Societies, secretaries and a magic carpet: Shelter Island History Museum celebrates ‘the power of women’

BY VERNESSA KINGSBURY

Shelter Island is often described as sleepy — but those who live here know better.

Our community has always been active, as evidenced by the rows upon rows of the Shelter Island History Museum’s archive vaults dedicated to local clubs, societies, and organizations. Islanders have been forming groups to create change, manage local resources, and foster community since our earliest days.

Organizations like the Daughters of the American Revolution, the League of Women Voters, and the Garden Club are just a few examples of the many women-led groups that have shaped our history.

This week, the History Museum celebrates the power of women organizing by looking back at one of the earliest examples in their archives: the Women’s Missionary Society of the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church.

With roots stretching back centuries, the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Society once had branches across the nation. However, two of the earliest artifacts in this collection seem to contradict each other about when the Shelter Island chapter was founded.

One points to the fall of 1891 and another to 1896. The first entry in the latter source, written by Mrs. G.R. Havens, tells us that on Oct. 20, 1896, a group of women unanimously voted to organize the Women’s Missionary Society— and it seems the rest is history.

You’ll probably recognize some familiar member names on these pages.

As hoped, the Society made local, national and global impacts. Its sewing group crafted hospital gowns and linens for medical centers in need, including hospitals in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. They provided support for a School of Nursing and Advanced Medical Program in Thailand and contributed to the Baghdad School for Girls.

In the years before AI meeting summaries and Zoom recordings, organizations of all sizes relied on the labor of secretaries to keep diligent minutes and records. Often overlooked, these women became the unintentional historians of their time. Thanks to the meticulous work of the Women’s Missionary Society’s secretaries, the History Museum’s collection preserves over 60 years of its membership and activities.

One such woman was Ingrid McBrian, who served as the Society’s secretary from 1951-1954 and remained a member for many years. In a delicate, flowing script, she chronicled each meeting, leaving behind a detailed record of the Society’s efforts. Ms. McBrian was one of the original members of Montclair Colony, as well as a gifted artist.

A painter, draftsman, and renowned weaver, she transformed recycled materials into stunning rugs. One of her rugs is entitled “One World,” and perfectly represents the border-crossing compassion behind the charitable work done by community organizations like the Women’s Missionary Society. The 135-square-foot masterpiece highlights notable scenes from around the globe, including the pyramids of Egypt and the United Nations building in New York.

The “One World” rug was exhibited across Long Island and, according to a 1958 newspaper clipping, was the “hit” of the Women’s International Exposition in Manhattan. Furthering the message of her work, Ingrid often dedicated earnings from her various exhibitions to local organizations like the public library, the Dorcas Society, and, yes, to the Women’s Missionary Society.

Shelter Island has always been alive with the creativity of local artists, the hum of hardworking organizations, and the extraordinary actions of so-called ordinary people.

There is wonder to be found in ordinary things — the humble work of women gathering to help those in need, the meticulous notes of a secretary that allow us to glimpse the past, or a scrap of fabric, once destined for a landfill, carefully woven into something beautiful.