A look at Bay Shore Historical Society

Each week, reporter and history-lover Mariana Dominguez plans to visit a historical location on the South Shore. For this first week, she visited the Bay Shore Historical Society and took a tour of the Gibson-Mack-Holt House.

It is easy to forget that the South Shore of Long Island was once considered a resort destination, with a host of hotels that catered to people wanting to escape the congestion of New York City. Stepping into the Gibson-Mack-Holt House, one is reminded specifically of Bay Shore’s resort history and just how much change the town has seen. Tuesdays and Saturdays, visitors are welcome to come to the house and get a tour from one of the lovely docents and learn more about Bay Shore’s history.

There are amazing photos of Bay Shore’s yesteryears, as well as lots of memorabilia from Bay Shore’s schools and businesses. Anyone doing research on the South Shore or Bay Shore would greatly benefit from the Historical Reference Library that is open to the public. In addition, the house features a beautiful gift shop with lots of antiques and Bay Shore-themed goods.

The third Thursday of every month, the society hosts educational programs at the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Library. For September, local resident Ken Summers will be presenting “September 11, 2001 Recollections” on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.