Periodic meetings bring to the membership speakers who are authorities on various aspects of Long Island history. The meetings end with refreshments and a social period so members can meet informally. We have sponsored daylong outings to places of historic interest on Long Island and some overnight trips.

The Annual Dinner meeting is held in October.

The following table of events is arranged in reverse chronological order. Information about future events will be added and updated as plans are finalized. Please check back for updates.

Guests are always welcome to our meetings and events.

Look down this list to see where past dinners have been held and what has been presented.

Sunday, February TBD, 2009, 2:00 p.m.
"Exploring African American Culture and Community at Lloyd Manor:
The Archeology of an 18th Century Slave Quarter"
The Community Church of East Williston, East Williston, New York

In observation of February as Black History Month, the NCHS welcomes Jenna Coplin, an archeologist who worked on the recent dig at Lloyd Manor. Ms. Coplin will present a program on what was revealed about African American culture and community on an 18th Century estate on Long Island's north shore.

Sunday, January 11, 2009, 2:00 p.m.
Jones Beach: An Illustrated History
The Community Church of East Williston, East Williston, New York

John Hanc, author of "Jones Beach: An Illustrated History" will present a slide lecture.

From the publisher's web site:

"Jones Beach opened inauspiciously amidst a howling sandstorm on August 4, 1929. In the years since, it has attracted 500 million visitors and become hallowed ground to generations of New Yorkers. Today Jones Beach evokes cherished memories of long-spent youth, old friends, and departed loved ones. In this evocative illustrated book, author John Hanc explores the traditions, institutions, controversies, and characters of this beloved seaside resort, now a state historic landmark. Vintage photos show buildings rising, parking lots filling, and generations of beachgoers having a good time.

Going all the way back to the British Empire days of pirate Thomas Jones, for whom the beach is named, John Hanc tells the stories of those who have shaped Jones Beach into a cultural icon - including Robert Moses, who promised to provide a refuge to the "teeming masses" from America's great city; a young Ronald Reagan, who starred in a Hollywood depiction of Jones Beach; and beloved entertainer Guy Lombardo, who revived Jones Beach Theater and created famously elaborate shows."

Thursday, October 16, 2008,
Annual Dinner Meeting
Westbury Manor, Westbury, New York

We welcome Gene Horton, who will be speaking to us about: William Floyd, Long Island's Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Thursday, June 26, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
Visit to the restored Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building
Mineola, New York

NCHS Board member Edward Smits began his presentation History and Architecture of the Old Courthouse with a brief tour of the restored building. The tour began on the front steps, proceeded through the Rotunda to the second floor main courtroom. Ed's recollections of working in the building, and the personages he encountered there added spice to the historical narrative and drama which this building has witnessed in our county's history. We were also treated to hearing NCHS Board member Natalie Naylor provide a brief recap of her research into the historic WPA Murals in Nassau County. She focused on the four murals located in the rotunda's stairways.

Sunday, April 20, 2008, 2:30 p.m.
"A Sense of Place; Long Island History and Heritage"
The Community Church of East Williston, East Williston, New York

Dr. Natalie Naylor presented an overview of Long Island's history from the Native American Indians and early Dutch and English settlements in the seventeenth century to Levittown and the suburban metropolis in the twenty-first century. Both the land and sea have shaped the lives of Long Islanders from Brooklyn to Montauk in agricultural, maritime, and other activities. The slide presentation included genre and landscape paintings by William Sidney Mount and William Merritt Chase, Currier and Ives lithographs, WPA murals, as well as contemporary photographs of historic houses and sites which illustrate Paumanok's history.

Sunday, February 17, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930
The Community Church of East Williston, East Williston, New York

A slide presentation by Gary Lawrance, the co-author of "Houses of the Hamptons, 1880-1930." Mr. Lawrance, AIA, is an architect from Stony Brook, New York. He wrote his 1982 architectural thesis on the country house architecture of Long Island's Gold Coast. He also consults with preservation groups, scholars, and homeowners in researching the historical background of their properties.
A short video clip, approx. 8 minutes, from "The Morning, Noon & Night" show on PlumTV, is available here and features Mr. Lawrance and his co-author Anne Surchin.

Sunday, January 6, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
"Planting Fields: A Long Island Gold Coast Story"
The Community Church of East Williston, East Williston, New York

Ellen Cone Busch, former Director of Coe Hall and Planting Fields Foundation, presented an illustrated talk on the William Robertson Coe family and their Planting Fields estate in Oyster Bay. Now the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park and Coe Hall House Museum, this is one of the treasures of Long Island. Coe Hall, the 65-room mansion designed by Walker and Gillette, was built for the Coes between 1918 and 1921; it is open from April to September. The gardens, greenhouses, grounds, as well as the new Visitor Center are open year round. Learn about the family who created this magnificent 400 acre North Shore estate and donated it to the State of New York in 1949.

Thursday, October 11, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
Annual Dinner Meeting
Westbury Manor, Westbury, New York

Following the dinner and business parts of the annual meeting, Dr. Peter Bales presented the program "George Washington Schlepped Here: A Lighthearted Look at America's (and Long Island's) History". Professor Peter Bales is the author of "How Come They Always Had the Battles in National Parks?" Dr. Bales (Ph.D. in history SUNY Stony Brook 1992) is a member of the faculty of the Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York, and has worked as a writer/researcher for the History Channel.

Thursday, June 21, 2007, 7:30 p.m.
"Washington's Spies, The Story of America's First Spy Ring"
Doubleday Babcock Senior Center
corner of East Main Street and White Street (directions)
Oyster Bay

A program co-sponsored with the Oyster Bay Historical Society. Author Alexander Rose will talk about his book, "Washington's Spies, The Story of America's First Spy Ring". The Culper Spy Ring existed from 1778 and disbanded at the war's close in 1783.
For more information read a review in Newsday and an interview with the author in National Review. Hardcover published in 2006, paperback to be released May 1, 2007.

Sunday, April 29, 2007, 2:00 p.m.
Living the American Dream: Levittown and the Suburban Boom
First Presbyterian Church
Wantagh Avenue, Levittown
Directions: the church is located on the west side of Wantagh Avenue,
one mile south of Hempstead Turnpike, or
one mile north of Southern State Parkway.

In recognition of the 60th Anniversary of Levittown, Joshua Ruff, History Curator of The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages will present a slide and DVD lecture drawn from the currently running exhibit Living the American Dream: Levittown and the Suburban Boom from February 10 through July 8, 2007. Many of the items in the exhibit are on loan from the Levittown Historical Society collection.

March 18, 2007, 2:00 p.m.
Mineola--The Nassau County Seat
Recognition of its Centennial in 2006 as a Village

Mineola Village Hall
Washington Avenue (one block south of Jericho Turnpike, and west of Willis Avenue)
Mineola

A panel discussion by Village Trustee John S. DaVanzo, Village Historian Neil Young and Nassau County Historian Edward Smits will explore the village's unique history, growth and character.

Sunday, January 7, 2007, 2:30 p.m.
"The Wrecks of the Bristol and Mexico, 1836-1837
Community Church of East Williston
Hillside Avenue and Roslyn Road
East Williston

Arthur E. Mattson's slide presentation about the more than two hundred immigrants who drowned or froze to death during the winter of 1836-73 when the Bristol and Mexico were wrecked off the south shore of Long Island. This was before the days of women and children first. Amazing acts of heroism and cowardice surrounded both wrecks. Walt Whitman included references to these disasters in his poem "The Sleepers". Mr. Mattson, historian of Lynbrook, has written a book on the wrecks which will be published in the spring.

October 20, 2006
Annual Dinner Meeting
George Washington Manor Restaurant
Roslyn

Reports were presented from the past year, and the Board of Trustees Class of 2011 were elected.

The brief, but necessary routine business matters were dispensed with during dinner. After our meal, we were entertained by a group demonstrating English Country dancing. Dr. Orly Krasner, who narrated, explained that the dancers used various means to silently convey their feelings to their partners. She invited members of the audience to join the dancers for the concluding dances. President George Washington could have participated in dances such as these during his 1790 tour of Long Island in a setting very much like that of our meeting. In fact, Washington did eat breakfast at Hendrick Onderdonk's house, which is the core of today's Washington Manor.

June 13, 2006
Down the Isle: Wedding Traditions on Long Island
St. Bede's Episcopal Church
Syosset

During this program, we "attended" the weddings of more than a dozen Long Islanders. "Down the Isle: Wedding Traditions on Long Island" was presented in the sanctuary of St. Bedes Episcopal Church in Syosset by Joshua Ruff, curator of the exhibition on weddings at The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages. The styles and details followed the social and economic conditions from the simple wedding, attended by six or eight in the family parlor, to the extravagant affairs of the high Victorian era, and then back to simplicity of the early thirties and World War II. A "reception" followed in the church parlor where the "wedding guests" enjoyed tea sandwiches, small cakes, and punch.

April 27, 2006
The Art of Tiffany
Jericho Public Library
Jericho

Eva Greguski, curator of the exhibition on Tiffany at The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages. She used slides of lamps, windows, vases, and artifacts from the exhibit. Her program was an excellent introduction for those of us who later visited the exhibit in Stony Brook. Those interested in Tiffany will want to visit the exhibition, "Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City through May 20, 2007. This exhibit includes leaded and stained glass windows, lighting fixtures, vases, pottery, and enamelware from Tiffany's home. It features the first showing of Tiffany's Daffodil Terrace, which has painstakingly been restored during the last two years.

February 19, 2006
Black Long Islanders: Community, Church, and Family
Uniondale Public Library
Uniondale

In commemoration of Black History Month, our February program was presented by Lynda Day, Professor of Africana Studies at Brooklyn College, CUNY. Dr. Day, author of Making a Way to Freedom: A History of African Americans on Long Island, spoke on Black Long Islanders. Her slides showed photographs of notable black leaders, old documents, and sites, and she also discussed the Underground Railroad organized by abolitionists. This very interesting and informative program concluded with dialogue with members of the audience who knew descendants of some of the individuals and families mentioned. This meeting was co sponsored by the Uniondale Public Library and held in their recently enlarged and renovated building.

Thursday, October 14, 2004
Annual Meeting
North Shore Country Club
Glen Head

Reports were presented from the past year, and the Board of Trustees Class of 2009 were elected.

Sampawams Creek performed instrumental and vocal selections from nautical history.

A late afternoon picnic was followed by a garden tour where attendees enjoyed the visual splendors of the Clark Botanic Garden before sunset. A presentation about the gardens took place inside as the sun set on a glorious summer day.

May 6, 2004, 8:00 p.m.
From Basic Training to Basic Research
Camp Upton in World War I & II and the Brookhaven National Laboratory
Main Terminal of Republic Airport
Route 110
East Farmingdale

Jeanne Marie Petschauer
BNL Community Involvement Representative

Many army recruits trained at Camp Upton in Yaphank during the Great War, including Irving Berlin who wrote "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" about his experiences there. Camp Upton was an induction center in World War II. In 1947, the site became Brookhaven National Labratory (BNL), which investigates peaceful uses of the atom.

April 18, 2004, 2:30 p.m.
The Human and Natural History of the Hempstead Plains
Tackapausha Museum
Washington Avenue
Seaford

Carole Neidich-Ryder, Curator of Tackapausha Musem and the South Shore Greenspace Preserve in Nassau County will present a program about the prairie grasslands of the Hempstead Plains which once covered central Nassau County and were considered one of the ecological "wonders" of the New World. Learn how prairies are formed and maintained in nature, what kind of plants and animals are found there, and how the prairie has influenced life on Long Island and particularly in Nassau County.

The program is at Nassau County's Tackapausha Museum, which has nature trails and exhibits of wildlife and plants. Before the meeting, you may want to reread the article by Henry Hicks, "The Hempstead Plains and its Flora, 1891," in the 2003 issue of your Nassau County Historical Society Journal. It includes excerpts from various historical descriptions of the Plains.

Thursday, October 16, 2003
Annual Meeting
Cherry Valley Club
28 Rockaway Avenue at Third Street
Garden City

Reports were presented from the past year, and the Board of Trustees Class of 2008 were elected.

Soprano, Molly Watson, wearing a period flapper dress, presented "Five Foot Two..." a program of popular music from the Roaring Twenties, songs drawn from venues as varied as speakeasies and Broadway's stages. The rhythms of the Machine Age -- pulsing, powerful, provocative filled the hall following the Annual Dinner. Society members enjoyed hearing again the music from the beginning of the Golden Age of popular music, the music of Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter and the Gershwins. The costumed Ms. Watson evoked the freedom and fun associated with the Roaring Twenties. Anecdotes about the creators -- composers, lyricists and perfomers, brought new life to these now old favorites. The audience sang along on the more familiar pieces and remembered days gone by.

Thursday, April 24, 2003
8:00 p.m.
Grumman--A Look at the Past and Future
Cradle of Aviation Museum
Mitchel Field

As part of the 100th Anniversary of Aviation at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, the Nassau County Historical Society is co-sponsoring with the Museums at Mitchel, the first of a Long Island Aerospace Lecture Series "Grumman--A Look at the Past and Future" by Richard Dunne, former Director of Public Affairs for Grumman Corporation and Northrup Grumman. There will be a sneak preview of the Museum's "Centennial of Flight" exhibit opening that weekend.
Announcement cards mailed to NCHS members will permit admission to the Museum for members and their guests.

Sunday, December 1, 2002
2:00 p.m.
Hicks Nursery
100 Jericho Turnpike
Westbury

Fred Hicks, a life member of the NCHS, has graciously agreed to take time during a very busy season to present our December program. Hick's Nursery will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2003. The family has traced the founding of the Nursery to the first sale of trees in 1853. The Hicks family traces its ancestry in Westbury to the 1670's. The Hicks family and their Nursery business is a most interesting story. Hear how sociological concerns, the changing economy, immigration, the great estates, Norther State Parkway and modern technology affected this family and their business. We will meet in the Henry Hicks Learning Center at the Nursery.

NCHS members may wish to arrive early or stay after our program to walk through the Nursery and enjoy the holiday plants, flowers and decorated wreaths and trees. Members may bring guests. Holiday refreshments will be served.

Directions: Hicks Nurseries, Inc. is located on the south side of Jericho Turnpike, between Post and Ellison Avenues, Westbury.

Program announcement cards, mailed to NCHS members, will admit members and their guests to the Henry Hicks Learning Center.

Thursday, October 3, 2002
Annual Meeting
Hempstead Golf Club
60 Front Street at Sunset Drive
Hempstead

Linda Russell presented a concert program of 18th Century Amerian folk music. Accompanying herself on hammered and mountain dulcimers, guitar and penny whistle, she brought life to the popular music of the 18th century with ballads, broadsides, love songs, marches, drinking songs and dance tunes. Interwoven with the music was a lively commentary on the life and times of early America. The assembled NCHS members and guests were drawn into her presentation by our participation in refrains and songs.

An evening with Linda Russell explores history through music and drama. Having served for many years as a balladeer for the National Park Service at Federal Hall on Wall Street, Ms. Russell now takes her music to historic sites, schools and festivals throughout the country. New York appearances have included Lincoln Center and the Carnegie Hall Folk Festival where she shared the stage with Tom Paxton and Mike Seeger.

Sunday, April 21, 2002
Cradle of Aviation Museum Tour
Mitchel Field
Visit the Cradle of Aviation Museum web site for information about this museum.

Sunday, February 10, 2002
2:30 p.m.
"Long Island's Native Americans and Archeological Findings"
by Archeologist Jo-Ann McLean

Thursday, November 29, 2001
3:00 p.m.
"The Art of Byzantium"
by Father Nicholas J. Margoulis
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul
Cathedral Avenue
Hempstead

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