The National Endowment of the Arts has approved Long Island Traditions for a $15,000 grant to support the proposed exhibit, “A World Within a World: Bay Houses of Long Island” in Point Lookout

The Town of Hempstead has requested that Long Island Traditions develop a permanent interactive exhibit on the region’s tradition of South Shore bay houses.

These small, vernacular wooden structures were originally built by local baymen, fishermen, waterfowlers, and other maritime tradition bearers. When Superstorm Sandy hit Long Island’s south shore with tremendous force, it destroyed dozens of bay houses, small vernacular structures originally built by baymen, waterfowlers, and recreational fishermen on the south shore’s marshlands.

In response to the loss of these local landmarks the Town of Hempstead requested LI Traditions to prepare plans to erect a bay house that could serve as a cultural site. The town will build this structure based on the Muller bay house, one that survived Superstorm Sandy and the oldest existing bay house. The exhibit will be an interactive site for learning about bay houses’ place in Long Island’s history, traditions, and contemporary maritime culture.
This exhibit will focus on the three aspects of bay houses: architecture, hunting and fishing, and foodways. Bay houses are traditionally built by owners using found materials or workplace materials loaned by friends.

They are also inhabited and built by those with direct connections to hunting and fishing, traditions that have been passed down through families. The bay houses are also connected to foodways, as baymen harvest and prepare ingredients for regional specialties such as clam pies and roast duck stew.
The exhibit will include stories of bay houses and their owners through videos, interpretive panels and live programs. Exhibit objects will include decoys, paintings, architectural elements, furniture items and other traditional objects commonly found in bay houses. Photographs will include historic and contemporary photographs by Martha Cooper. The bay house is expected to be completed in 2024 at Point Lookout, accessible both by land and water.

Long Island Traditions director Nancy Solomon is the head curator. The multimedia curator will be Hannah DeGarmo. The exhibit designer will be Paul Orselli. Support for the bay house exhibit is also being provided by Humanities New York and New York Folklore.