Oyster Bay museums join to celebrate American history on the 4th of July

Hundreds of Oyster Bay residents and visitors made their way to two of the hamlet’s historic gems this past Independence Day; Raynham Hall Museum, former home of George Washington’s most famous spy, and the Matinecock Masonic Historical Society, the Masonic lodge of Theodore Roosevelt which now houses several other historical organizations. These historic buildings and neighbors on West Main Street opened their doors to the public for the Fourth of July, educating and entertaining hundreds of folks who came to learn about the Revolutionary history of America and the region.

While Raynham Hall has been participating in the hamlet’s Independence Day parade for decades, in the last five years the museum has been holding an open house for the community. Following the parade, in which the museum’s educators and volunteers dress in Revolutionary period clothing, parade viewers and attendees came in droves to visit the childhood home of Robert Townsend, arguably the most important member of the Culper Spy Ring, which served as Washington’s eyes and ears on Long Island and in New York during the area’s occupation by the British.

Harriet Clark, Raynham Hall’s executive director, said that this year saw the most visitors the museum had ever seen on the Fourth of July, roughly 150. She attributed this in part to the contemporaneous open house at the Historical Society next door, as the two organizations promoted each other both in advance of and throughout the day.

“We were fortunate in having an event happening at the Matinecock Lodge right next door, so I hope we sent some people their way and I’m sure they sent some people our way,” Clark added. “That just shows how joining together with other organizations can magnify efforts.”

The Matinecock Lodge held their own open house, their first Independence Day event, working with numerous other organizations such as the Underhill Society of America, which has an office in the building, as well as the Oyster Bay Historical Society, the Cedar Swamp Historical Society, and the Main Street Association. Visitors got the chance to tour the historic building with local historian and author David Griffin, who has written books on the lost British forts of Long Island as well as on the occupation by the British forces during the Revolution.

Members of the various organizations also brought original historic documents and artifacts as well as replicas to show to the community, including an original British “redcoat” and Brown Bess musket, bayonets and musket bullets from around Long Island, and handwritten documents by Robert Townsend himself. Steve Russell Boerner, the archivist for the Underhill Society and the organizer of the event, explained that it was also important for them to work with Raynham Hall, as he believes collaboration between the organizations is essential to promoting local history and the work of the various groups in preserving that history.

“This is something that, from the beginning, I’ve always felt strongly about,” Boerner said. “As an archivist, I’ve always tried to connect people, different organizations and researchers with each other to collaborate.”

Both events did not just feature history, but also entertainment and refreshments for their visitors as well. The Matinecock Lodge event provided drinks and refreshments to the roughly 100 people who visited following the parade and into the afternoon, as Boerner said it was important to them not just that the visitors learn but have a good time as well.
Raynham Hall also offered several amenities for young children and their parents to enjoy, such Italian ices from Ralph’s Italian Ices and a whirligig-making station. Thanks to their collaboration, the organizers agreed that this was an Independence Day for the history books.