Community Efforts for Conservation on Long Island
by Anna Perruzza
Community efforts are large driving force in conservation. In this week’s trip we were able to observe a great example of community efforts to regrow a population. As a class, we headed over to Tiana beach and pavilion in Southampton. Across from the beach is the bayside, decorated with a large whale tail made from recycled waste. In the water were rows of partly submerged oyster cages. The cages were attached to a floating dock using various ropes and floatation devices. In these cages the oysters are protected from predators such as American oyster drills and Asian shore crabs.
After learning about others growing oysters, I found myself wondering how I can also assist in these community efforts. On Long Island, we are fortunate to have the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE). Although there are many programs that they run, the one we observed was their SPAT program. SPAT is an acronym for Suffolk Project in Aquaculture Training. This program’s goal is to restore the shellfish population in the bays using community efforts. For a fee, citizens are given all the tools they need to grow the oysters and the oysters themselves. The person growing the oysters has the choice to use one of the various locations that the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County or to use their own water access. More information on this program can be found at http://ccesuffolk.org/marine/aquaculture/spat-program.
A Walk Through History at Southampton’s History Museum
by Brandon Gutierrez
Our tour of Southampton came to an end at the Southampton History Museum. As someone who knows very little about the history of Long Island, it’s an eye opener to discover just how rich it is. You might not expect that you’d be walking into a time capsule when looking at this mansion from the outside, but that’s more or less what it is. Your attention is pulled in every direction from the moment you walk through the entrance. My attention was drawn to the history of the people that once lived here.
Photo of the Rogers Mansion exterior from:https://aaqeastend.com/contents/landmarks/rogers-mansion-1750-to-1926-southampton/
One of those people was Captain Albert Rogers, sixth generation inheritor of the Rogers Mansion. He also happened to be a successful whaler, which I didn’t realize until I was told about the use of these try pots that would be found on whaling ships at the time. These try pots were key in efficiently rendering whale blubber at sea, as the only other method would be bringing the whale carcass back to port and limiting what could be transported.
His whaling trips allowed him to bring back souvenirs that would fill the home with some of the history that we can still see today, such as the collection of fine china on the right.
The direct family of Captain Albert Rogers went their separate ways after his death in 1854, making it the last line of the Rogers family to claim ownership. Dr. John Nugent purchased the Rogers Mansion in 1889, soon afterward establishing himself as an important member of the community by having his office open to citizens of the area at any hour. He and his sons continued to serve the Southampton community even after selling the Rogers Mansion to Samuel Parrish in 1899.
Photo of Dr. John Nugent’s workspace from:https://aaqeastend.com/contents/shm-if-these-walls-could-talk-nugent-family-2016-photo-essay-new-1-7-16/
Samuel Parrish was a successful lawyer with an interest in the arts. In fact, he established the Parrish Arts Museum to display his collection of art. He had an interest in the art of Italian Renaissance, pictured here with his collection of plaster copies of medals depicting Roman emperors and French rulers. I was surprised to learn that Parrish was actually the mayor of Southampton for a term. He initially purchased the Rogers Mansion as a summer home, but it seems the town became something dear to him. He invested a great deal into the town, hiring a company to liven up Main Street’s commercial aspect, establishing the Parrish Museum, and helping establish the Southampton Hospital and Rogers Memorial Library.
The Meaning of Victorian Era Dress
by Kay Berenter
This past week, we visited the Southampton Historical Museum and one of the first things I noticed were the women’s clothing on display. These everyday outfits were extravagant by today’s standards. Women were covered from head to toe, even in the privacy of their own homes. We view these dresses as restrictive and appropriating, but these were simply the style of the time period. Beauty standards have been changing since the dawn of society, and there are always several different standards men and women want to abide by. In the Victorian era, corsets are the piece of clothing we picture the most. Corsets squeeze the waist, accentuating a woman’s bust and hips. This was desirable as a show of child bearing and motherhood.
A mannequin in Victorian dress, wearing both a corset and hat.
Southampton was, and is still today, a town of wealth. Clothing has always been a part of demonstrating that wealth to the public. Hats were a simple way to present a woman’s money. The more fanciful the hat, the more money it is implied the owner has. Hats were also a way to announce the marital status of a woman. Clothing was exceedingly important to the women of the Victorian era, as their reputations were dependent on the way they presented themselves. History is fascinating in many ways, but the Victorian era seems to capture our attention the most, particularly with the common styles of the time.
Southampton/Hampton Bays Orientation: Agawam Lake, Ponquogue, & Tiana
by Asher Novkov-Bloom
When you think of what sets a modern mansion apart from a standard house today, the first things that likely come to mind are sheer size and grandeur. Not too far behind those obvious differences are what I would call accessories: swimming pools, tennis courts, movie theaters, for example. These are all things that a wealthy estate may have access to on the property, but that nobody would consider a necessity for day-to-day life.
Historic mansions were certainly large and luxurious. Many of them also likely had accessories similar to those mentioned above (adjusted for the times of course). However, many historic mansions had what they referred to as necessaries as opposed to accessories. Necessaries were sort-of satellite structures surrounding the main mansion that, as the name implies, provided “necessary” services to the people of the house. These functions included housing for servants, food or livestock storage, space for outdoor gatherings, and other similar functions. The Rogers Mansion in Southampton, Long Island was no exception. Here are some photos of some of the necessaries at the Rogers Mansion Museum Complex, courtesy of their official website:
Carriage House on the Rogers Mansion Property. This structure was added to the original mansion property in 1889 and was used to house servants and carriages. https://www.southamptonhistory.org/our-properties
“Corn Crib” now at the Rogers Mansion Museum complex. While not original to the property, this structure was from another estate from the same time period. It was used primarily to store corn used for animal feed.https://www.southamptonhistory.org/our-properties
Other necessaries at the Rogers Mansion Museum complex include a barn, a decoy shed (used for carved duck decoys), a schoolhouse, and an outhouse. While not all of these were original to the property, all are original to the time period and similar structures likely existed on the property. These necessaries gave the wealthy homeowners access to services and resources right in their backyard, while less well-off families would have to share communal facilities or simply go without some services. When people think of historic estates, they rarely think about the necessaries surrounding the main house. That being said, these necessaries can be a unique look into what the upper classes considered essential to everyday life.
The Trustees of Southampton
by Ed LeMoine
One of the highlights of Southampton are its beaches and beautiful costal landscape. One would think that due to the large proportion of high-income individuals living here, that much of said land would be bought up for personal use. However, problem like this was foreseen all the way back in 1686, when the Dongan Patent ensured fair use of land through trustees. Thomas Dongan was the governor of the Province of New York back in 1686 and wrote this Patent, instating the trustee system into Southampton Government.
If you live in the Southampton area, you should be all too well informed on trustees as they campaign to and are elected by the public. Trustees work with the mission of managing common land for common use and can in some cases overturn the decisions of local government in towns. Trustees can overturn local government on occasion if they feel that the decision(s) being made are not in the best interest of the town, primarily regarding land. This can and has unfortunately led to corruption as a position with this much power is likely sought after by people with deep pockets. However, the ideal trustee works to preserve the land of Southampton for many to enjoy.
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