Preserve America Community:
Shelter Island, New York
Shelter Island, New York, (population 2,500) consists of 8,000 acres of land and marsh nestled between the North and South Forks of Long Island. The first settlers on Shelter Island were wealthy sugar merchants from Barbados in search of white oak for their barrels.
Nathaniel Sylvester became the first owner of Shelter Island in 1673 and constructed a substantial home that is now referred to as Sylvester Manor. By 1730, there were 20 families on the island, and the town was incorporated.
In the late 1820s, whaling was an important industry in the region. Many of the island’s young men participated in whaling with some 30 captains from the island. In June 1850, a whale was caught right off the shore of Shelter Island, producing 10 barrels of unexpected oil.
In 1845 there were only 446 people on the island, most of whom were farmers. Starting in 1871, however, Shelter Island began to be flooded with summertime residents. Soon the island became home to a full-fledged summer resort, The Prospect, complete with hotel, restaurant, chapel, and tennis courts. Today, Shelter Island is a thriving summer resort town. There are approximately 2,500 permanent residents, but the population swells to more than 10,000 during the summer.
A walking tour of the Shelter Island Heights Historic District is an annual event. Shelter Island hosts an annual heritage festival called “One Day in History” at Havens House, a 1743 farmhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More than 80 volunteers and local businesses make this event possible. It features historical demonstrations and reenactments, tours, music, and children’s programs. The Havens House and a historic barn are also home to the Shelter Island Historical Society and its museum and archive.
Undergraduate and graduate students from all over the country participate in an advanced residential archaeological field school each summer at Sylvester Manor. Residents and visitors have the opportunity to speak with archaeologists and researchers at a popular annual open house at the manor house and gardens.For more information
Shelter Island Information: www.shelter-island.org
Shelter Island Historical Society: www.shelterislandhistsoc.orgPosted June 26, 2007