Community History and Architecture Long Island Traditions offers this program to grades 6-12. The program focuses on research and writing skills that examine settlement patterns and traditional architecture of Long Island. Field trips and slide shows that examine a community’s architecture are also developed. Long Island Traditions released a teacher resource guide examining the following […]
Maritime Folk Arts in Education The goals of this 4th-grade program include teaching students about a traditional occupation, family and community traditions, and educating teachers on folklife resources in the community. Because the maritime traditions are rapidly vanishing from Long Island, it is critical that students learn about these resources before they disappear. The program […]
Great Neck Plaza In 2000 Long Island Traditions began a partnership with the Village of Great Neck Plaza to document, interpret and preserve its historic sites and cultural resources. Working with architectural historians and planners, Long Island Traditions submitted an in-depth research report to the Village in January 2001 that identified over 53 historic sites […]
West Meadow Beach On Long Island’s north shore near Stony Brook and Setauket once stood the summer bungalow community of West Meadow Beach, constructed during the mid-1920s by local families seeking refuge from the raging flu epidemic that plagued the east coast. Approximately 98 cottages were built during 1923 – 35 that included modest size […]
Bay House Preservation Bay houses are small shacks that stand on the South Shore’s marshlands in the Town of Hempstead that were originally built in the 1700 and 1800s by fishermen, baymen and duck hunters for shelter while they harvested clams, salt hay or went duck hunting. Through the years they have been passed down […]
For information on our upcoming Bay House Tours, visit our Events page. Since 1992, Long Island Traditions has sponsored a bay house tour in Freeport. Bay houses are small shacks that stand on the marshlands that were originally built in the 1700 and 1800s by fishermen, baymen, and duck hunters for shelter while they harvested […]
On The Bay is a book on the bay houses within the Town of Hempstead. Written by Nancy Solomon, executive director of Long Island Traditions, the book documents the architecture of these unique structures originally built by baymen, fishermen and duck hunters in the early 19th century for shelter while clamming, fishing, harvesting salt hay or […]
Filmmaker Glenn Gebhard and Long Island Traditions produced “Baymen,” a documentary on the south shore baymen of Long Island in 1994. Featured in the film are Flo Sharkey, John Buczak, Tom Kuehas and other crabber, clammers, and killey trappers. This 1-hour video explores the history and contemporary hardships faced by baymen, and their future on Long […]
Long Island Traditions, in collaboration with City Lore and the Village of Freeport, installed Freeport Waters,, a permanent trail of artful signage that highlights the personal stories, histories, and traditions of Woodcleft Canal, also known as the Nautical Mile. Woodcleft Canal is a major historic working waterfront corridor that is the site of various historic buildings including the Freeport […]
South Shore Survey Welcome to the survey and nomination section of the South Shore Estuary Reserve portal site. In 2004 LI Traditions conducted a maritime survey of the communities spanning from Oakdale to Brookhaven Hamlet, focusing on boat yards, fishermen and baymen, duck hunters and decoy carvers, summer homes, bungalows and commercial fishing operations. Visit […]