THE HENRY L. FERGUSON MUSEUM SPECIAL EXHIBIT 2025 PASSAGES A PUBLIC SCULPTURE OVER TIME 1980 – 2025 CURATED BY HLFM DIRECTOR PIERCE RAFFERTY Passages, a sculpture by Harriet Brickman, was built on South Beach, Fishers Island in the summer of 1980. Initially there were 18 fragments of a female figure;
Middle Farms Nest Update June 2026 Mom with three chicks under grackle attack June 6, 2026. We have sad news from the Middle Farms osprey nest–two of the three hatchlings did not make it. These things unfortunately occur in nature, but we were cautiously optimistic after learning from Vicki Rafferty
The Henry L. Ferguson Museum Newsletter 2026 From the President: After this winter’s serial storms and low temperatures, I can’t wait to get back to Fishers for warmth, sunshine, friends, and Museum events. One of our primary goals set forth in our new strategic plan is to increase engagement across our community with year-round
How to Bury Treasure A Field Guide to Designing Treasure Hunts By Mike McNamara, Board Member Local legend holds that over three hundred years ago, Captain William Kidd came ashore at Fishers Island by night and buried some of his treasure on the Island’s east end. Academics dismiss the story, pointing to
A Sampling of Acquisitions for the Museum’s Collections Real photo postcard published by G.L. Thompson depicting the moving of disappearing gun barrel over temporary tracks on current site of F.I. School, circa 1910s. Original stock certificate for Fishers Island Telegraph Company, 1888. Unsigned. Photo of Steamer Restless by
A Sampling of Donations to the Museum’s Collection in 2025 Please note that this is not a complete list, and we greatly appreciate all of your donations. Carol Dailey. Watercolor painting by noted American artist and illustrator Nicholas Solovioff (1927-1994) of Race Rock Light and surrounding islands as seen from Race Point,
Island History How the Museum Grew with Its Collections by Pierce Rafferty, HLFM Director Adding History to the First Museum The Museum was founded in 1960 to honor prominent Fishers Island civic and business leader Henry L. Ferguson. Originally located in a rented 600-square foot storefront in Baker Cottage, across from today’s
Mapping the Future: Advancing Eelgrass Monitoring in Long Island Sound by Hannah Vagts, Project Manager, FISMC Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is essential to coastal ecosystems like Long Island Sound. Eelgrass meadows provide critical habitat for numerous marine species and contribute to improved water quality, reduced coastal erosion, and carbon sequestration. Understanding the
Bringing Back the Ospreys by David R. Zimmerman Excerpted from Newsday (Suffolk Edition), Sunday, Aug 20, 1972 ·Page 222 Newsletter editor’s note: The following article brings to light the history of a project in the late 1960s to move healthy Osprey eggs from nests in the Chesapeake Bay area to nests
Why Count Ospreys? by Jack Schneider, Land Trust Manager Already three eggs in Osprey Cam nest by April 25, 2026. Ospreys are central to the Museum’s identity. The species was chosen as the Museum’s iconic logo and is the star of two of the Museum’s important wildlife observation programs: (1) the
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F.I. Sketchbook 2005
