Sag Harbor Historical Museum Offers a Glimpse at 19th Century Style in Summer Exhibit

“Sag Harbor Summers: 1882-1907,” this year’s exhibit at the Sag Harbor Historical Museum’s Annie Cooper Boyd House, opened to the public on Saturday.

The exhibit, which carries the subtitle “Annie Cooper Boyd, the life of a 19th century Sag Harbor woman told through the clothing of the period and her writings & artwork,” was curated by Alexandra McNear, a writer and editor, and Mary Jane Marasiano, a costume designer. It makes use of period clothing, some of which belonged to Cooper Boyd, as well as entries from her diary and examples of her artwork to sketch a picture of her life growing up in the village.

The exhibit is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the season, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The museum’s directors also honored the late Jean Held, a longtime and active member of the organization, who died last year, dedicating a bench in her memory.

President Nancy French Achenbach described Held as “an incredible woman, a wonderful friend and a tireless trustee.

Held, who was 87 at the time of her death, was a history buff, naturalist, photographer, bird watcher, and the kind of person who would carefully comb through the spoil left on Havens Beach when the Sag Harbor channel was dredged several years ago, finding fragments of rare pottery and countless other bits of historical significance.

She curated exhibits at the museum and provided research help for at least one hapless local reporter who would not have known how to proceed on several articles without her guidance.

Achenbach also led the museum’s annual meeting, saying the addition of $75,000 in tax funding from residents of the Sag Harbor School District, beginning last year, would provide the museum with a much needed financial cushion and funding for programing.

With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution approaching, the library is planning to delineate the boundaries of an old British fort from the era that occupied the space next to the Old Whalers’ Church that is now known as the old burial ground, from 1776 to 1783. The organization is also conducting research into the state of the village during the war, trying to determine who remained in the village during the occupation and who fled to Connecticut.

The museum’s annual summer gala will take place on June 29 on the grounds of the Custom House lawn at the corner of Main and Garden streets. Tickets are $150 and can be obtained by calling 631-725-5092 or visiting sagharborhistorical.org.