The North Shore Historical Museum in downtown Glen Cove has a new director, and the public is invited to meet him. The museum's Board of Trustees will hold a welcome reception for director Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews on Sunday, November 8, at 3 p.m., at the museum, 140 Glen Street. The reception is free and open to the public, with light refreshments.

The reception

The board describes the afternoon as a chance for the community to meet Stevenson-Mathews and hear where the museum is headed next. Admission is free, and the museum asks guests to reserve a seat through the RSVP link on its events page. Donations are accepted. The Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District lists the reception on its downtown calendar as well.

The exhibit, free through November 22

The museum's current exhibition, The Shot Heard Round the World, runs through Sunday, November 22. Mounted for the nation's 250th anniversary, it traces the story of Long Island's North Shore from 1776 to 2026 through artifacts and books, with expanded text on the region's part in the Revolutionary War. A separate section shows photographs and a commemorative flag from Glen Cove's 1976 Bicentennial celebration.

Admission is currently free, thanks to a gift to the museum. The museum is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

Two talks this fall, and one in February

  • Celebrating Native American Heritage Month. As part of its Community Connections Series, the museum hosts Sandi Brewster-Walker, executive director of the Montaukett Indian Nation, on David and Jacob Fowler and other Indigenous patriots from Long Island in the American Revolution. In late 1775 David Fowler, a Montaukett, and Joseph Johnson, a Mohegan, were sent by the Continental Congress to Fort Pitt in western Pennsylvania to urge western nations to stay neutral in the war. The talk also covers Jacob Fowler's service as a messenger to Connecticut's colonial governor, Jonathan Trumbull. Seats are reserved through the museum's events page, which lists the date.
  • Cow Neck During the Revolution, Thursday, November 19, 7 p.m. A lecture on a North Shore community divided between Patriots and Loyalists during the British occupation of Long Island that began in 1776, drawn from local stories and historical documents. Tickets are sold through the museum.
  • The Ferguson Brothers: A Tragic Loss. A Lasting Legacy., Sunday, February 7, 2027, 3 p.m. Historian and author Christopher Verga on the 1946 Freeport police shooting of brothers Charles, Alphonso and Joseph Ferguson and its role in starting Long Island's civil rights movement.

The building

The museum is housed in Glen Cove's 1907 Justices Court Building, which is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. According to the museum, the restoration of the building is now complete, including new storm windows with UV-protective glass that shield the collections. Its mission covers the history of the North Shore, including the stretch once known as the Gold Coast, through exhibits, lectures and public programs.

How to go

The North Shore Historical Museum is at 140 Glen Street in Glen Cove, open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Free parking is available in the city's Brewster Street and Pulaski Street garages. Reserve seats for the reception and talks on the museum's events page; registration can also be made by check or through Venmo at @nshmgc.org.

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