Kids love our hands-on tours which warp time and make the past come alive. Our time machine makes regular stops --

(Adults whose sense of wonder still works will also fit in our time machine.)

Big kids at OBHS are getting their own toys to play with, now that our Railroad Project is underway. In the works are a railroad museum, and one day soon, excursion rides powered by Long Island Rail Road Locomotive #35, now being restored. Kids will be accomodated too -- on standby!

Tourists put our historic Earle-Wightman House Museum with its 18th century garden high on their list of must-see Long Island sights. Located at 20 Summit St in the hamlet of Oyster Bay, we're easy to get to by train or car as you can see from the interactive map furnished by Mapquest. Plenty of free parking. Easy access for the disabled. Open every day but Monday (Tues-Fri 10-2; Sat 9-1; Sun 1-4). Special tours by arrangement. Admission is never more than $1.50, with kids and members free.

Groucho, who purportedly wouldn't want to join any society that would have him as a member, raves about the benefits of membership in the The Oyster Bay Historical Society. We know he's been spotted at the annual Antique Auto Show tooting a vintage Studebaker's horn in unison with Harpo. Marx relations have also been seen at the Old Fashioned Children's Fair, the Revolutionary War Encampment, and at several of the 20/20 Series of Lectures. And wasn't that Chico playing his brand of piano at the Annual Candlelight Dinner in December?

Our director, Tom Kuehhas, says that the ghost of Teddy Roosevelt, "the president from Oyster Bay", is occasionally sighted in our library, apparently planning his next campaign. We can't promise you'll meet T.R., but we know you'll find plenty of material about him, his Sagamore Hill home, his family, and the town he loved so well on the shelves in our reading room. And that's just for starters! (Members, of course, can do their historical reading in the comfort of their own living rooms as they enjoy our quarterly history magazine, The Freeholder! To see why members rave about our magazine, you can sample it online. )

You don't have to be a member to sample our fascinating collections of vintage photographs and early documents from our primary website. From 18th century chattel deeds showing the sale of slaves to a crisp, clear view of downtown Oyster Bay (ice cream and post cards for sale) at the start of the 20th century, it's all online now!

The Underhill, Wright, Seaman, Coles, Jones, Pearsall, Mudge, and Townsend families call us at (516) 922-5032, send us email, and write us at Box 297, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 to ask for help in tracing their families' roots in Oyster Bay. Scholars, too, are impressed with our original genealogical resources. With so much happening at the Oyster Bay Historical Society, be sure to call ahead to arrange your trip. We wouldn't want you to be disappointed.

For more information about the Oyster Bay Historical Society, visit our primary website, where you'll find detailed travel directions, our calendar of current events, the scoop on our publications, and, of course, membership applications.