northport's Black and White residents in the early twentieth century.

This companion to the Black History of Northport Walking Tour lays out some of the miscellaneous clues to the makeup of Northport's Black community from the 1830s to 1900.

Unidentified group of young girls sitting on the steps of Trinity Episcopal Church circa 1905. Copyright Northport Historical Society 2022.

Part 4: 1992-2002: When Donald Schluter retired in 1994 as Director, membership to the Society was at an all-time high with more than 300 individuals and 50 businesses. William O’Brien, a retired art teacher, became Director and planned to connect history with contemporary culture to reinvigorate the museum experience. His plan was put into action with the development of “The Baymen of Northport” exhibit.

The Baymen plaque was put in place by the Northport Historical Society in 1995 to coincide with its exhibit, "The Baymen of Northport."

The Northport Historical Society is proud to present the First Prize-winning essay of this year's Northport Historical Society Scholarship for High School Seniors, "A History of LIPA", written by Madeleine Cierski. 

Long Island Power Association plant in Asharoken, circa 1980. Photo by Klaus Moser. Copyright Northport Historical Society 2022.

By the time the Northport Historical Society entered its third decade, 1982-1992, it had accomplished much to support its mission of preserving our local history. They secured landmark status for the Eaton’s Neck Lighthouse, fought to preserve historic buildings, grew a collection of documents, photographs, and artifacts, and opened a museum in the old library building to exhibit and interpret the collection. The first director, Gay Wagner’s term came to an end in 1978 and was followed by several others including Susan Lott, Olga Leone, Rod Rhodes, and Marc Tull. In 1982, Peggy Mudge, a former board president, took over the job as director.

The Society's first Director, Gay Wagner