Partygoers Celebrate Southampton’s 375th Anniversary At Halsey House Gala

It was yet another successful party for Southampton Historical Museum, who hosted their annual Halsey House Gala on Saturday, July 11th. This year mixed old traditions with some new twists, and the gardens of the historic Thomas Halsey Homestead was packed with guests who wanted to support the Museum and also celebrate the 375th anniversary of Southampton.

“We really decided to up the game this year,” shared Gala co-chair Linda Stabler-Talty. “It’s always been a great party and successful, but we thought we needed to jazz it up.” To elevate this year’s benefit, they brought in a DJ and sought out more auctions items. Guests thoroughly enjoyed the extra touches, as attendees could be seen dancing all night and the additional prizes fared well for both the Museum and auction winners.

It was truly a beautiful night for an outdoor party and guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and drinks as they sat around tables, enjoyed the music, and reconnected with old friends. Of course, like previous years, there were partygoers dressed in colonial attire and the night ended with the ceremonial gun fires by the colonial soldiers. “We’ve been doing it for 15 years, and it’s a very local event celebrating the history of Southampton,” said committee co-chair Peter Hallock.

Southampton Historical Museum is currently in the process of expanding a summer favorite. “We are revamping the Halsey garden to make it a teaching garden,” shared Tish Rehill, a member of the Board of Trustees. Rehill was very involved in creating the new garden, which includes herbs that would have been used by the settlers who first arrived in Southampton. “It allows us to bring children in and really have some focus on what life was like.” While creating the garden, the Museum discovered a landfill with items that were used by the Pelletreau, Reeve and White families. This area was blocked off and on display for the partygoers to see.

Proceeds from the evening benefited the Southampton Historical Museum’s Halsey House, which is the oldest house in Southampton. “It’s a fun party and I think that all ages understand that they are contributing to the community,” Stabler-Talty noted.

Southampton Historical Museum is located at 17 Meeting House Lane in Southampton. For more information, call 631-283-2494 or visit www.southamptonhistoricalmuseum.org.