Oyster Bay History

You know Oyster Bay is famous for oysters and Theodore Roosevelt. But do you know that Raynham Hall, the family seat of the Townsends, Oyster Bay's "first family", is also the home of the first Valentine?

It seems Sarah "Sally" Townsend, sister of the Revolutionary War spy, Robert Townsend -- Culper Jr. of the Culper Spy Ring -- was a mighty popular young lady. One officer, who signed himself James McGill, showed his appreciation by etching "The adorable Miss Sally Townsend" into a handy window pane! Another, Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe of the Queens Rangers, while quartered at the Townsend family home, sent Sally the first documented American Valentine on February 14, 1779.

You can read the Valentine on the Raynham Hall Museum website. Or better yet, see it and the etched glass tributes for yourself by visiting the Museum in person.

The unveiling in October 2005 of the TR Statue in Oyster Bay overshadowed another historic event on the same day -- the dedication of the 1889 Oyster Bay railroad station as a National Historic Place. The station, which Teddy Roosevelt frequented, is being restored as the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum. Interior partitions from the 1960s have been removed, bricks and trim restored, and a new roof installed. Joining forces to shape the Oyster Bay Rail Road Museum are the Town of Oyster Bay, the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), the Oyster Bay Historical Society (OBHS), the Friends of Locomotive #35, and the Station Restoration Committee.

This historic station house which saw Theodore Roosevelt off and welcomed him back countless times will now be leased to the Town of Oyster Bay with Locomotive #35 here in the yard.... Rolling stock such as cabooses and passenger cars will also be on display; and informational exhibits will be housed in this old train station, which should make Oyster Bay an even more popular destination for train and history buffs in the near future.

The LIRR turned the historic station over to the museum last February, but it still needs funding. A good starting point to learning more about the station, its turntable (only one of two left on Long Island), and steam locomotive #35, is Trains are Fun's page of photos, links and information. Dave Morrison, chair of the Station Restoration Committe, offers several albums of historic and restoration photos.