Walk through time in a Garden and Manor House Tour and learn about Shelter Island’s history through stories of three cultures that came together at Sylvester Manor in 1651.
That’s when the indigenous Manhansett people who made the island their home for millennia encountered the European businessmen who bought Shelter Island to provision their Caribbean sugar operation. The Sylvesters brought with them enslaved Africans to extract the island’s resources. Their descendants and other free people of color continued to live and work at the Manor and are anonymously buried here.
The tour takes place Saturday, October 29 at 10 AM. It includes the area immediately surrounding the Manor House, the remnants of its formal garden rooms, and a walk through the Manor House first floor.
The 60-minute tour, recommended for ages 12+, will partially be on unpaved, dirt paths. Please wear appropriate footwear. This tour is not ADA accessible. A water bottle and insect repellant are recommended.
Tickets are $25 per person, plus the online fee; purchase your Garden and Manor House Tour tickets here.
You may also enjoy taking part in a Garden Volunteer Day on Saturday, November 5 from 10 AM to noon to help Sylvester Manor reclaim the formal garden rooms; find details here.
