Suffolk County Historical Society Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Suffolk County Historical Society Building
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 300 West Main Street, Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, USA |
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| Built | c.1925-1930 |
| Architect | August Galow |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000786 |
| Added to NRHP | July 29, 1994 |
The Suffolk County Historical Society Building is a special place in Riverhead, New York. It works as both a museum and a library. Its main goal is to protect and share old items and stories from Suffolk County, New York, and other areas of Long Island. You can find it at 300 West Main Street.
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About the Suffolk County Historical Society
Even though the museum building itself was finished in 1930, the Suffolk County Historical Society started much earlier. It was created in 1886 by people living in the county. They wanted to make sure the history of their area was saved for the future.
Riverhead was chosen as the home for the new society. This is because Riverhead is the County Seat of Suffolk County. This means it's where the main government offices for the county are located. James H. Tuthill, who was a County Surrogate Judge, became the first President of the society.
A Growing Collection
The society started collecting items almost right away. At first, the old items were shown in a small glass case. This case was in Judge Tuthill's office in Riverhead. But the collection quickly grew too big for his office!
In 1893, the society bought a small building. This building used to be the County Clerk's Office. It was located at the corner of Griffing Avenue and Main Street in Riverhead. However, the growing collection of old papers and artifacts soon needed even more space.
The Building's Design and History
The current building was designed by an architect named August Galow. He used a style called Colonial Revival. This style looks like buildings from America's early colonial times.
The land for the building was given by Alice O. Perkins. She was the wife of a well-known Riverhead resident named John Perkins. The building was constructed during the 1920s and was finished in 1930. Later, more parts were added to the building in 1951 and 1964 to make it even bigger.
In 1994, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important places in the United States that are worth protecting.
The Library's Resources
The library inside the building has a huge collection. It holds more than 20,000 books! It also has over 840 cubic feet (about 24 cubic meters) of old papers. These papers include things like:
- Old records
- Ledgers (books for keeping accounts)
- Diaries
- Maps
- Atlases
- Postcards
- Newspapers
- Other important documents
Suffolk County Historical Society Museum
The museum's collection shows many different parts of Suffolk County's history. You can see:
- Items made by Native American people.
- Tools used on farms a long time ago.
- Tools used for whaling (hunting whales).
- Beautiful artworks.
- Old furniture from homes.
- Household ceramics (like dishes and pots).
- Guns from the Civil War and other time periods.
Transport Exhibit
The museum also has a special "Transport Exhibit." This part of the museum shows how people used to travel. It includes:
- Wagons pulled by horses.
- Sleighs (for traveling on snow).
- Carriages.
- Old bicycles.
- Even a 1905 Curved Dash Oldsmobile car!
The museum and library are still very important places today. They help people learn about the rich history of Suffolk County.
