Welcome to our photo gallery. We are pleased to be able to share with you a few of the many hundreds of interesting and informative photographs in the archives at our Summit Street Museum. If you like what you see in our slides, won't you consider helping us to display more of our collection on the web? Of course, if you live nearby or are planning a trip to Oyster Bay, you are welcome to call (516 922-5032) or email to make arrangements to view the collection in person.

Miller's Cottage (c. 1914)

West Shore Rd. located west of old Townsend mill; built late 17th or early 18th century; destroyed by fire c. 1920.
Photo of family in front of cottage, family identification on back of photo: Elizabeth A. Appleford and Wellington S. Appleford, (grandparents); Ida M. Verity, (daughter); Frank Verity, Jr., (grandson); "Lud", dog.
Wellington Appleford was a Civil War veteran, having served with the "Mounted Rifles, New York Volunteers" as shown by his discharge papers in the Historical Society's archives.

Peter N. Layton Shop (c. 1902)

Bay Avenue.
Peter N. Layton, Oyster Bay Road Carts, Carriage Builder & Painter" on front of building; sign with "P.N. Layton, Horse Shoeing" on right corner of building; eleven men and boys standing in front of shop.
Peter Layton built a special type of light carriage called a "road cart" in this modern shop on Bay Avenue. He also built auto bodies for cars and trucks, including several early fire engines for Oyster Bay's fire companies. The building is still extant, though greatly altered; a terrible fire in 1929 completely gutted the second floor.

Original Steam Pumper, Atlantic Steamer Fire Company (1916)

Photo of horsedrawn brass pumper with 3 members. Pumper decorated for the 4th of July parade, 1916. Harry Perrine, Driver; Bill Hefner, next to driver, with flag; William Lent mans the firebox in rear; East Main St., Oyster Bay
The steam pumper was built by the Silsby Manufacturing Company of Elmira, New York and purchased by Oyster Bay's new Atlantic Steamer Fire Company in 1895 for $3,000. It could deliver 300 gallons of water per minute at 120 pounds per square inch pressure. (For more information on Oyster Bay's fire services, see Historical Society trustee John Hammond's book When the Sirens Sound)

Anna & Waverly Wright (c. 1900)

Anna and Thomas Waverly Wright were the children of Joseph Warren Wright and Mary (Smith) White of Oyster Bay. Waverly, as he was known, was born Sept. 20, 1888 and died Dec. 25, 1918. He was an active member of Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 and is shown in many photographs in the Society's collections of World War I era parades, usually driving an automobile. His sister, Anna, born Oct. 26, 1889, married John Doughty of Brooklyn in 1914 and had a son, Benjamin George, born in 1917.
The Oyster Bay Wrights can trace their roots back to one of the original settlers of the Town, Peter Wright, who also was one of the original purchasers of the "Town Spot" (see Oyster Bay History page for more information).

Oyster Bay Baseball Team (1904)

This photograph of the 1904 "Oyster Bay Nine" was found in an attic in Hicksville some years ago. From left standing, John Hill, Chester Robinson, Scotty Thompson, and Lee Townsend; middle row, Jim Thompson and James "Pin" Earle; front row seated, Ed Knapp, Danny Murray, (unidentified), Red Cody, James H. Vernon and Fred Vernon. Their manager was Dr. James Hall, a local physician. The team had to travel great distances to play worthwhile opponents, including road games in Stamford, Ct; Canarsie, Brooklyn; and West Farms, The Bronx. They played their home games on the "Cow Lot" field at the intersection of West Main and Spring Streets.

Oyster Bay High School Administrators and Faculty (1909)

Anstice St. High School. The first class graduated in 1900.
The gentleman on the left is Thomas Colby, Principal of the original high school on Anstice Street, and third from the left is Julia Thurston, Preceptress and head of the English Department. Obviously the remaining faculty members are all women and probably all unmarried, as was common practice in public education at the time. Skirts and coats were long -- and hats were large and distinctive!

Child with Lamb on Halter (c. 1875)

This photograph of a child with a pet lamb is believed to have been taken at the Seeley-Wright House on West Main Street, opposite Raynham Hall. We believe it might be one of the Seeley children but no positive identification has been made.

Classroom in New High School Building (c. 1930)

East Main St.
We are currently querying residents of Oyster Bay regarding the members of the class portrayed in this photograph. We only have a few identified so far, but we will post the names as we uncover them! (Let us know if you recognize anyone.)

Mill Neck Grist Mill (c. 1885)

Sorry, we don't have more information ready yet, but we thought you'd like to examine the photo anyway.

Alger Cottage (c. 1870)

An interesting photograph shows the "Alger Cottage" at 75 Cove Road as it appeared shortly after the Civil War. At some point over the years, three little dormers were added to the roof, but otherwise nothing important has changed.
Madame Jacques Alger, longtime owner, died in 1925. At that time, her house was believed to be about 130 years old. The walls are unusually thick, and there are several interesting features which include an ancient cellar. At one time, the "Alger Cottage" was reportedly a grain and feed store, possibly because of its proximity to the steamboat docks (Steamboat Landing Road is across the way.)

Big Ben Food Market (1954)

South St.
This building, shown when it was only thirty years old, already had quite a history. Originally built as an Oddfellows Temple (the Oddfellows were a popular fraternal organization) in 1924, overcrowding caused the Oyster Bay School District to rent the first floor for additional classroom space until 1929, when the new school building opened. Subsequently the first floor was used as a rollerskating rink for several years in the early 1930s, prior to the grand opening of the Big Ben Market in 1937. Eventually, the Oddfellows sold the building to Oyster Bay Fire Company Number 1, whose 1895 frame firehouse on Summit Street was considered to be beyond repair. It is still home to the fire company, who purchased the adjacent land to the south, the original site of the Historical Society's Earle-Wightman House, for parking. The old house was moved to its current location in 1966, ironically on the site of the former firehouse, which had burned down.

Sagamore Water Company Building (c. 1913)

The Sagamore Water Company was founded in 1913 with the intention of profiting from the plentiful supply of Oyster Bay's artesian well water. The water was pumped from a well located near their building in "The Battery" (at the end of South Street) and shipped on barges to businesses in New York City and elsewhere. Local deliveries were made by wagon, as shown in the photo.

Corner of South and West Main Streets, Looking North (c. 1906)

This popular photo of South Street and, in particular, Snouder's Corner tells us much about life in Oyster Bay, circa 1906. The lack of vehicular traffic is apparent as the two young ladies stroll across the dirt road. In contrast, there are thirteen bicycles visible as a convenient means of quiet, efficient transportation.

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