Thursday, October 1, 2026
Raynham Hall Museum is offering a new look at Oyster Bay’s history in a catalog highlighting dozens of objects from its collection, from furniture and artwork to household items connected to the Townsend family and the broader history of the community.
“Revolutionary Oyster Bay,” written by Raynham Hall’s Peggy N. and Roger G. Gerry Curatorial Fellow, Katie Cynkar, features roughly 60 objects selected from a collection of more than 6,000, as well as archival material.
The catalog was created as part of the museum’s preparations for the nation’s 250th anniversary, and as an effort to provide visitors with a tangible way to continue exploring the history presented at Raynham Hall after they leave.
Cynkar, 29, who is originally from Northern Virginia, studied history at Rhodes College, in Memphis, before working as an archaeological lab technician at Colonial Williamsburg. Her interest in working with historical objects led her to graduate school, where she earned a master’s in American material culture in the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program.
Cynkar’s background in Colonial and Revolutionary War history and material culture made the Raynham Hall fellowship a natural fit. “I applied to the position knowing that they wanted to have this book written in celebration of the semiquincentennial,” she said, “but also to look back at our own history at Raynham Hall… as well as curate an exhibition alongside of this.”
Research for the catalog began with the museum’s collections database and a preliminary list of potential items assembled by Jessica Pearl, the director of collections and exhibitions.
Cynkar then spent months researching both the objects and Oyster Bay’s history. Her research included census records, New York City directories, newspapers and Oyster Bay town records. She also consulted with community partners, including Preservation Long Island.
With the help of museum staff and the collections committee, the final selection was narrowed to about 60 items. Cynkar organized them into four chapters covering different periods, beginning with the early 18th century and the settlement of Oyster Bay by Europeans, continuing through the Revolutionary War and into the late 18th and early 19th centuries, before concluding with objects from the mid-19th century onward.
The objects were selected in part because of their provenance and connections to families who lived in Oyster Bay, primarily the Townsends, who lived in the homestead that became Raynham Hall, as well as their ability to illustrate the history of the museum and the community.
Among the featured items are familiar pieces from the museum, including the hall stand in the Victorian hallway, the cots in the colonial parlor and a high chest once owned by the Townsend family.
Cynkar said she sought to make the catalog representative of the museum’s diverse collection. “I didn’t want it to just be a furniture catalog or a medals catalog,” she said. “I wanted it to exemplify all of these different pieces and show how they all contribute to the story that is not only the story of Raynham Hall, but how Raynham Hall has been a central point in the history of Oyster Bay.”
Pearl wrote in an email that the selection process was particularly challenging because of the size and diversity of the collection.
“Raynham Hall’s collection contains over 6,000 objects and archival materials, and we ultimately selected around one percent for the catalog,” she wrote. “The collection is diverse, ranging from furniture and portraits to photographs, household objects, and children’s toys.”
Pearl added that textiles were among the objects she would have liked to include, but they did not fit as directly into the catalog’s focus on the Townsends and local history.
One of Cynkar’s favorite items in the catalog is the 1795 Solomon Townsend pitcher, given to the older brother of spy Robert Townsend by English steelworkers. The pitcher, she said, combines the personal history of the family with broader developments in decorative arts.
For Pearl, a favorite is “Ludlam Homestead,” a gouache and pencil drawing on paper dating to around 1856. The museum has three folk paintings attributed to an artist known as Martin, depicting the Ludlam homestead and Oyster Bay Harbor, although little is known about the artist. The drawing offers a glimpse into the community during the 19th century, including families, carriages and the harbor.
Harriet Clark, Raynham Hall’s director, wrote in a statement that the finished publication gives the museum’s collection a new sense of significance. “There’s something about having a beautiful, physical book in hand, written by Katie Cynkar, a brilliant and capable expert,” Clark wrote, “that just makes the collection seem more important.”
Clark also credited Pearl and Preservation Long Island’s Lauren Brincat for their contributions, and thanked the Gerry Charitable Trust and the Vidda Foundation for funding the publication.
For Cynkar, completing the catalog was both a professional achievement and an opportunity to share objects she finds compelling with a wider audience. “I hope people get a sense of kind of the magic of this history,” she said, “and start to see why all this stuff is cool.”
A corresponding exhibition will be on view at Raynham Hall from Sept. 24 through March 28, 2027, with an opening cocktail reception on Sept. 23. Admission to the exhibition is included with admission to the museum. For more information, visit RaynhamHallMuseum.org.
