Suffolk County Historical Society

1930

300 West Main Street

Narrator: August H. Galow (architect, 1892-1934); voiced by Ken O’Brien

Hello. This is August Henry Galow. I’m the architect that designed this beautiful building.

The Suffolk County Historical Society was organized in 1886 to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of the county and its people.

Originally, the Society housed its collection in the old Suffolk County Clerk’s Office at the corner of Main Street and Griffing Avenue, but as the collection grew, that space was much too small.

Alice O. Perkins, the widow of John R. Perkins, donated this triangular plot of land in 1925 on condition that the Historical Society construct a building within five years or lose the property. The Perkins family lived in the big mansion just across Court Street where the public library now sits. I think you may have met Alice’s daughter, Clara, when you visited the Yellow Barn that was originally the Perkins’s carriage house.

The pressure was on. I designed a beautiful building, but we only managed to raise enough money to construct the central section of the building in 1930.

A bequest from Cora Reeve Barnes finally gave the museum enough money to build the east and west wings from my original 1928 design in 1951. Construction of the north wing, completed in 1964, was made possible by the generous bequest of Sylvia Staas in memory of her mother, Elizabeth Downs Staas. Then, in the early 21st century, local architect Garry Jacquemin designed a new handicap-accessible entrance wing, and with the assistance of architect Robert Stromski, the wing was completed in 2019.

The Society’s officers wanted a building worthy of the county whose treasures it was to preserve. So that is what I gave them. I was a big fan of Georgian Revival style architecture. Look at the front, with its characteristic symmetrical façade with pilasters separating the bays and projecting central entrance crowned by a pediment. Take a close look at the fanlight, where I incorporated arrows into its design to symbolize the Indian artifacts in the museum’s collection. I also used the Colonial Revival style on all my other buildings here in Riverhead, including One East Main Street, the Odd Fellows Hall on Roanoke Avenue, and the Henry Perkins Hotel across the street.

The museum's collections consist of approximately 30,000 objects that illustrate the history of Suffolk County and Long Island. Some notable items in the museum collection include the Hulbert Flag, a set of 1857 U.S. Congressional desks and chairs, and a rare silver collection crafted by colonial-era Suffolk County silversmiths.

The society operates a museum, book shop, and library and archives. What a great way to end your tour of downtown Riverhead with a visit! The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.