NEW EXHIBITS
Embark on a journey through time at our Maple Lane Campus of historic buildings and the Nautical Museum at Horton Point Lighthouse where unexpected artifacts and all new exhibits reveal fascinating stories from centuries past.
The 2025 Special Exhibits at the Maple Lane Campus and the Nautical Museum at Horton Point are open Saturday and Sunday, Memorial Day weekend through mid-September.
We welcome private group tours throughout the year by appointment!
2025 Exhibits:
Maple Lane Campus
Special Exhibit: Sailing: Southold Yacht Club
Since 1640 when thirteen families from the New Haven (Connecticut) Colony sailed into Town Creek, Southold, sailing has been an important part of life for the North Fork community.
In 1933 a group of young men living on Town Creek imagined a sailing club for recreational racing. In 1938 the Southold Yacht Club (SYC), a small family-oriented, volunteer-driven club was organized at Founder’s Landing with a mission of making sailing accessible to the North Fork community. In 1969 SYC built their historic clubhouse and boatyard on Southold Bay beachfront next to the Goose Creek Beach.
This exhibit includes the story of the SYC, which today provides an educational Junior Sailing Program promoting seamanship, sportsmanship and a lifelong interest in sailing for young people in the community. Collegiate and Olympic sailors have been part of the SYC program. The club is part of the Peconic Gardiners Junior Sailing Association, which hosts the annual two-day Carol Smith Regatta in Southold Bay. SYC has also hosted the World’s Longest Sunfish Race, around Shelter Island, NY for the past 53 years.
The exhibit is open to the public 1:00 PM - 4:00PM weekends through mid-Sept. at Southold Historical Museum’s Maple Lane Museum Campus, 55200 Main Road, Southold.
Maple Lane Campus
Special Exhibit: This Land is Made for You and Me!
Step into the past and learn about the laborers and their families who worked the land and lived in migrant camps in Southold, NY. Join us at the Maple Lane Campus Reichert Family Barn on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm for this special exhibit, This Land is Made for You and Me. Immerse yourself in the images and stories that shed light on this part of history and take the opportunity to explore and reflect. Admission is included with regular entry.
The exhibit is open to the public 1:00 PM - 4:00PM weekends through mid-Sept. at Southold Historical Museum’s Maple Lane Museum Campus, 55200 Main Road, Southold.
Special Exhibit: Going Places: Ferry Companies of the Long Island Sound
Part of the job of the Horton Point Lighthouse keepers was to watch the hundreds of ships that cruised Long Island sound, and to stay alert to possible accidents.
Hundreds of sailing and steam powered vessels made their way along the protected waters of the sound to shoreline communities throughout the year. By the mid-nineteenth century a large number of ferry lines had been established to bring travelers to various points around the northeast. Travelers could leave lower Manhattan and travel in luxury to destinations not only on Long Island, but also Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Visit Horton Point Lighthouse and learn about some of the many ferry lines that traveled up and down Long Island Sound.
The exhibit is open to the public 1:00 PM - 4:00PM weekends through mid-Sept. at the Nautical Museum at Horton Point Lighthouse, 3575 Lighthouse Rd., Southold.
Other Nautical Museum Exhibits
Explore thrilling exhibits detailing the early history of the lighthouse, its keepers, and the baymen, along with shipwrecks, whaling, and the famous Holland Submarine. Plenty of interactive experiences for children!
Ongoing Exhibits at the Maple Lane Campus
Reichert Family Barn Sleighs and Carriages
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The Reichert Family Barn has new interpretive labels that offer names and uses of various artifacts that are on exhibit throughout the barn. The extensive sleigh collection, which is exhibited on the upper bays is now easier to identify, as well as the carriages that are on display throughout the barn and annex.
Located on the grounds of the Maple Lane Campus.
Enslavement in Southold
The reinterpretation of the permanent Enslavement in Southold exhibit examines the institution of slavery in Southold and identifies five people who are documented as being enslaved by the Landon Family in the mid to late 1700s. The reinterpretation at the Thomas Moore/Samual Landon house at the Maple Lane Campus involved incorporating the narrative of the enslaved people throughout the house. Additionally, the entryway to the house is set up as the permanent exhibit space.
Tips from a Colonial Laundry
The former buttery, which accompanied the Ann Currie Bell House, has been converted to a “Colonial Wash House.” Visitors can imagine how laundry would have been done during the late 1700s.
Located on the grounds of the Maple Lane Campus.
Colonial Herb Garden
The Kitchen Garden was a mainstay for Colonial families in Southold. In it, women grew the vegetables and herbs used on a daily basis for their families. The Colonial Herb Garden, set behind the 1700s Thomas Moore House at Southold Historical Museum's Maple Lane Campus is a representation of the types of herbs a household might've grown.
Interpretive Signage
The new outdoor interpretive signs at the Maple Lane Campus, funded by a grant through Suffolk County Parks, help visitors learn more about the numerous buildings as they walk the beautiful grounds. These signs offer some basic information about the historic buildings, including some historic photographs.
There is a suggested admission of $5 per adult or $10 per family which includes admission to both locations.
Maple Lane Campus
55200 Main Rd., Southold
Hours: Sat. and Sun. from 1pm- 4pm, Memorial Day weekend through September 15.
Nautical Museum at Horton Point Lighthouse
3575 Lighthouse Rd., Southold
Hours: Sat. and Sun. from 11:30am - 4pm, Memorial Day weekend through September 15.
Parking is available at Horton Point Lighthouse for a $5 fee through the Southold Park District. Street parking is with a Southold Town Permit only. The Lighthouse Tower is generally open - as temperatures allow and volunteers are available.
