Mattituck-Laurel Historical Society and Museums

Special thanks to Aurélie Lang for photographing the Historical society's property in all it's winter beauty!

Please share this post to help us identify the mystery person. From the photographic archives of the Mattituck Laurel Historical Society. Pictured here, circa 1910, is William V. Duryee (left) and Madeline McNish (Later changed to MacNish) (right) with an unknown person in the center. Based on how they are dressed, it is likely they are on their way to church in the winter. You can see the Mattituck Presbyterian Church in the background and from the vantage point of the cam...era, they are in front of, or near the Glenwood Hotel where Miss McNish’s parents, Andrew and Isabella were chefs at the time. The Duryees of Mattituck attended this church, while the McNish’s attended the Presbyterian church in Cutchogue, but while they worked at the Glenwood they attended the Mattituck Presbyterian. William Duryee at this time owned the Long Island Seed Co. located on the east corner of Westphalia Ave., north of the railroad track. He would later partner with his brother, Peter in the hardware store which is now known as Orlowski Hardware Inc. In a few years time Madeline would marry George Hudson and move to Holley in upstate New York. George used his experience with Hudson Bros. Canning Co. based in Mattituck to get a good position at Duffy-Mott (Mott’s) Canning. Many years later Duryee would marry Cornelia Gildersleeve. As an interesting historical aside, the Duryee and MacNish families would merge around 50 years after this photo was taken when William’s cousin Elizabeth would marry Madeline’s nephew, Richard. Can anyone help us identify the lovely mystery lady in between them? The Webbs, who owned the grocery store in New Suffok were friends with the Mcnish family spanning 3 generations. Is it possible this woman is a Webb? See more

Great event sponsored by Mattituck Historical Society.

On October 24, 2020 as a cooperative effort, the Mattituck-Laurel Historical Society, the Mattituck Presbyterian Church’s Graveyard Restoration Committee and the North Fork Community Theatre will once again host the Mattituck Presbyterian Church Historical Graveyard Tour. This year however it will be altered in a way to make it socially distanced and safe for all those who attend. The tour begins at the North Fork Community Theatre at 12700 Old Sound Ave. Mattituck, NY 119...52 and goes through the graveyard where actors in period costume recount the life stories of historic figures who are buried in the graveyard. The tour will end at the Mattituck Presbyterian Church. Similar tours have been held at Sagtikos Manor and other historical societies. The location and history of the church, the graveyard and the theatre lends itself to a tour such as this. Six widow guides dressed in Victorian mourning costumes will guide attendees from the theatre through the cemetery where the costumed actors will recount the lives of notable figures in Mattituck’s history, including revolutionary and civil war veterans, architects, pastors and lawyers. It will also feature the story of the Wickham murders, the victims of which are buried at the gravesite. Mary Kalish, a member of the board of directors of the theater will start the tour with a brief history of the theater and how it was once a church. Tours will start at 2PM and end at 5pm. Tour groups of a maximum of 15 people will be scheduled in 10 minute intervals. Tickets must be purchased in advance, no one will be admitted without an advance ticket. Tickets $20.00/pp and are available at http://www .nfct.com or at 631-298-NFCT (6328). The Rain Date is Oct. 25, 2019 October 25, 2020 All proceeds equally benefit the three organizations that are hosting the tour. THIS IS A COMPLETELY OUTDOOR EVENT. PLEASE NOTE: Due to the impact of the Coronavirus, this event will be using ‘best practices’ including: attendee self-distancing (6 feet spacing), all attendees MUST wear a mask for the safety and protection of all who attend. If you feel you cannot do so, please do not attend. You will need to bring your own mask and whatever equipment you feel you need to be safe during this event.

Eagle Scout Justin Garbarino has been working for some time with his Boy Scout Troop 39 to create a new exhibit in the 1790 School. He re-imagined the school house interior. Four farmhouse benches were built using reclaimed pine wood, based on a 1700s drawing he found during his research. School related artifacts annotated with historical documentation were distributed throughout the school house and he placed a donated Windsor chair in the schoolhouse. Finally, he draped a r...eplica "76" flag from the 1976 Bicentennial across the back wall and installed a glass cabinet to display original and replica school items. The work took place from fall of 2019 until May 2020. The schoolhouse had set unused for some time. Garbarino's work has now been completed, and will be on public exhibit for the first time during an Open House on September 19. We will celebrate the newly curated exhibits on the grounds of the Historical Society on Saturday, September19, from 11 AM to 4PM. We plan to have Girl and Boy Scouts recreate the feeling of the late 18th Century on Long Island with a table for calligraphy and quill-writing, a station for outdoor cooking, butter churning, antique items, woodworking, a demo with milk paint, and more. Refreshments will include homemade baked goods and a drink station. We will also provide tours of the buildings guided by docents in period dress. Towards the end of the Open House, we will have a brief ceremony to honor those who have contributed to the 1790s Schoolhouse project. Admission will be FREE! PLEASE NOTE: Due to the impact of the Coronavirus, the MLHS will be using ‘best practices’ during this event, including: Attendee self-distancing (6 feet spacing) All attendees MUST wear a mask for the safety and protection of all who attend. If you feel you cannot do so, please do not attend. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available to those who need them. See more

Last weekend we had a fun-filled open house at the MLHS. Many guests toured the museum and were entertained by our curated exhibit " Yuletide dining at the turn of the century and a brief history of oranges." Attendees learned about how the custom of giving oranges came about and how people at the turn of the century collected orange wrappers and turned them in to receive a piece of a silver service called "Orange Blossom." A large collection of this silver set the table at t...he museum. They were also treated to a taste of a 100 year old recipe of citrus hot toddy. In the school house there were lots of home made cookies, real hot chocolate and hot cider as well as games and raffles. At 3 Santa showed up and entertained the children and at 5 the tree was lit while carols were sung. A festive kick off to the holiday season, make sure you mark your calendars for the Saturday after Thanksgiving next year! See more

Have you ever heard your parents or grandparents talk about receiving an orange for Christmas? Or maybe you got them then when you were younger, or perhaps you still do get them? Learn the history and tradition behind the gift of an orange, and how oranges helped set the table and celebrate the season in a curated exhibit at the Mattituck-Laurel Historical Societies' "Yultide dining at the turn of the century and a brief history of oranges." The exhibit occurs during the open house Saturday Nov. 30.