The Earle-Wightman House at 20 Summit Street is owned by the Town of Oyster Bay and operated by the Oyster Bay Historical Society as its headquarters, research library, and museum. The Society, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1960 with the singular purpose of preserving the history of the Oyster Bay community.

Originally built on South Street around 1720 as a small, one-room dwelling, pictured on our Kids Tour page, the house grew over the next 150 years to its current size. During that time the house had several owners. As the 19th century began, two successive Baptist ministers, the Reverend Marmaduke Earle and the Reverend Charles S. Wightman (after whom the house is named), made their home here. In 1966 the house was donated to the Town for the Society's use by Bruce Wood Hall and was moved to Summit Street.

If you think it looks familiar, you may be right. The Earle-Wightman House was featured recently in an A&E Network special, "Haunted History", which aired for the first time on Sunday, October 27 1996. The Oyster Bay segment focused on the history of the museum and included an interview with our director, Mr. Thomas A. Kuehhas.

Recently, through the efforts of the North Country Garden Club, the grounds of the Earle-Wightman House became the setting for an 18th century garden which is at once restful and historic.

The whole fabric of the Town's fascinating history from colonial times to the present is interpreted by the Oyster Bay Historical Society at our historic Earle-Wightman House headquarters.

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