The Three Village Historical Society was founded in 1964 by community members who believe in the power of local history to understand our cultural heritage and shape our future.  The Regents of the University of the State of New York granted the Society a Provisional Charter in 1966 and an Absolute Charter on September 27, 1968.

 

For thirty-four years, the Society had been operating out of rented and borrowed space. On May 14, 1998, the Historical Society purchased its first headquarters building from the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA). The new headquarters building gives the Society a physical presence in the community and establishes a cultural area on North Country Road with the neighboring Thompson House and Gallery North.  The two story farmhouse, located at 93 North Country Road in Setauket, NY, belonged to Ebenezer Bayles and later to Stephen Swezey. It has a central chimney and gable. The house, built about 1800, is located adjacent to the Thompson House (1700), an historic property belonging to the Ward Melville Heritage Organization. In 1961, the New York Telephone Company donated the Ebenezer Bayles/Stephen Swezey house to SPLIA. SPLIA moved the house from its original site 300 yards south on North Country Road to its present location on 2.2 acres at the intersection of North Country Road and Ridgeway Avenue. The house, now 2,500 square feet, has been converted into offices with the addition of a north wing lined with concrete blocks to provide fire proof storage space.

 

In addition to exhibits in the Bayles-Swezey House, the Three Village Historical Society continues its goal to educate the community about local history through events, walking tours, and educational programs. The building contains the offices of the Society’s Director, School Programs, Community Programs Coordinator, and Business Manager. The handicapped-accessible historic Bayles-Swezey House has exhibits on local history which are open to the public, Sundays 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., and by appointment. Archival material is maintained in The Captain Edward R. Rhodes Memorial Collection of Local History which is housed in the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket. Our archivist will provide help with research using our collections, by appointment, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For an appointment call our archivist, Karen Martin, at (631) 751- 4775.