History

Sylvester Manor Educational Farm and Eastville Community Historical Society, host the 5th Annual Black History Month Celebration Sunday, February 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor.

In honor of Black History month, the Shelter Island Public Library hosts historian Christopher Verga, author of "Civil Rights on Long Island". He'll speak as part of the library's Friday Night Dialogues series on February 22 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend this free presentation in the lower level Community Room.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of 11 November 2025 that ended World War I, we're looking back this weekend at one of the Islanders who participated in the "war to end all wars". On the day he departed for Camp Upton, Frederick R. Zabel, whose name appears on the Island's WWI commemorative plaque, was described by the Shelter Island correspondent for the Riverhead County Review as "the first man of our town to be called to the colors".

Shelter Island's American Legion Mitchell Post 281 honors veterans — living and dead — with a special ceremony when the nation observes Veterans Day on Monday.

Before (or after) listening to "Life Between the Ferries, Episode 2" take this Shelter Island Windmill photo tour. It features images of the mill — now the iconic symbol of Sylvester Manor Educational Farm — from the Library of Congress. They were taken in 1978 as part of a National Park Service project to make a record of the historic structure.

Do you view the Island's historic gravestones as early town records? The local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution encourages you to do so. Many paper records were lost in fires, leaving gravestones as important repositories of information about the Island's founders and Revolutionary War patriots.