Shelter Island History Museum cleans out its ‘attic’

Raising a barn is a time-honored custom in rural communities, and sometimes a barn needs a village to return and help get it ready for its second act.

More than a dozen volunteers responded when the Shelter Island History Museum asked for help cleaning out its barn, stocked with important historical artifacts, memorabilia and a fair amount of items that had outlived their usefulness. On Saturday, Oct. 3, Museum Collections coordinator Oliver Shearer made sure all the helping hands were gloved and directed the choreography, pointing out what could be discarded, while other pieces were carefully carried up to the barn’s second floor.

Karin Lissakers and Jesse Huot helped move discards, including a rolling cart loaded with obsolete audiovisual equipment, into a dumpster that was quickly filling up with broken chairs and old posters. “I saw the article in the Reporter and decided to volunteer,” said Ms. Lissakers, adding that a one-time stint appealed to her. “At my own house, it’s easy to put off. And this is more satisfying.”

Jim Gereghty was heading for the dumpster with a disco ball when Executive Director Nanette Lawrenson spotted him. “Keep the disco ball,” she ruled.

Ms. Lawrenson said now that the Museum has received a building permit to make necessary improvements to bring it up to code, the time had come to clean out the barn. “Everything has to go.” 

Volunteers Marty Dempsey, Jeff Feingold and Eldon Wong exchanged stories as they worked together to organize and consolidate items of various shapes and sizes. Mr. Feingold, an architect who heads the Barn Committee, said the day’s challenge was essentially “a packing problem. All architecture is a packing problem.” 

The crew of volunteers included Leah Pedersen, June and Michael Shatken, Betsy Dinkel and several others. One helper had a hard time leaving a bright red popcorn cart in the dumpster, but had to settle for the package of popcorn boxes her husband retrieved.

Every now and then the work would pause for a few minutes, while the volunteers marveled at some of the sights in the barn. Most prominent were several sleighs and buggies from Sylvester Manor that were once drawn by horses. The last Sylvester descendant to live at the Manor, Andrew Fiske, was so “dismayed that they were left out in the woods,” Ms. Lawrenson said, that he donated them to the History Museum and started the project to build the barn in the 1980’s.

As racks of theatrical costumes were moved up to the second floor, the helpers recalled favorite moments from the Museum’s musical shows where local actors would perform over the years, from “The Prospect is Summer” to “Lords of Menantic,” “A Deck of Ferry Tales” and more. 

The second story of the barn seemed to hold a number of its own stories from the past, filled as it was with rocking chairs, high chairs, school desks, stained glass windows and other memorabilia. Those who missed Saturday’s cleanup, and those willing to come back to help, will be welcome when the second floor is tackled on Saturday, Nov. 7. Contact [email protected] to sign up.