Brightwaters' past is present at historical society's first event

Before Brightwaters became a village, it was a model community — built as a summer getaway for the New York City elite.

City developer T.B. Ackerson was drawn to the area’s natural beauty and proximity to Bay Shore, a built-up hamlet with, at the time, an opera house, film studio, stores, hotels and a stop on the Long Island Rail Road. He purchased the first tract of land that would become part of Brightwaters in 1907.

That’s according to a presentation on July 8 at the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Public Library by local historians and hosted by the year-old Brightwaters Historical Society.

The lecture and art exhibit, with more than 100 people in attendance, was the inaugural event hosted by the historical society, which marked its anniversary in June after members spent the past year on a mission to preserve and share Brightwaters history with residents.

Bay Shore, a neighboring hamlet, has a historical society, but “Brightwaters has its own spirit, its own vibe,” said Marykate Moley, chair of the historical society, who was part of the effort to found the group last summer.

Since its formation, the historical society — composed of volunteers from the village — has focused on categorizing and archiving documents and records stored in the basement of village hall, according to officials with the group.

The nonprofit also has been digitizing records to improve accessibility for residents, said Michael Greve, marketing director for the historical society. Some records are being scanned “in-house,” but the group also kicked off the summer with a trip to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.

Brightwaters volunteers carted boxes of records to the genealogical society’s New York City headquarters in late May as part of the Manhattan nonprofit’s "Digitize New York" initiative, launched last year to digitize and publish online records from communities around the state.

The initiative fits with the historical society’s mission, which Greve described as an effort “to create awareness and increase access to the rich history that the village has.”

“Nobody was really doing that before,” Moley said of historical efforts in the village, adding the group has put together a “history room” in Brightwaters Village Hall that's open to the public on request.

The event earlier this month was a celebration of the 117th anniversary of the groundbreaking to build the village, Greve said, an initiative planned with the Brightwaters Art Council, which put together an exhibit of works that pay homage to the origins of the village.

Brian McCurdy, who was a village trustee in the ’90s, said he’s “very pleased” with the new group.

The Brightwaters resident, who lives near the library and attended the lecture, said he has a few village artifacts at home that he plans to give to the historical society.

Forming the organization wasn’t a thought for the village back when he was on the board, McCurdy said, adding: “It’s too bad it’s taken so long to happen.”

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.