Events

Topic: As Told by the Ledger Books: Early Shore Whaling
Guest Speaker:  MaryLaura Lamont, Yaphank Historical Society Board Member and Naturalist

Mark MacNish, Executive Director of the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council, takes you on his family's journey from Scotland to their running of the New Suffolk Hotel and their subsequent experiences with other iconic local hotels, inns and clubs.

Refreshments will follow the meeting
Tropic: The Story of Gardiner’s Island and the Bonacker Fishermen
Guest Speaker: Richard Weissman, Historian and Author
Richard Weissman will talk about Gardiners Island, a privately owned island located in the Town of Southampton with a history dating back to Colonial times. He will also talk about the community of fishermen and farmers on the East end of Long Island with a long tradition of working the sea and land.

Refreshments will follow the meeting
Tropic: A Dark History Revealed – The Roots of Eugenics on Long Island
Guest Speaker: Mark Torres

In the early 20th century, eugenics gained prominence as scientists sought to understand human genetics. On Long Island and across the U.S., eugenicists freely experimented on marginalized groups to support this flawed science. Work at the Eugenics Record Office in Cold Spring Harbor, led to forced sterilizations and restrictive immigration laws, and fueled a global eugenics movement. Mark Torres examines the local origins, key figures, and far-reaching consequences of this dark chapter in history.