Letters

American history is beneath your feet, in archaeological sites of all sizes across Long Island.

Such sites represent a cultural snapshot, an opportunity to stop for a moment and contemplate the generations that stood on that same ground, leaving not only their material footprint behind but also the convictions that affect our culture today. These places hold, within their parameters, a moment in time.

Few of us, in Sag Harbor now, experience a shared past, having come from all parts of the world, traditions and societies; yet, choosing to be here, we now share a culture.

Sag Harbor embodies a certain character, a cultural coherence that ties us together in significant ways. This physical and social space that we “occupy, encodes and communicate[s] meaning” (Low, Setha, 2017, “Spatializing Culture”). Yet, many of us never consider the “place” we live beyond it being home. We haven’t taken time to view its cultural identity or community history. But sharing its stories and its archaeological underpinnings can serve to provide a point of connection for all residents.

Memory-keeping and allowing the past to hold its place among us is an integral part of appreciating who we are and how we express that. Knowledge of local lore results in enhanced artistic expression … interpretations reflecting the history that is amassed here. The light, the land and each individual inhabitant contribute to the history of Sag Harbor and its expression of itself in a way that could not have evolved anywhere else.

“As we accept the exceptionality of our place, the more we gain access to the universal and timeless. When we become linked to others who lived in our own locale, when we hear stories of other families who saw the same hills and heard the same birds, who lived, loved … we become aware of the permanent and unchanging things. Certain aspects of human life are the same throughout time. And we realize that our town has echoes of eternity about it” (Walker Laron, takeout.org).

On July 12, the Sag Harbor Historical Museum benefit, “History Beneath Our Feet,” will celebrate our shared exceptionality on the Custom House Lawn, 5 to 7 p.m. We are not your grandmother’s historical society. We are a vibrant group with fresh new ideas and exciting community-based activities.

Exhibits on the Custom House lawn for the 2025 benefit will include an exhibition of an archaeological exploration at the Annie Cooper Boyd House with Pierson High School students. Historic clothing interpretation and design, a creative program by an established costume designer with students from Pierson High School.

Become a benchmark for the future as a keeper of the past. Leave your own indelible mark.

We need your support.

Jo Ann Santora McLean

Sag Harbor