Written by Katie Cynkar “Si quaeratis monumenta circumspicite. If you seek memorials, look around you.”¹ These words, written by nineteenth-century historian Thomas W. Bicknell, speak to the way that objects hold powerful connections to the past. Not only can they provide a tangible example of an important event in history, they

Written by Jessica Pearl Happy Valentine’s Day! Today marks the day we celebrate one of the first known valentines in North American history. From November 1778 to May 1779, the Queen’s Rangers stationed themselves in Oyster Bay, and their commander, Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe billeted in the Townsend home.

Written by: Jessica Pearl I’ve been perusing a scrapbook kept by Solomon Townsend II (1805-1880), which contains newspaper clippings, letters, notes, and drawings related to the Townsend family. In some entries, he writes about specific family members. Many pages are difficult to read due to age and ink bleed-through.  The

Written by: Jessica Pearl We recently had an unexpected visit to the museum. A couple, let’s call them John and Jane Doe, stopped by the museum saying they had something that belonged to the museum. What they pulled from their bag was an 18th-century mahogany tea caddy! At first glance,

Guest Post by Elizabeth Fox, Marcia Brady Tucker Fellow in American Decorative Arts at the Yale University Art Gallery Textile enthusiasts, knitters, and sewing bees: this post is for you!  In December 2023, I presented a “Townsend Talk” on the history and craftsmanship of furniture made in Long Island between

Written by: Jessica Pearl While recently moving archival materials to our new collections storage space, I found part of a well-known sketchbook in our collection inside a box. The section had detached from the binding due to age and ended up stored in a folder in a box, separated from