The Southampton History Center‘s headquarters, the historic Rogers Mansion (17 Meeting House Lane, Southampton, 631-283-2494), is getting a much-needed exterior refresh to keep the 125-year-old organization primed for the even longer haul.
“It is of paramount importance to preserve Southampton’s rich history and the Rogers Mansion is at the very heart of that history,” said Southampton Village Mayor William Manger in a statement to the press. “This restoration was long overdue; it is critical to the health of the property, and most importantly, ensures that current and future generations will be able to access the past. We are grateful to New York State for their support in this endeavor.”
With $1.2 million in funding secured for the stately Greek-Revival building, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 6 to usher in the work, slotted to finish up in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. Built in 1843 for Captain Albert Rogers, the much-needed repairs will focus on windows, roofing issues, cladding, gutters and the front porch.
Of course, shoring up the outside will help protect what’s inside: The SHM is home to 400 years of local history spread across 14 historic properties under their stewardship, with the archives encompassing over 8,000 items (and growing). They not only protect and preserve the past, though; SHM is home to a rich cache of classes, lectures, educational programs for adults and kids alike and exhibitions, funded in a group effort via the Town of Southampton and support from Suffolk County, the New York State Council on the Arts and other grant funding.
While the Rogers Mansion undergoes renovations, thanks to architect Ben Chaleff of Chaleff & Rogers Architects and local builder Lipsky Construction, pop-up events will be held in other locations to keep the programming humming along, like the upcoming World War II exhibition focusing on the experiences of local veterans, which will be held in Veterans Memorial Hall starting on May 2.
“We are so grateful to the Village and state for generously funding this much-needed restoration project,” said Sarah Kautz, executive director of the Southampton History Museum. “Rogers Mansion has been our cherished headquarters since 1943. For more than 80 years, we’ve proudly worked in partnership with the Village to preserve this building as a place to share our extensive library, archives, and collections spanning over 400 years of local history with residents and visitors.”
The Southampton History Museum is located at 17 Meetinghouse Lane, Southampton. For more information on upcoming programming, call 631-283-2494 of visit their website.
