Three Village Historical Society

06/07/2026

Another sold out tour 👟

06/06/2026

👕 fashion + history = joy 👕

At the Three Village Historical Society + Museum we celebrate the stories that make our community whole.

Our mission is to preserve, protect, and share the history of the people who have shaped this region. Local history means everyone's history, and every story deserves to be remembered.

By honoring and collecting diverse voices and experiences, we help ensure that future generations inherit a richer, more complete understanding of our shared past.

🌈 That's why we are launching our first line of new merch for 2026 in response to overwhelming love for our colorful logo. Choose your favorite style shirts in your favorite colors and they will ship right to you.

Every purchase directly supports the grassroots work of the historical society!

Want yours? This batch runs til the end of June, or until we reach 50 shirts so don't wait!

Just one more way TVHS is staying revolutionary 😎

06/05/2026

⌛️ Founders Day ⏳

Nearly 400 Three Village students
More than 20 years of impact
One community committed to preserving its shared heritage

This spring, fourth-grade students from across the Three Village Central School District stepped out of the classroom and into history during the Three Village Historical Society's annual Founders Day program.

Through the Vance Locke murals, guided walking tours of the Original Settlement of Brookhaven, and conversations with local historians and volunteers, students explored the people, places, and events that helped shape our community over the past 371 years.

For more than two decades, Founders Day has provided this experience FREE of charge to every fourth-grade student in the district, ensuring that all children have the opportunity to connect with the history of the place they call home, regardless of circumstance.

Programs like Founders Day remain free for every student thanks to the dedication of our team of 30+ volunteers, our incredible community partners, and supporters who believe local history education matters.

Today's students are tomorrow's storytellers, caretakers, and community leaders. TVHS is honored to help them discover the stories that connect us all.

Founders Day by the numbers:

❤️ 386 students
🏫 37 teachers and teaching assistants
🚶 26 volunteer tour guides
📖 20 years of service to our community
💰 $0 cost to the community

06/03/2026

🌾 Archive Wednesday | The Octagon Barn of Stony Brook 🌾

Last week, we explored one of the gardens and green spaces that have shaped our community. This week, in anticipation of our Barn & Garden Tour, we’re highlighting one of Stony Brook’s most unusual historic structures: the Octagon Barn.

Tucked along a quiet, shaded lane just east of Main Street, this remarkable octagonal building was constructed in the mid-19th century, likely by Captain George W. Davis (1824–1886), as a combined barn and carriage house. Built into a hillside, the design allowed livestock to be housed on the lower level while carriages and farm equipment were stored above.

By 1938, the barn had been converted into a private residence, and still is, helping preserve the structure while adapting it for modern life. More than 150 years later, it remains one of the most distinctive architectural landmarks in the Three Village area.

Octagon barns and houses are rare throughout the United States. Many were inspired by 19th-century writer and reformer Orson Squire Fowler (1809-1887), who promoted octagonal buildings as more efficient and better lit than traditional designs. The Stony Brook Octagon Barn is one of the few surviving examples on Long Island and was even featured in a March 24, 1985 New York Times article on the region’s remaining octagonal buildings, where it was described as “possibly the first octagonal structure built on Long Island.”

One of our favorite pieces of history connected to the barn is the above postcard mailed in 1943 after its conversion into a home. The sender wrote:

“Dear Steve, I thought you would like to see the barn. I was up there over the Fourth of July. Lots of luck, Frank Simco.”

Hidden among the trees and easy to overlook, the Octagon Barn remains a reminder of the agricultural heritage, architectural innovation, and craftsmanship that helped shape Stony Brook’s past.

Join us on June 13 from 11 AM–4 PM for our Barn & Garden Tour and discover more of the historic barns, gardens, and landscapes that continue to tell the story of our community🏠🌳

06/02/2026

🕊️ freedom, equality, and power 🕊️

Long before Long Island became the communities we know today, Quaker families helped shape its social, cultural, and educational landscape.

Their influence can still be found in the region's history: from early anti-slavery efforts and relationships with Native communities to schools, meeting houses, and traditions of civic engagement.

Join historian Karly Hoenzsch for an exploration of the Quaker experience on Long Island and the lasting impact of a community whose beliefs challenged convention and helped shape generations of Long Islanders.

Through stories of faith, activism, and everyday life, discover how Quaker ideals continue to resonate in our communities today.

TVHS presents this free lecture on Monday, June 22 at 7 pm at the Setauket Neighborhood House

05/31/2026

For more than twenty years, Founders Day has provided every fourth-grade student in the district with the opportunity to experience local history where it happened - at no cost to schools or families.

The program reflects the Society's commitment to ensuring that community history remains accessible, relevant, and meaningful for future generations.

Read our new blog post here:

Nearly 400 fourth-grade students stepped out of the classroom and into history this spring as part of the Three Village Historical Society & Museum's annual Founders Day program, a longstanding partnership with the Three Village Central School District that has connected generations of young people....

05/27/2026

🌿 Archive Wednesday | Three Village Garden Club and Frank Melville Memorial Park🌿

After all the rain this past weekend, many of us probably found ourselves wishing for a little more sunshine, fresh air, and time outdoors. So this Archive Wednesday, we’re looking back at the history of gardens, parks, and community green spaces in the Three Village area through the legacy of the Three Village Garden Club and its founder, Jennie F. Melville.

Founded on May 1, 1929, the club brought together an extraordinary group of women passionate not only about gardening, but also about conservation and improving the community through environmental stewardship.

Following the death of her husband Frank Melville Jr. in 1935, Jennie envisioned creating a public park in his memory as a lasting expression of both her love for the community and her commitment to preserving its natural beauty. Pictured here is the 1937 dedication ceremony of Frank Melville Memorial Park in Setauket, established by Jennie Melville and her son, Ward Melville. Today, the 24-acre park remains one of the Three Village area’s most treasured natural and historic landscapes.

The Garden Club continues to maintain the 4.6-acre Nature Sanctuary along Conscience Bay thanks to a historic land donation by Mrs. Ward Melville (Dorothy Bigelow), preserving the space as a quiet place for reflection and connection with nature.

Inspired by these historic landscapes and gardens? Join us for TVHS’s second annual Historic Barn & Garden Tour on Saturday, June 13th from 11 AM–4 PM, featuring private gardens and historic properties throughout Setauket and Stony Brook open for one day only.
Tickets + info: tvhs.org/barnandgarden

🌸 Club Founder: Jennie F. Melville
🌸 Established: May 1, 1929
🌸 Club Flower: Iris
🌸 Club Color: Forget-me-not Blue

Picture 1: Frank Melville Memorial Park Dedication, Jennie Melville giving a speech with Ward Melville pictured in the background, c. 1937

Picture 2: Frank Melville Memorial Park Dedication, Jennie Melville with Robert Moses, c. 1937

Picture 3 : Frank Melville Memorial Park Dedication, Ceremony Of Presentation Pamphlet, c. 1937