Interviews with historians, scholars, authors and anyone with a story to tell and a passion for this unique region of New York.
Latest episodes
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31 min
Episode 223: The Baymen's Oral History Group
The waters around Long Island were long known for their bounty. Fish and oysters sustained the indigenous population long before the coming of Europeans, who then developed full fl…
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43 min
Episode 222: Revolutionary Spy David Maltbie with Claire Bellerjeau
The story of Nathan Hale is a foundational myth of the Revolution: an earnest but inexperienced patriot takes on the role of spy and unfortunately ends up a martyr to the cause. Bu…
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32 min
Episode 221 Long Island in the '70s w Joshua Ruff
Today we continue our tour of the Long Island Museum with Joshua Ruff, Co Executive Director, Collections & Programming. This time we're traversing the 1970s through the exhibit Lo…
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38 min
Episode 220: Joshua Ruff, the Revolution, and the Long Island Museum
Join us for a private tour of the exhibit The Seat of Action: Long Island in the American Revolution and Beyond at the Long Island Museum. Running through October of this year, the…
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44 min
Episode 219: Patience Wright w Dr. Zara Anishanslin
There are untold stories of the American Revolution. We've highlighted many that took place on Long Island but today we follow a remarkable life that started on Long Island in the…
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33 min
Episode 218: The Pickled City
Consider the pickle. Whether sour or sweet, sliced or speared, it's a seasoned veteran vegetable with a story to tell. New York plays a big part in that tale, as does Long Island.…
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56 min
Episode 217: Whalemen's Songs w Stephen Sanfilippo
Long Island played a major role in the development of whaling in the Americas. Native Americans along the south shore were well practiced in harvesting whales near the coast. They…
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36 min
Episode 216: Battle of Long Island with Dan Davis of the American Battlefield Trust
The Battle of Long Island went down in history as a major defeat for the fledgling American army and George Washington. The fighting in late August 1776 focused around the Gowanus…
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25 min
Episode 215: The Carnegie Library of Patchogue
The story of the Carnegie Library in Patchogue is a great case study in library history. The village started with an association library in the late 1800s, a subscription-based col…
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60 min
Episode 214: Occupied Long Island: Voices from the American Revolution
Today's episode is a recording of a panel discussion hosted on January 15, 2026 by the Long Island Library Resources Council. The panelists, all notable historians who have researc…
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27 min
Episode 213: Historic Schoolhouses of Long Island w Zach Studenroth
Today we come to praise the one-room schoolhouse of the 19th century (and some of its earlier forebears). Humble in appearance, these buildings might be easy to overlook but their…
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38 min
Episode 212: For Nothing is Hidden with John Valenti
Steven Damman disappeared from outside a supermarket in East Meadow on Halloween day, 1955. He was not yet three years old. Still unsolved, the case has intrigued many over the ens…
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24 min
Episode 211: To Outwit Them All: Agent 355 and Peggy Wirgau
Where history fails to provide, authors of historical fiction can fill the gap. In her new novel To Outwit Them All, author Peggy Wirgau delves into the Revolutionary War history o…
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38 min
Episode 210: Christopher Verga and Nazis of Long Island
Even as Hitler and his Nazi regime ran roughshod over Germany and Europe in the 1930s, there were those in America who championed their rise. And nowhere so much as on Long Island.…
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37 min
Episode 209: Three Village Historical Society Oral Histories
Christian Avenue sits at the heart of the Three Village area on the North Shore of Long Island. Surrounded by Old Fields, Setauket, and Stony Brook it has long been home to a commu…
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42 min
Episode 208: Culper Spy Day
Culper Spy Day has been an annual tradition on Long Island for over a decade. Created by Margo Arceri in conjunction with the Three Village Historical Society, it has grown into a…
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29 min
Episode 207: Oral History with Erica Fugger
Are you curious about the past and love talking to people? Do you have a keen eye for detail and a persistent yet welcoming demeanor? Then oral history may just be right for you! T…
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30 min
Episode 206: Natalie Korsavidis and Farmingdale Local History
Chances are that your local public library has a local history librarian who oversees a rich collection of images, artifacts, and information about your community. Today we highlig…
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39 min
Episode 205: Long Beach Oral Histories
We continue our tour of Long Island-based oral history collections. This time out, Robert Anen (LILRC Project Archivist) and I sat down with the Long Beach Historical & Preservatio…
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34 min
Episode 204: Robert Beattie, Long Island Architect w Richard Beattie
Robert Beattie was many things: an architect, a designer of iconic public buildings on Long Island, and a decorated World War II veteran. But most importantly, he was the father of…