New York State In-depth

The Huntington Historical Society is celebrating 120 years of existence with an exhibit dedicated to the group’s ‘founding mothers’

It was 1903, the year of the silent film debut The Great Train Heist and the Wright Brothers’ escape from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. One day in July, Huntington celebrated the city’s 250th anniversary with President Theodore Roosevelt as the guest speaker.

The celebrations – and the artifacts collected to be used in an exhibition for the celebration – sparked the idea of ​​six courageous women to start a historical society for the city.

This idea became reality.

A new exhibition entitled Our Founding Mothers & the Origin of Our Collections, 1903-2023 will open on Friday this year to mark the 120th founding of the Huntington Historical Society.

“It will highlight the beginnings of the historical society and will focus on the six women who helped make this a reality,” said Collections Manager Emily Werner.

It will also feature photographs and objects on display that July day in 1903.

The six women referred to by society members as the “founding mothers” are Lizbeth Sammis, Jessie Kendall Brush, Jennie Dusenberry Platt, Carrie Shaw Dusenberry Shakeshaft, Lucinda Beers Conklin, and Ella Jayne Conklin Hurd.

They were members of the leading families in the community whose names can be seen on buildings and street signs today.

The women were part of the Colonial Society of Huntington and collected items for an exhibit celebrating the city’s 250th anniversary. Thereafter, the families donated the items to the Society, which had been an all-women organization. In September of the same year, the women met to form an organization to “keep up an interest in historical things; indeed all historical relics relating to the city of Huntington since 1653.”

The Colonial Society of Huntington changed its name to the Huntington Historical Society in 1911 and allowed men to join, society officials said.

“It’s not clear why they changed the name, but it operated as a historical society beginning in 1903,” said Robert “Toby” Kissam, board member and past president of the society.

Kissam said he believes the society is the first to be organized around a Suffolk County town.

The Society maintains four buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: The Kissam House, the Conklin Farmhouse, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, and the Huntington Trade School and Archive Center, the Society’s current headquarters.

Stephanie Gotard, executive director of the society, said the programs will celebrate women throughout the year and some will be tweaked to focus on popular women-centric efforts of the time.

As society continues to highlight the past, it’s important to keep moving society forward, she said.

“If you look at what we have in our collection, it’s limited,” Gotard said. “If we’re going to better represent all cultures and all people’s history, we need to build relationships so we can include those groups and different community members, so we can get their artifacts, so we can do larger exhibitions — that’s how everyone’s history in the City of Huntington represents.”

It was 1903, the year of the silent film debut The Great Train Heist and the Wright Brothers’ escape from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. One day in July, Huntington celebrated the city’s 250th anniversary with President Theodore Roosevelt as the guest speaker.

The celebrations – and the artifacts collected to be used in an exhibition for the celebration – sparked the idea of ​​six courageous women to start a historical society for the city.

This idea became reality.

A new exhibition entitled Our Founding Mothers & the Origin of Our Collections, 1903-2023 will open on Friday this year to mark the 120th founding of the Huntington Historical Society.

“It will highlight the beginnings of the historical society and will focus on the six women who helped make this a reality,” said Collections Manager Emily Werner.

It will also feature photographs and objects on display that July day in 1903.

The six women referred to by society members as the “founding mothers” are Lizbeth Sammis, Jessie Kendall Brush, Jennie Dusenberry Platt, Carrie Shaw Dusenberry Shakeshaft, Lucinda Beers Conklin, and Ella Jayne Conklin Hurd.

They were members of the leading families in the community whose names can be seen on buildings and street signs today.

The women were part of the Colonial Society of Huntington and collected items for an exhibit celebrating the city’s 250th anniversary. Thereafter, the families donated the items to the Society, which had been an all-women organization. In September of the same year, the women met to form an organization to “keep up an interest in historical things; indeed all historical relics relating to the city of Huntington since 1653.”

The Colonial Society of Huntington changed its name to the Huntington Historical Society in 1911 and allowed men to join, society officials said.

“It’s not clear why they changed the name, but it operated as a historical society beginning in 1903,” said Robert “Toby” Kissam, board member and past president of the society.

Kissam said he believes the society is the first to be organized around a Suffolk County town.

The Society maintains four buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: The Kissam House, the Conklin Farmhouse, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, and the Huntington Trade School and Archive Center, the Society’s current headquarters.

Stephanie Gotard, executive director of the society, said the programs will celebrate women throughout the year and some will be tweaked to focus on popular women-centric efforts of the time.

As society continues to highlight the past, it’s important to keep moving society forward, she said.

“If you look at what we have in our collection, it’s limited,” Gotard said. “If we’re going to better represent all cultures and all people’s history, we need to build relationships so we can include those groups and different community members, so we can get their artifacts, so we can do larger exhibitions — that’s how everyone’s history in the City of Huntington represents.”

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