We are pleased to announce that over 500 documents from our manuscript collection, spanning three centuries of Long Island history, are now accesible to the public through the East Hampton Library’s Digital Long Island Collection.
Since its founding in 1948, Preservation Long Island has curated one of New York’s most significant regional collections of historical artifacts. Our holdings include more than 3,000 objects and 185 cubic feet of archival materials. This new collaboration provides public access to a selection of 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century documents, offering insights into Long Island’s social, cultural, political, and economic histories.
Highlights of the digitized materials include:
Colonel Smith’s “Minute Men” ledger orders: Records from 1776 detailing the efforts of Long Island’s renowned “Minute Men,” who defended against British forces advancing from Staten Island.
The military log book belonging to Colonel Josiah Smith, commander of Long Island’s Minute Men, contains a list of the officers serving under him, an account of cash received from the state and miscellaneous army orders of the day covering the month of August, 1776, when the British on Staten Island were about to land on Long Island.
An order of the day dated August 23rd says “The enemy having now landed on Long Island, the hour is fast approaching on which the honor and success of this army and the safety of our bleeding country depends.”
The Henry Packer Dering Letters: Personal correspondence from one of Sag Harbor’s first US Customs Masters, offering glimpses into daily life during the early American period.
A project of the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection, Digital Long Island is a comprehensive online resource for researchers, historians, students, and anyone interested in exploring Long Island’s past. The collection includes searchable scans of deeds, maps, letters, oral histories, legal documents, photographs, and other materials, making it an invaluable tool for studying the region’s history.
“We applaud this enormous effort, which increases accessibility to our collections, expands our audience, and—importantly—enhances our engagement with both scholars and the general public,” said Jackie Powers, Executive Director of Preservation Long Island. “From poems and recipes to song lyrics and whaling ship logs, this is a fascinating treasure trove worth exploring.”
“This project doubles the amount of our holdings that are currently digitized,” noted Lauren Brincat, Chief Curator and Director of Collections at Preservation Long Island. “Collaborating with the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection helps bring to light new stories that may be relevant to a broader audience while also enhancing public knowledge of Long Island’s history and cultural heritage.”
The Preservation Long Island collection of documents are available online through the DigitalLongIsland.org portal on the East Hampton Library’s website.
Click the image below to read Newsday feature about the collaboration!
