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Freeport Historical Society
History
The first Freeport Historical Society was established in 1941 by the Hon. Hilbert R. Johnson, Freeport judge and historian, with assistance from numerous other local civic-minded individuals. They then purchased the Daniel Raynor homestead, constructed in 1783 at South Main Street below Mill Road, for a museum. The intervening World War II years, and extensive damage to the building from a fierce 1944 hurricane, resulted in this Society�s demise.
Efforts to reestablish a historical society resumed twenty years later and on May 7, 1961, the first official meeting of our present Freeport Historical Society was conducted. A temporary charter issued by the New York State Education Department just prior to that time, recognized William J. Kaland, Isabel H. Tree, Kenneth Vought, Edward Vasil and David K. Kadane and their associates and successors as representing a corporation for the purposes of securing, displaying and preserving artifacts and disseminating the history of Freeport�s rich and varied past.
Negotiations to purchase our museum building at 350 South Main Street began during the summer of 1961 and before the year had ended, the Society unofficially opened its doors to the public in spite of major repair and renovation being conducted. An extensive Civil War collection of artifacts that was loaned to the Society by its first president, William J. Kaland, marked the official grand opening of the Freeport Historical Museum in l962. Within five years, the museum mortgage (secured through the benevolent action of several members) was satisfied through a major fundraiser. An additional donation from the Freeport Rotary Club represented the final mortgage payment.
Four decades of Freeport Historical Society sponsored activities have included a wide range of informative and entertaining programs. They include art shows, craft and antique fairs, reenactments, garden parties, and tours. Tours for fourth grade students in the Freeport schools are an important way to pass on our heritage to the younger generation. Twice a year open meetings reflect the interests of the community with presentations that feature genealogical studies, local writers, and Freeport�s history. These activities are in addition to securing, displaying and preserving artifacts from Freeport�s more than three hundred year history.
Located within the bounds of the Raynor Historical Museum building originated as a small bayman�s cottage of the Civil War era. Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Horace Evans, owners of 350 South Main Street for a half-century until its sale to the Society, were responsible for the evolution of this simply adorned, six plus room, four level structure. Uniquely intact, with a poured concrete foundation, the structure contains both low and high ceilings and parts of the original hand-hewn beams are visible in one of its several attics.
The first Freeport Historical Society was established in 1941 by the Hon. Hilbert R. Johnson, Freeport judge and historian, with assistance from numerous other local civic-minded individuals. They then purchased the Daniel Raynor homestead, constructed in 1783 at South Main Street below Mill Road, for a museum. The intervening World War II years, and extensive damage to the building from a fierce 1944 hurricane, resulted in this Society�s demise.
Efforts to reestablish a historical society resumed twenty years later and on May 7, 1961, the first official meeting of our present Freeport Historical Society was conducted. A temporary charter issued by the New York State Education Department just prior to that time, recognized William J. Kaland, Isabel H. Tree, Kenneth Vought, Edward Vasil and David K. Kadane and their associates and successors as representing a corporation for the purposes of securing, displaying and preserving artifacts and disseminating the history of Freeport�s rich and varied past.
Negotiations to purchase our museum building at 350 South Main Street began during the summer of 1961 and before the year had ended, the Society unofficially opened its doors to the public in spite of major repair and renovation being conducted. An extensive Civil War collection of artifacts that was loaned to the Society by its first president, William J. Kaland, marked the official grand opening of the Freeport Historical Museum in l962. Within five years, the museum mortgage (secured through the benevolent action of several members) was satisfied through a major fundraiser. An additional donation from the Freeport Rotary Club represented the final mortgage payment.
Four decades of Freeport Historical Society sponsored activities have included a wide range of informative and entertaining programs. They include art shows, craft and antique fairs, reenactments, garden parties, and tours. Tours for fourth grade students in the Freeport schools are an important way to pass on our heritage to the younger generation. Twice a year open meetings reflect the interests of the community with presentations that feature genealogical studies, local writers, and Freeport�s history. These activities are in addition to securing, displaying and preserving artifacts from Freeport�s more than three hundred year history.
Located within the bounds of the Raynor Historical Museum building originated as a small bayman�s cottage of the Civil War era. Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Horace Evans, owners of 350 South Main Street for a half-century until its sale to the Society, were responsible for the evolution of this simply adorned, six plus room, four level structure. Uniquely intact, with a poured concrete foundation, the structure contains both low and high ceilings and parts of the original hand-hewn beams are visible in one of its several attics.