Oral Histories of Life In Huntington

The library's oral history project was launched in September and thus far we've conducted and recorded four oral histories depicting life in Huntington through the years.

Do you or members of your family have stories to share about life in Huntington that encapsulate a period of time or a way of life here? If so, the library would like to preserve them as part of the collective memory of our town. We are interested in the following topics:

• Memories of Main Street


• Memories of the library


• Summers in Huntington


• Recreation or Entertainment


• School Days


• Town Events, Festivals, Parades, etc...


• Farming


• Memories of Huntington During War


• Family Business in the Town


• Transportation


• Occupations

If you are interested in submitting your story to our oral history project, please contact Teresa Scwhind or Lori King at 631-427-5165 x251 or history@thehuntingtonlibrary.org. We look forward to adding to our growing collection.

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Huntington's Collective Memory

In recognition of American Archives Month in October, Huntington Public Library welcomes the community to join us in two projects that celebrate our town’s past and present, and document it for future generations.

Oral Histories of Life in Huntington
Do you or members of your family have stories to share about life in Huntington that encapsulate a period of time or a way of life here? If so, the library would like to preserve them as part of the collective memory of our town. The newly-formed Local History Round table met for the first time in May 2009. With much interest and enthusiasm, they agreed to pursue recording oral histories of Huntington residents.


Documenting Contemporary Huntington: Got A Favorite Spot?
Huntington Public Library is making a digital archive of images,video, and word that represents Huntington today.As community members, you are invited to use your creativity and a method of your own choice to document something you value in present day Huntington.Capture it in a photo, a painting, a drawing, a video,an essay, a recording of your thoughts, etc.Include a brief commentary of your work.We will create the archive and make it available to the public on the Internet.


For further information or questions, please contact Lori King or Teresa Schwind at (631) 427-5165 or email history@thehuntingtonlibrary.org.

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Town Clerk's Archives Presents:

"The Legacy of the Revolution in Huntington"

The Town of Huntington played a significant role in the defence of liberty and independence. Almost a quarter of the town's male population volunteered to serve the patriot cause.
Numerous documents and artifacts survive to verify our legacy.

The descendants of these patriots, Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, The Ancient and Honorable Huntington Militia, organized themselves to promote the principles of the Revolution and to preserve our history.

To honor these organizations, the Huntington Town Clerk's Archives will have an exhibit, "The Legacy of the Revolution" .

The Exhibit will feature documents, and military equipment from the Revolutionary War era.

Contact person:

Antonia S. Mattheou, Huntington Town Archivist

100 Main Street

Huntington, New York 11743 (631)351-3035

amattheou@town.huntington.ny.us

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NYPL Digital Gallery

New York Public Library has created an excellent digital gallery that is well worth browsing through. Out of curiosity I searched Huntington, NY and was pleasantly surprised to retrieve some great images.

Displayed here is a map of Huntington, West of Nassau Avenue (1915-1917) published by E.B. Hyde and Co.

Visit the collection at: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm.

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Digital Sanborn Maps

Huntington Public Library is proud to announce the acquisition of Digital Sanborn Maps for use within the library. Over 100 years ago, the maps were created for assessing fire insurance liability in urbanized areas across the United States. Today they are a valuable source of historical information. The maps include street names, building numbers with physical descriptions, street widths and more. Their research potential is endless and for genealogists and local historians they can be used to locate ancestor's homes and neighborhoods.

HPL's collection includes many urban areas throughout New York State including maps of Huntington in the following years: 1886, 1892, 1897, 1902, 1908, 1914, 1922 and 1930. The map above displays a section of Main St., Wall St. and New York Ave in 1902.

Come visit the library and browse this wonderful new resource. It can be accessed within the library through our homepage, click on Our Databases and scroll down to the link for Sanborn Maps. If you would like instruction on how to use the digital collection, stop by the Mary Talmage Local History Room during the designated hours (listed above), or call (631-427-5165 x261 or 250) or email huntingtonhistory@gmail.com to make an appointment.

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Long Island Memories

Huntington Public Library has joined with LILRC (Long Island Library Resources Council) and other libraries throughout Long Island in digitizing items of local historical interest. Visit Long Island Memories and explore Huntington and other Long Island libraries' array of unique resources. The digital collection contains old historical documents, photographs, postcards, rare books, newspapers and more.

Below is a scanned image of an original Land Deed between Samuel Ketcham and Nathaniel Ketcham from December 10, 1704. The deed refers to land in Huntington, the easternmost purchase on "half hallow hills." It's a sample from a three volume set of original documents entitled Long Island Documents, compiled in 1938 by Dr. Theodore Lyman Frost, librarian of the Huntington Public Library.



Long Island Memories is an ongoing project, so check back often for new additions to the digital collection.

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