Henry L. Ferguson Museum

Innovative Animal Adaptations
2026-08-26 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | NY
Discover the world of biomicry and learn about human inventions that were inspired by animals and plants in the wild. Explore hands-on activities to replicate some of the incredible adaptations that animals have perfected over millions of years. Meet DPNC ambassador animals and observe their innovative adaptations!
WHEN: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum.
Attendance is limited to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

Step onto Race Rock. Visit inside the lighthouse! - 2nd Day Added
2026-08-29 10:00 - 13:00
Visit Inside Race Rock Lighthouse
For the first time in three years, the New London Maritime Society in partnership with the HLF Museum is offering a limited number of trips to visit inside Race Rock Lighthouse. but due to high demand, these tours sold out quickly! Because of this, we are happy to add an extra tour day so more people can experience this remarkable feat of 19th-century engineering!
WHAT: There will be four more trips
WHEN: Saturday, August 29 – 2nd DAY ADDED!
WHERE: Departing from Silver Eel Cove on Fishers Island, NY, next to the Fishers Island Ferry dock. (Passengers coming from the mainland will take the Fishers Island Ferry and connect with the tour.)
TIME: Trips depart on the hour at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 noon, and 1 PM. (For each departure we estimate you will return in 1 hour 45 minutes.)

Get TicketsThe Race Rock Experience
Space is very limited. Each Race Rock trip is limited to six passengers.
To reach Race Rock Light Station, we take a landing craft out to the lighthouse.
Once there, you’ll have approximately 45 minutes to explore Race Rock Light before returning to Fishers Island.
Landing at Race Rock requires some physical dexterity. You don’t have to be a Ninja, but you will need to balance on the edge of the boat and climb directly up a ladder to reach the lighthouse platform.
Everyone must sign a waiver of liability before boarding.
All passengers must wear a life jacket, provided by us, while in transit.
Appropriate footwear is also required: deck shoes or sneakers only—no sandals or flip-flops.
Weather & Safety
Trips are weather-dependent. Wind conditions can change quickly, and there is always the possibility of a last-minute cancellation. Our captain makes the final decision, and your safety is our primary concern.
Please check your email before leaving for the dock for any last-minute changes or cancellations. If the tour is canceled because of weather, we will notify you by email.
If you want to take a chance on a last-minute opening, please call 203-444-2884.
About Race Rock Light Station
Race Rock Light Station is a remarkable feat of 19th-century engineering. The lighthouse consists of a two-and-one-half-story Gothic Revival-style granite masonry keeper’s dwelling with an integral three-and-one-half-story tower. The 67-foot-high tower has an octagonal cast-iron lantern and gallery surrounded by a wrought-iron railing. The station also contains six brick-lined rooms in the basement and dwelling.
Construction of Race Rock Light was an engineering feat directed over seven years by New London’s own Captain T. A. Scott. The lighthouse was first lit in 1878. For 139 years, Race Rock’s red lantern and foghorn guided mariners through the roiling currents at the Race.
In 2013, Race Rock Light Station was entrusted to the New London Maritime Society by the federal government through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
Race Rock Light Station (1878), along with New London Harbor Light (established 1760; current tower 1801) and Ledge Light (1909) at the mouth of the Thames River, forms a pathway of beacons leading from the Atlantic Ocean to the historic port of New London. All three lights are now owned by the New London Maritime Society.
Proceeds from these tours support the restoration and preservation of our local lighthouses.
Tour Prices
Adults: $135
NLMS Members: $110
Your ticket also includes:

Free admission to the Custom House Maritime Museum ($10 value)
10% discount in the Museum Shop

Tickets are non-refundable unless there is a weather cancellation. All tours are weather-dependent, so please check your email inbox before departing for the dock.
Important Information
Food and drink, except for water, are not permitted on the boat.
For safety reasons, no alcoholic beverages are permitted.
Appropriate footwear is required: deck shoes or sneakers. No sandals or flip-flops.
All passengers must wear a life jacket while in transit.
All passengers must sign a waiver of liability before boarding.
Please check your email before the trip for weather updates and any last-minute changes or cancellations.
Please make your reservation immediately—space is limited!
Thank you for your support of our historic lighthouses.

The Blue Humanities: Reimagining America’s Maritime History
2026-08-30 16:00 - 17:00
Join us at the Museum for an illustrated talk by Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York, Christopher L. Pastore, who will give a fast-paced tour through America’s maritime history and explore how and why sea stories have changed over time.
During the early twentieth centuries maritime topics drew considerable interest, but by the second half the ocean’s past had fallen from favor. More recently, historians, geographers, and literary scholars have breathed new life into salty subjects, filling shelves with books organized around the idea of the “blue humanities.” Intended for fishermen, sailors, and beach combers alike, this lecture explores why the field has faced this ebb and flood—and provides a winter reading list in the process.
WHEN: Sunday, August 30, 2026
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarChristopher L. Pastore
Christopher L. Pastore is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he teaches courses in environmental history, early America, and the Atlantic world. He holds a Ph.D. in American History and M.S. in college teaching from the University of New Hampshire, an M.F.A. in nonfiction Creative Writing from New School University, and a B.A. in Biology from Bowdoin College. He is the author of Temple to the Wind: The Story of America’s Greatest Naval Architect and His Masterpiece, Reliance (Lyons Press, 2005) and Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England (Harvard University Press, 2014). He is currently writing an environmental history of the Atlantic world with working title of A Thousand Thousand Slimy Things: A Natural History of the Sea from the Bottom Up.
PHOTO CREDIT: Winslow Homer, Boys in a Dory, 1873, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88457097810
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Webinar ID: 884 5709 7810
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdL7znbQy7
