We will be closed on Saturday, Sept. 5,
in observance of the Labor Day Holiday.

FROM THE SCHS LIBRARY ARCHIVES

"How shall we know it is us without our past?"
- John Steinbeck

Main Street, Bellport, 1927

by Wendy Polhemus-Annibell, Librarian

Main Street, Bellport, 1927. (Image from the Bellport Postcard Collection of the Suffolk County Historical Society. Copyright © Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved.)

Bellport Village, located along the Great South Bay on the South Shore of Suffolk County, is sixty-five miles east of Manhattan, about halfway between New York City and Montauk Point. Founded as a seaport by Captains Thomas Bell and John Bell during the early nineteenth century, the village began as a modest outpost of farmers and seafarers. Most of the houses that still line Bellport Lane were built by sea captains; in fact, dozen of homes in the village are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The village was named after the Bell brothers. By 1829, the brothers were building a deck into the bay and a shipyard, and carving out the streets of the village.

Bellport's South Shore location was ideal for clamming and fishing, and for many years residents made a living off of the sea. With the eventual closure of the inlet, Bellport grew as a place for leisure and recreation. Enjoyed for both its beauty and recreational opportunities, visitors from New York City began to make Bellport Village their summer retreat. Among its visitors and admirers were some of the most prominent people in the social, business, and artistic worlds. E. B. White, inspired by his summer vacations in Bellport, wrote: "how well I know the bay and the way the wind blows, the tide ebbs, and the tide flows."

Suggested Reading: Bellport: A Historic Community, by the Village of Bellport, 1976. 

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MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
If you've been enjoying our Photo of the Week, please consider becoming a member of SCHS.

From the Civil War to civil rights, revolutions to restorations, spies to Suffragettes, boatbuilders to bootleggers, and whalers to wineries, Long Island's history comes alive at the Suffolk County Historical Society!

The Suffolk County Historical Society, founded in 1886, collects and preserves the rich history of Suffolk County and beyond. We offer a history museum, art galleries, a research library and archives, and a multitude of exhibits, programs, and educational lectures and workshops year-round. Our unique collections reflect more than three centuries of Long Island history.  Click here for Member Benefits!

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SOME PAST PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

The Suffolk County Historical Society’s PHOTO OF THE WEEK Series is created by librarian Wendy Polhemus-Annibell using historic primary source materials from our local history library’s extensive archives. To subscribe, visit our website or send an email request to Wendy at wannibell@schs-museum.org

• Early Suffolk Baseball Teams
• Brentwood: A Modern Times Utopia, 1857
• Huntington Harbor, 1900
• Old Field Lighthouse, 1933
• Miller Place Rail Road Station, 1910
• Camp Upton, 1943
• Riverhead Fair Grounds, 1898
• Torpedo Boat, Shelter Island, 1903
• Lake Ronkonkoma, 1917
• East Hampton's "Shipwreck Rose," 1842
• Montgomery Ward, Riverhead, 1964
• Nazis Land at Amagansett, 1942
• Fire Island Life Saving Station, 1908
• Fishers Island Coastal Fort, WWI Era
• Kings Park State Hospital, 1925
• Prosperity Farm, Medford, c. 1910
• 1858 Chace Map: Southold
• An Oldsmobile in Amityville, 1908
• Gil Smith, Master Boatbuilder, 1843-1940
• Firemen's Tournament Parade, Sayville, 1899
• Riverhead's Little Red Mill, c. 1650s
• Long Island's Suffragists, 1913
• Pocahontas Pharoah, Montauketts, 1878-1963
• Elinor Smith, Long Island Aviator, 1911-2010
• Nine Men on an Iceberg, Patchogue, 1907
• Samuel Ballton of Greenlawn, 1838-1917
• Slaves Burying Ground, Orient
• Valentine's Day Postcards, Early 1900s
• Pyrrhus Concer, Southampton, 1814-1897
• Montauk Fishing Club, 1918
• Northport Harbor, View from Greenlawn, 1903
• Huntington High School Baseball Team, 1911
• Prince and Hommel Bldg After Snow, 1898
• Blue Point - Hunters and Shack, Feb. 1903
• Temple Mishcan Israel, Sag Harbor, c. 1900
• Oyster Bay Cove with Stranded Schooners, 1900
• Babylon: Fire Tornament and Race, c. 1899
• Thanksgiving Postcards, 1916
• Port Jefferson Boat Storehouse, 1897
• Helen Keller at Riverhead High School, 1933
• Medford Boy Scout Troop, 1917
• Elisha Wells Civil War Portrait, 1864
• The East Moriches Eagle, 1923
• SCHS Labor Day Float, Riverhead, 1928
• Donaldson's General Store, Hauppauge, 1906
• LIRR Experimental Farm Exhibit at Brooklyn YMCA, 1910
• Edward Thompson Fishing from Daniel Webster's Bridge, Smithtown, May 1903
• Judge Griffing, Grangebel Park, Riverhead, 1908
• Montauk Lighthouse & Wainscott Mill, c. 1922
• Mattituck High School Class of 1918
• Avery's Beach, Blue Point, 1912
• Manor of St. George Patent, 1697
• Capt. Henry Green, 1824
• Walt Whitman, 1819-1892
• Camp Dunes: Lake-by-the-Sea, Peconic, c. 1920s
• Central Islip School, c. 1898
• Lady Suffolk, the Old Gray Mare from Commack
• Oyster Sloops at New Suffolk, c. 1900
• The Gates to Sagtikos Manor, West Bay Shore, 1950s
• Vanderbilt Cup Race, Jericho, 1904
• Memorial Day, Riverhead, 1920
• Long Dock, Patchogue, 1898
• Sag Harbor Toll House, 1800s
• Tuthill House, Jamesport, 1880s
• LIRR Train to Wading River, 1906 
• Greenport Group Portrait, 1890s
• Riverhead Fire Dept. Brass Band, 1910
• Riverhead Woman's Club Spring Luncheon, 1933
• L.I. Women's History: Edith Loring Fullerton (1876-1931)
• Long Island Suffrage Wagon, c. 1913
• Pero, a Southold Slave: Receipt and Manumission Promise by Thomas Youngs, 1818
• The Schooner Long Island on Grass at Inlet, Sea Cliff, 1897
• Scooter Race on Bellport Bay, c. 1900
• Cottage on Banks of Titus Mill Pond, Centerport, c. 1904

Interested in seeing more historical photos from the Collection of the Suffolk County Historical Society? Spend an afternoon at our Local History Library perusing our extensive archival photography collections. We're open Weds. - Sat., 12:30 - 4:30 PM.

Copyright © 2015 Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic document may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the Suffolk County Historical Society.