Join us on September 23, from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm, for the launch of Raynham Hall’s first catalog highlighting the Museum’s collections, and the opening of the corresponding exhibition, Revolutionary Oyster Bay . The opening will include welcome remarks by Curatorial Fellow Katie Cynkar, a cocktail reception, and exhibition viewing. Since its founding in 1653, Oyster Bay has experienced various revolutionary moments through colonization, war, rebuilding, and expansion. At the center of this change was Raynham Hall. Today, the Museum’s collections reflect the history of Raynham Hall– a place shaped by family life, global commerce, war, historic preservation, and ongoing scholarship. Revolutionary Oyster Bay invites you to explore how the Museum’s collection represents these centuries of continuity and change—revealing how generations shaped, and were shaped by, this town and this home. Books will be available to purchase at the event for $35. Revolutionary Oyster Bay: 275 Years at Raynham Hall Museum is generously supported by the Gerry Charitable Trust and the Vidda Foundation.

Join us on Thursday, September 3, at 5:30 pm, for a talk with artist Tom Mason, who will discuss the trials, tribulations, and step-by-step process of bringing a large-format, public painting to completion.  After a successful career as an actor and writer for theater, film, and television, Tom Mason turned his full attention to painting. A dedicated student of the Old Masters, he began the serious study of oil painting over a decade ago, with a particular focus on portraiture. His work draws inspiration from the great portrait painters—including Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, Van Dyck, Velázquez, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Sir Thomas Lawrence, and John Singer Sargent—whose mastery continues to inform his commitment to character, composition, and academic tradition.

Please be our guests at our gala kickoff party Saturday, May 30,  from 6 to 8 in the garden at Raynham Hall, celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth and honoring George Washington and his Secret Agent, Robert Townsend. Co-chairs: Rebecca Hollander Smiros Claudia Taglich Lucy Taglich

Embark on a journey through time with a guided walking tour of historic Oyster Bay. Stroll with us along the 2-hour Oyster Bay Historic Walk, a 1.5-mile loop that takes you to multiple historic sites, each holding stories of the town’s vibrant colonial roots and its role in America’s formative years. From the Fort Hill Cemetery to the bustling waterfront, these tours offer a rich and complex history, including those of notable figures like George Washington’s spy, Robert Townsend, and President Theodore Roosevelt. Whether you’re a history buff or seeking a pleasant walk through a charming town, Oyster Bay’s Historic Walking Tour is for you! This tour was developed with the help of Margo Arceri, Culper Spy Ring Historian and Three Village Historical Society Tri-Spy Tours founder. For more info, visit  https://www.threevillagehistoricalsociety.org/tri-spy-tours .   Inclusions What you'll need 🥤 Drink - Water 📋 Other - Comfortable walking shoes, sun hat, sunglasses

Looking for a fun activity for couples and friends on Long Island? Embark on a captivating voyage aboard the historic Christeen , a maritime gem that beckons both locals and visitors alike. This isn’t just any cruise—it’s a journey through time, where the salty breeze carries tales of Oyster Bay’s rich past. We invite you to sail the waters that the Townsend family ships sailed more than 250 years ago, and learn about the region's rich maritime history.  The Christeen departs promptly at 5:30 pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early to board a brief boat launch to the sloop. The tour lasts approximately 2 hours. Important Details: All cruises begin with a safety talk, and all children under 12 must wear a life jacket at all times (each guest has a life jacket available).  The ship sails on time, and guests need to arrive 15 minutes early.   The Christeen is not wheelchair accessible.  There is a small restroom on the Christeen in case of emergency need.  In case of late arrival, please call The WaterFront Center at (516) 922-7245.   Inclusions What's Included 🍴 Food - Light snacks 🥤 Drink - Light beverages   What you'll need 🧤 Warm Clothing

Looking for a fun activity for couples and friends on Long Island? Embark on a captivating voyage aboard the historic Christeen , a maritime gem that beckons both locals and visitors alike. This isn’t just any cruise—it’s a journey through time, where the salty breeze carries tales of Oyster Bay’s rich past. We invite you to sail the waters that the Townsend family ships sailed more than 250 years ago, and learn about the region's rich maritime history.  The Christeen departs promptly at 6:00 pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early to board a brief boat launch to the sloop. The tour lasts approximately 2 hours. Important Details: All cruises begin with a safety talk, and all children under 12 must wear a life jacket at all times (each guest has a life jacket available).  The ship sails on time, and guests need to arrive 15 minutes early.   The Christeen is not wheelchair accessible.  There is a small restroom on the Christeen in case of emergency need.  In case of late arrival, please call The WaterFront Center at (516) 922-7245.   Inclusions What's Included 🍴 Food - Light snacks 🥤 Drink - Light beverages   What you'll need 🧤 Warm Clothing

Join us for the opening party of our second call for artists exhibition on Thursday, April 23 , from  5:30-7:00 p.m . The exhibition features artists from local communities who submitted artwork on their interpretation of the theme, We the People. The three opening words of the Constitution place the power of the United States not in a monarch, nor even in individual states, but in its citizens. The original promise of those words was eloquent and evocative — yet from the start, that promise was only partly true. Women and people of color would have been disenfranchised from the political process, and those included among “the people” has expanded only through struggle and hard-won legal change. The story of the United States is one of continual redefinition, as people of many backgrounds have claimed their place and pushed the nation toward its ideals of a more just and equitable society. Shifts in our population continue to fuel ongoing debate over who may be recognized as a citizen.    Participating artists: Dave Alexander, Dasha Bazanova, Dan Christoffel, Lauren Cohen, Joan Digby, Faith Evans, Meryl Dee Feuer, Fred Fleisher, Wendy Foster, Michael Goudket, Patricia Hambrook, Joan Harrison, Mandy Henson, Stephen Hoffman, James Hogarty, Lori Horowitz, Mikey Ilkiw, Warren Jacobson, Betsy Lawrence, Rebecca Lawton Flatters, Bing Lu, Lilly Lucas, Tom Mason, Magali Modoux, Joshua Olsen, Jasmine Parrish-M, Susie Gách Peelle, Barbara Prey, Meenal Raghava, Michael Ripa, Alice Riordan, Michael Rubinowitz, Hiroko Saigusa, Ryan Schroeder, Kiichi Takeuchi, Allen Underwood III, Doron Wolf   This exhibition serves as a fundraiser with artwork available for purchase through the museum. A portion of the proceeds will be generously donated to support the museum’s initiatives.

Join us for our next Under Cover: 250 Years of Spying in America  on Monday, April 27, at 6:00 p.m! At a place like Raynham Hall — home of a wartime intelligence agent for George Washington — it feels fitting to ask: What happens when the tools for spreading false information become more powerful than ever? Misinformation is nothing new, but social media and artificial intelligence have introduced an entirely new frontier, making it easier than ever to create and share text, images, and video that are increasingly indistinguishable from the real thing. This talk traces how we got here, explores what's at stake in our current moment, and offers a window into the promising work researchers, journalists, and technologists are doing to help us navigate a world where seeing — and reading — may no longer be believing. Scott Lowenstein is the Director of Product for AI at The New York Times , where he focuses on bringing responsible uses of AI into the reader experience. As part of the Times' R&D group, he led the News Provenance Project and worked with publishers and tech companies to create a cryptographic standard for verifying digital media authenticity. Before that, he worked on misinformation detection and prevention at Twitter and as a pollster for political campaigns. He holds an MBA from Stanford and a degree in applied mathematics and economics from Brown University.

On the anniversary of the end of the Battle of Long Island, join us as we discuss the composition and history of perhaps the most famous Loyalist regiment of the Revolutionary War, the Queens' Rangers. Learn how Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe, who stayed at the Townsend home for three consecutive winters, transformed the corps into a legion of infantry and cavalry, which took part in many of the British Army’s major campaigns until their surrender at Yorktown. Bio: A long-time researcher of the Loyalist Military and local history, Todd Braisted has appeared as a Guest Historian on the PBS Series History Detectives ; as well as the Australian and Canadian series, Who Do You Think You Are? ; and served as a coordinator for the New Jersey Network documentary Ten Crucial Days . He is the author of Bergen County Voices of the American Revolution and Grand Forage 1778, as well as co-author or contributing author of seventeen other books on the American Revolution.

Join Celia Ipiotis, producer of the award-winning PBS series EYE ON DANCE, on Thursday, February 5, at 5:30 p.m. , as she powers through the 1930's jazz era defined by the high octane Lindy Hop. Floor shaking clips of the Lindy Hop dominate the conversation Ipiotis conducts on video with Frankie Manning, the legendary Lindy Hop dancer and choreographer.  This exploration of jazz-era dance resonates especially at Raynham Hall through the story of Alice Delano Weekes, a professional concert and ballet dancer connected to the Townsend family and the Roosevelts.

Explore how Enlightenment ideals reshaped daily life in the American colonies, inspiring both men and women to engage in new forms of political expression. This talk uncovers how these shifting ideas on both sides of the Atlantic helped propel the Revolutionary generation—from household conversations to public debate—toward independence. Sally Charnow  is a Professor of Modern European and Postcolonial History, and Women and Gender Studies at Hofstra University. She brings together her interdisciplinary training in Performance Studies and History in her research and writing on issues related to cultural production, art and politics, and minority subcultures in modern France and beyond. She is the author of  Edmond Fleg and Jewish Minority Culture in Twentieth-Century France  (Routledge, 2021);  Theatre, Politics and Markets in Fin-de-Siècle Paris: Staging Modernity   (Palgrave, 2005); and the editor of  Artistic Expressions and the Great War, A Hundred Years On  (Peter lang, 2020) Her articles and reviews have appeared in  Revising Dreyfus: Art and Law  (2013),  Radical History Review ,  American Historical Review ,  French History ,  Modern and Contemporary France , and  H-France.

Join us for an exclusive Halloween night event featuring Spiritualist Healer  Samantha Lynn DiFronzo  and Raynham Hall Guide and Educator  Mary Kenny . After an immersive experience uncovering the stories that linger in the house, each guest will receive a personal five-minute tarot card reading. Space is extremely limited for this intimate evening, offering a rare opportunity to engage with the spirits of those who have come before, who still await to tell their stories. Light refreshments will be served.

Join us for a free series of talks by artists who will discuss their works on view and their practice in Raynham Hall Museum's current exhibition, We the People . August 6, 2026: Dave Alexander, Mike Goudket, and Ryan Schroeder

Join us for a free series of talks by artists who will discuss their works on view and their practice in Raynham Hall Museum's current exhibition, We the People . July 23, 2026 : Faith Evans, Meryl Dee Feuer, Rebecca Lawton Flatters, and Doron Wolf

Join us for a free series of talks by artists who will discuss their works on view and their practice in Raynham Hall Museum's current exhibition, We the People . June 25, 2026 : Mikey Ilkiw, Michael Rubinowitz, and Lori Horowitz

Join us for a free series of talks by artists who will discuss their works on view and their practice in Raynham Hall Museum's current exhibition,  Unfinished Revolutions . July 17, 2025 : Michael Galatro, Jill Morrison, and Nicole Abe Titus with members of the Life Enrichment Center of Oyster Bay August 14, 2025 : Kristen Dorata and Stephen Hoffman September 18, 2025 : Roz Dimon, Fred Fleisher, Hiroko Saigusa, and Zak Vreeland, followed by a closing reception

Come ring in the New Year at our Twelfth Night Celebration for our members on Monday, January 5, 2025, from 5 to 7 in the evening at Raynham Hall Museum. There will be cocktails and caroling! Space is limited, so please R.S.V.P. here.

Join us on Friday, December 12, from 7:00-8:30 pm and experience how the winter holidays were celebrated in Oyster Bay nearly 250 years ago by the Townsends, their neighbors, and those who lived and worked in the family’s home. A guide dressed in festive finery will lead you through the evolving holiday traditions, from the simplicity of the Revolutionary War through the opulence of the Victorian era.  Hot spiced cider and other seasonal treats will be served!  Tours last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are $25 for members and $35 for the general public.

On Wednesdays , Fridays , and Sundays , we offer visitors a guided tour of the new Visitors' Center and the Townsend historic home. Ask us how to apply your admission fees to a museum membership! Experience the Townsend family home, discover the lives of the Townsend family and of those they enslaved, and learn about their involvement in the Revolutionary War and the Culper Spy Ring. Raynham Hall Museum includes many period rooms detailing daily life in the 18th and 19th centuries. We are excited to welcome you to our restored 19th century servants' quarters and our education center including interactive elements!  Tickets for guided tours of the museum will guarantee timed museum entry on the day of booking with slots available at 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Guided tours are projected to last approximately 90 minutes and include a tour of the exhibition hall and historic house.  In advance of booking your visit, please review our visitor guidelines and procedures listed on our website which will help orient you before you arrive and ensure that you get the most out of your museum experience. We reserve the right to deny entry to anyone not abiding by these guidelines to ensure the safety of our staff and other visitors.

Looking for a fun and educational activity for family and friends on Long Island? Embark on a captivating voyage aboard the historic oyster sloop Christeen , a maritime gem that beckons both locals and visitors alike. Take a journey through the waters sailed by Samuel Townsend's ships and learn about Long Island's rich mercantile history and what life was like for those living under British control during the American Revolution. This is a two-hour sail around the picturesque waters of Oyster Bay. The Christeen departs promptly at 2:00pm. Please arrive 20 minutes early, no later than 1:40pm, to board a brief shuttle ride to the sloop. The tour lasts approximately 2 hours. Important Details: All cruises begin with a safety talk. No children under 3 years old; all children under 12 must wear a life jacket at all times (each guest has a life jacket available).  There is no minimum booking requirement per guest, however at least 8 total registrants must be booked to avoid cancellation of the sail.  The Christeen is not wheelchair accessible. There is a small restroom on the Christeen in case of emergency need. In case of late arrival, please call The WaterFront Center at (516) 922-7245.   Inclusions What's Included 🍴 Food - Light snacks 🥤 Drink - Light beverages   What you'll need 🧤 Dressing in layers for various weather conditions, sun protection

On Tuesdays , Thursdays , and Saturdays , we now offer visitors an innovative, interactive experience using the augmented reality mobile app, 1776AR*. Ask us how to apply your admission fees to a museum membership! Raynham Hall’s story comes to life, as told by George Washington and four occupants of the Townsend home. The AR app places you in the center of the American Revolution, exploring life in Oyster Bay and those seeking freedom.  Tickets for self-guided tours will guarantee timed entry on the day of booking with slots available starting on the hour from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The 1776AR self-guided tour lasts approximately 45 minutes. Our museum closes at 5:00 p.m.  Download “1776AR” in the Apple or Google Play app store prior to arriving at the museum. You are encouraged to bring your own headphones/earbuds to use with your phone. We have a limited number of devices and over-the-ear headphones available for visitor use, or earbuds can be purchased in our museum shop for $2.  In advance of booking your visit, please review our visitor guidelines and procedures listed on our website which will help orient you before you arrive and ensure that you get the most out of your museum experience.  Created by 360XR through a generous grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.   Inclusions What's Included 🧰 Equipment - Smartphone, headphones   What you'll need 📋 Other - If you prefer, you may use your own phone and earbuds/headphones. If using your own phone, downloading the app 1776AR is required.

Join us as we explore Raynham Hall and three generations of Townsend family occupants, with Samantha Lynn Difronzo, the Spiritualist Healer. Raynham Hall was the home of Robert Townsend, a central member of George Washington's Culper Spy Ring. The home was occupied by British officer Col. John Graves Simcoe during the Revolutionary War. Transformed into a Victorian villa in the 1850s, the house offers two eras of interpretation, with the front of the house showcasing the period of the Revolution, and the back of the house preserving a late 19th century aesthetic. Samantha Lynn Difronzo has been practicing using her unique spiritual gifts to help heal not only the spirits among us that have passed, but also the spirits within us. Her understanding of the spiritual world assists in showing others of what spirit energy is around us and showing the proper way to communicate with them respectfully. Just some of her abilities include clairvoyance (clear seeing), clairaudience (clear hearing), claircognizance (clear knowing), and clairsentience (clear sensing). While utilizing all these gifted abilities, she brings forth an extraordinary experience where all tour attendees can feel and experience the spiritual world for themselves.

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2024, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  Join us for a talk by historian and journalist Dr. Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos on her compelling portrait of Sarah Kidd in The Pirate’s Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd . Before he was executed in 1701, Captain William Kidd was one of the most notorious privateers on the seas. But few know of his wife Sarah, whose life is a lesson in survival, resilience, and resourcefulness. Operating within the structures of polite society in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century New York and the limitations placed on women, Sarah aided and abetted her husband, fighting alongside him against his accusers: she helped construct the narration he presented in his defense, ensured he was taken care of in jail, tirelessly worked to help secure a pardon, and even tried to help plot an escape. Dr. Geanacopoulos offers a fascinating glimpse into the golden age of piracy from the perspective of a historical figure who navigated tragic and turbulent events, managing to always find her own agency within the oppressive structures of colonial America.  Geanacopoulos is an American women’s historian with a special interest in maritime history. She has published two nonfiction books: The Pirate’s Wife; The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd (Hanover Square Press) and The Pirate Next Door: The Untold Story of Eighteenth Century Pirates’ Wives, Families and Communities (Carolina Academic Press). Prior to these works, she was a freelance journalist and published over 40 articles in newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Southern Living, Virginia Business, and other outlets. Daphne holds a Doctor of Liberal Studies and a Master in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Join us and step into the 18th century when dance was a metaphor for power. Celia Ipiotis, the creator, producer, and host of the award-winning PBS series, EYE ON DANCE , offers a window into the passions and political maneuvering that existed within the social tradition of Baroque dance. Along with authentic reproductions of Baroque dance on video, Ipiotis decodes hand fan language, rules of etiquette, and political favor that were communicated through dance in the 1700s. Honored with a Lifetime Achievement award in 2024, Ipiotis began her professional career as a dancer, choreographer, director, and videographer. She has served on several university faculties including Hunter, Rutgers, and Harvard, and continues to lecture, publish articles, sit on arts panels, and dance in her kitchen. EYE ON DANCE, co-created with Jeff Bush and produced by the nonprofit organization ARC Video, aired on PBS from 1981 to 2004 and is designated “An Irreplaceable American Dance Treasure.” ----- Townsend Talks is a monthly lecture series in which speakers from Long Island and around the country offer fascinating insights into history, decorative arts, architecture, horticulture, and other fields that connect with our site and our mission. Lectures are $20 for museum members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (with ID) unless otherwise noted. The program begins in the Visitors’ Center and light refreshments are included. ----- Previous talks: Date: Thursday, May 16.  Dr. Megan Rhodes Victor talks on the history and archaeology of molly houses, clandestine locations in the English colonies wherein gay men and cross-dressing individuals could meet and participate in elaborate gendered performances. They served as spaces to interact, to socialize with others ‘like them’, to engage in more intimate relations, and to participate in complex rituals simulating births, ballroom dances, marriages, and tea parlor gatherings. As taverns, molly houses were places where individuals could conduct social negotiation and form bonds of community, due to these buildings’ inherent “alcosocial” nature. Taverns were largely male-coded drinking spaces in the eighteenth century, and yet these were also one of the few places where women – especially unmarried or widowed women – could work and even manage (or own) a business. This apparent gender contradiction may have played a role in taverns and inns serving as the location for molly houses. Dr. Victor will discuss how the Molly House Project seeks to explore these archaeological spaces and provide a window into the lived experience of individuals in LGBTQ+ communities in the eighteenth century. Date: April 12, 2024. Based on the new book of the same name, Making Long Island: A History of Growth & the American Dream tells the fascinating story of the development of Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties) between 1920 and 1980. Between the 1920s and 1950s, Long Island served as a primary site of the pursuit of the American dream, as it was affordable home ownership for the middle class that most compellingly expressed the nation’s core mythology. Beginning in the 1960s, however, that dream began to dissolve, as the postwar economic engine ran out of steam and as Long Island became as much urban as suburban. Despite all its current economic and social challenges, a new and improved American dream appears to be emerging on Long Island, and the place unarguably remains one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Samuel is a Miami- and New York City-based cultural historian and a Long Island native. He holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota and was a Smithsonian Institution Fellow. His previous books include The End of the Innocence: The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair (Syracuse University Press, 2007), New York City 1964: A Cultural History (McFarland, 2014), Tudor City: Manhattan’s Historic Residential Enclave (The History Press, 2019), and Dead on Arrival in Manhattan: Stories of Unnatural Demise from the Past Century (The History Press, 2021). Date: March 22, 2024. New York played an underacknowledged role in the transatlantic slave trade. Drawing on new data that documents slave ships that moved into and out of New York, Philip Misevich sheds light on how New Yorkers organized transatlantic trading, the individuals involved in financing slave ships, the places in Africa to which New York-based voyages traveled, and the African origins of enslaved people forced back to New York. Misevich is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the History Department at St. John’s University, in New York. HeHis is the author of three books: with David Eltis, An Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 2nd Edition (forthcoming); Abolition and the Transformation of Atlantic Commerce in Southern Sierra Leone, 1790s-1860s (2019); and, with Kristin Mann, The Rise and Demise of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Atlantic World (2016). He helped create Slave Voyages, an online database that documents more than 36,000 transatlantic slave trading voyages. Date: February 29, 2024. Christopher Minty of the University of Virginia examines the origins of the American Revolution in New York City through the lens of political culture and the development of loyalist networks. Drawn largely from his recent book, Unfriendly to Liberty: Loyalist Networks and the Coming of the American Revolution in New York City, Minty’s talk addresses the complicated relationships between loyalists and patriots in New York, which in turn sheds light on the experiences of the Townsend family of Oyster Bay, who were patriots living under British occupation in a largely loyalist community. Minty is an editor at the Center for Digital Editing at the University of Virginia, where he works on various projects, including the Papers of George Washington and the Naval documents of the American Revolution. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Stirling, and his research has been supported by Harvard University, the New-York Historical Society, the Huntington Library, and the New York State Archives.   Inclusions What's Included 🍴 Food 🥤 Drink