With Love
From the SHM

Join us every week for With Love From the SHM,

a new digital series featuring postcards from the museum's extensive collection.

Before the age of smartphones and social media, postcards served as the original way to share stories—each offering a glimpse into the past through striking images and brief, personal messages. From the iconic Shinnecock Lighthouse to the bustling streets of Main Street, these postcards capture the charm and spirit of Southampton over the years.

We encourage you to be a part of this series by sharing your own vintage Southampton postcards in the comments of each post and by tagging us with #WithLoveSHM, #WLSHM.

Visit us each week on Facebook, Instagram, or here every week to see more. Help bring Southampton’s history to life, one postcard at a time.

Greetings From Southampton, Long Island, N.Y.

We are beginning 'With Love From the SHM' just in time for Valentine’s Day where Southampton's heart beats strongest – at the ocean's edge. These cards, like all the artifacts in the museum’s collection capture moments in time celebrating the rich, diverse character of our local history and community.

On the back, two names tell part of the story:
Arthur W. Tunnell of Southampton – who donated this card to the museum, where it now resides as part of our permanent collection, and Pub. By A. Biren, 1252 Decatur Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. – likely the creator or distributor of the card.

The image appears to have been painted, possibly by an artist, before being reproduced on this card. We don't know the exact date it was created as there isn't a message or postmark.

Postcards surged in popularity after the Private Mailing Card Act of 1898, which allowed private publishers to produce and send these cards at the same postal rate as government-issued postcards opening the door to what became known as the "Golden Age" for this type of communication. We can't wait to show you more from the museum's archive.

What do you think? We'd love to hear from you! Be part of the fun and share your own postcards and favorite Southampton images with us using the hashtags #WithLoveFromtheSHM and #WLSHM.

Celebrating 112 Years of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital

These hand-painted postcards from the 1930s capture Southampton Hospital just after the completion of its east and west wings.

Though the building has transformed over the decades, the spirit of compassionate care and dedication to our community's health remains unchanged. What started in 1909 has grown into the vital healthcare center we know today.

As we celebrate the Hospital's 112th anniversary this February 22nd, we are reminded that Southampton's greatest strength has always been its community. From the local physicians who dreamed of better healthcare, to the neighbors who donated their time and resources to build our first hospital - community support has been at its foundation for over a century.

Want to learn more about this remarkable journey? Pick up One Hundred Years of Healing: Southampton Hospital 1909-2009, by our own Mary Cummings, the Museum's archivist and research center manager

Tracks Through Time: 154 Years of Southampton Railroad Station

These rare postcards of the Southampton Train Station capture its evolution through the decades - from the horse-drawn carriages of its earliest days through the dawn of the automobile era.

As we celebrate the station's 154th anniversary, we're reminded how this vital mode of transportation has connected our village to the wider world since its grand opening in February 1871. Though the original structure was rebuilt in 1902, its purpose remains unchanged: to connect people and their stories across time.

This station, which once saw soldiers departing for war, foreigners arriving with hope, and summer visitors seeking rest and relaxation, still serves as a magnet for travelers today.

And while the whistle of the approaching train—a sound that once marked time and embodied the rhythm of community life—no longer holds the same significance, the Southampton station has remained unchanged.

The Rogers Memorial Library:

Harriet Rogers' Enduring Legacy - Women's History Month Spotlight

With Love From the SHM: Rogers Memorial LibraryThese handcolored and photo-postcards of the Rogers Memorial Library showcase Victorian Gothic splendor in its first home at the corner of Job's Lane and Main Street, where it stood as our village's dedicated center for books and learning—a lasting reminder of one woman's enduring gift to Southampton.

As we celebrate Women's History Month and the library's 133rd anniversary, we honor Harriet Jones Rogers, whose generous vision brought this landmark to life when she bequeathed $10,000 and a plot of land in 1892 to create Southampton's first dedicated library. When it opened in March 1896, the R.H. Robertson-designed building served both as a community resource and as a loving memorial to Harriet's mother, Clarissa.

The original library housed 20,000 volumes initially, including special collections like the 400 books donated by William Pelletreau. As readership flourished—reaching a hundred books borrowed daily by 1916—the library expanded with Grosvenor Atterbury's thoughtful addition in 1915.

After serving the community for over a century the library relocated to its current Coopers Farm Road location in 2000. Its purpose remains unchanged: to connect people with knowledge and with each other. What began as one woman's vision has evolved from a Victorian reading room to a modern community hub, with its commitment to fostering learning and gathering remaining steadfast through 133 years of Southampton's evolution.

Today, the original Victorian Gothic building that once housed the library has found new life as the home of the Peter Marino Art Foundation, continuing its role as a cultural landmark in Southampton.

The Shinnecock Windmill

These historic postcards from our permanent collection reveal the many lives of the Shinnecock Windmill—a structure that has graced our landscape since the 18th century and has become one of Southampton's most beloved landmarks.

The windmill's journey began humbly in 1714 as a Dutch-style mill on Mill Hill at the intersection of Windmill Lane and Hill Street. Built for practical purposes, it ground grain for the growing community.

Finding the windmill neglected, Mrs. Janet Hoyt, patron of the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art, purchased and relocated it to a Shinnecock hills in 1890, where she meticulously restored it.

Six years later, New York textile merchant A.B. Claflin acquired the property and transformed the surrounding land into "Heathermere," a gilded-age summer retreat.

Mr. Claflin reimagined the windmill as a playhouse for his daughter Beatrice, which included new windows offering panoramic views of Shinnecock Bay.

By 1946, the property evolved into the Tucker Mill Inn Resort. The windmill itself became a unique guest apartment. In the summer of 1957, playwright Tennessee Williams rented the three-story mill where he wrote, "The Day on Which a Man Dies," a one-act play inspired by his friend Jackson Pollock. This creative connection led to the windmill’s designation as a National Literary Landmark in 2013.

March holds special significance in the Shinnecock Windmill's story as this month marks both the 1963 acquisition by Long Island University to create Southampton College and, by remarkable coincidence, Stony Brook University's integration of the campus into its educational system in March 2006. As March is also Women's History Month, we honor Mrs. Janet Hoyt, whose foresight in championing and preserving this structure has allowed it to endure through generations.

The Port of Sag Harbor

March 26, 2025, marks the 179th anniversary of the Port of Sag Harbor's incorporation—a formal recognition of what was already a vital American maritime center.

Before Europeans arrived the Montaukett and Shinnecock stewarded these lands. They called this place Weg-wag-onuch, which was derived from the Algonquin phrase Weg-quae-and-auke, meaning "the land or place at the end of the hill." Their protection and preservation of this harbor and the surrounding areas spans thousands of years.

First mentioned in town records in 1709, the area was settled by English colonists between 1707 and 1730, many arriving by water from New England. The first land subdivisions in 1738 and 1745 accelerated the village's growth.

Sag Harbor's maritime importance was recognized in 1742 when Southampton appointed a committee to establish a wharf. The port's significance grew dramatically by the time President Washington approved its designation as a Port of Entry in 1789.

During the Revolutionary War, the harbor's strategic value made it a target for British occupation. In 1776, its wharf became crowded with residents seeking passage to Connecticut to escape British forces.

In May of 1777, Connecticut-based Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs led a successful surprise attack against the British garrison. Known as the Meigs Raid or The Battle for Sag Harbor, this offensive resulted in the death of six Loyalists and the capture of 90 others, with no American casualties.

From 1760 to 1850, Sag Harbor thrived as one of the premier whaling ports in America.
This maritime legacy continued even as whaling declined, with developments like the New York and Montauk Steamboat Company in 1875.

Today, the harbor continues its maritime tradition as the Sag Harbor Village Marina, serving as a bustling destination for recreational boating and local tourism, while preserving its historical significance in the region.

The port's official incorporation in 1846 simply formalized what history had already demonstrated—Sag Harbor's enduring significance to American maritime heritage.

The Breakers

For centuries, the Atlantic Ocean has drawn people to the shores of Southampton with its immense power and beauty. This week's edition of With Love From the SHM celebrates the enduring relationship between our community and the sea.

These hand-colored postcards from 1906, 1907, and 1925 capture Southampton's coastline in all its wild beauty. The waves, frozen in time yet eternally in motion, reflect our ongoing captivation with the allure of the sea. These postcards not only documented Southampton's natural coastal beauty but also helped promote its newfound status as a seaside retreat for visitors from near and far.

The ocean, which has been stewarded by the people of the Shinnecock Nation for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers, has shaped Southampton's identity and economy from 19th-century whaling and coastal shipping to 20th-century fishing, surfing, and vacation culture. While our relationship with the sea continues to evolve, these waves have remained constant and unpredictable.

Today, the Surfrider Foundation's Eastern Long Island Chapter continues our community's commitment as stewards of the Atlantic. Their mission is "dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network." For over 15 years, they have been advocates for public access and environmental preservation along our shoreline.

While our vintage postcards capture the timeless beauty of Southampton's waves, Surfrider, organizations like it, and the Shinnecock people remind us that our relationship with the sea requires not just appreciation, but continued mindful awareness as well.

Cedar Island Lighthouse

This week marks 186 years since the historic Cedar Island Lighthouse began guiding mariners safely into Sag Harbor in 1839.

Our museum collection features this rare night-time postcard showing the lighthouse beam cutting through darkness—once essential navigation for dozens of whaling ships and fishing vessels in Sag Harbor's bustling port.

Though built on Cedar Island, the lighthouse became mainland-connected after the devastating Hurricane of 1938 created a natural sandbar linking it to East Hampton.

The lighthouse served until 1934 before becoming part of Suffolk County's Cedar Point Park in 1967. Despite weathering vandalism and a significant 1974 fire, the original New England granite lighthouse structure still stands as one of Long Island's most significant maritime landmarks.

Preservation continues through the Long Island Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society's "Relight the Lighthouse" campaign. Recent restoration milestones include rehabilitating the historic oil house and careful removal of the lantern room for specialized conservation—critical steps in preserving this irreplaceable piece of our local maritime heritage.

Scotch Mist Inn

This week's historic postcard highlights the once-glamorous Scotch Mist Inn that graced Shinnecock Hills with its distinctive thatched-style roof and commanding views of both bay and ocean.

On April 8, 1968—57 years ago this week—a spectacular blaze reduced this legendary landmark to rubble, bringing a fiery end to what had been the Hamptons' premier destination for high society throughout the 1950s and '60s.

This landmark stood on the ancestral lands of the Shinnecock Nation, which stewarded this territory for thousands of years before European settlement.   

Built in 1918 by Dr. Albert H. Ely, one of President Harding's physicians, this architectural marvel required European carpenters specifically imported to create its simulated thatch roof.  

From 1954 into the '60s, the Inn reigned as the Hamptons' premier destination for high society before meeting a catastrophic end.

Exactly 57 years ago this week—on April 8, 1968—a spectacular blaze reduced the landmark to rubble

This devastating fire illuminates Southampton's rich emergency services history.
The Southampton Fire Department began in 1881 when volunteers responded to church bells using hand-drawn equipment. This was later complemented by the Southampton Village Fire Department with its three strategically located firehouses, and the North Sea Fire Department founded in 1934.

Emergency medical response developed separately, starting as a 1950s Veterans of Foreign Wars ambulance club before evolving into the Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance and Southampton Volunteer Ambulance services, both providing advanced life support today.   

Together, these dedicated volunteer organizations form a comprehensive emergency response network, equipped with modern technology and specialized training that continue to protect our community just as their predecessors did when flames engulfed the historic Scotch Mist Inn over five decades ago.