Raynham Hall Museum
20 West Main Street
Oyster Bay, NY 11771
(516) 922-6808
www.raynhamhallmuseum.org/

One of the pearls along the shores of Oyster Bay, Raynham Hall reveals life from the American Revolution in the 1770's, through Oyster Bay's affluent Victorian period in the 1870's, and the beginning of the Gold Coast.

Purchased by prominent community member, Samuel Townsend, the house was home to a total of three generations of this family. It is famous for housing the Queens Rangers, a Loyalist regiment commanded by Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe, during the Revolution.

Added to the historic period room displays are stories of family haunts and the intrigue of General Washington's Culper Spy Ring. In fact, it was Robert Townsend (Culper Jr.) who gathered information leading to the capture of Major Andre and thwarted Benedict Arnold's plot to surrender West Point to the British.

The Museum is open to individuals and families, with special Programs and Workshops available that get children and parents involved in history and the arts. Special events and other activities are offered throughout the year, making Raynham Hall a great way to keep the family together, doing and learning.

School Programs consist of interactive tours that focus on specific areas or elements of history. They are available for grades Pre-K through 8. The Townsend Family -- Ties That Bind (grades 3 - 5), has students consider gender roles, family life, leisure, transportation, labor, and childhood in Colonial America and compare them to their lives today . Clan and Commerce (grades 6 - 8), is a two-visit program, focusing on commerce and international maritime trade from 1750 to 1790. It examines ethics and aesthetics, communication and transportation, as well as the decorative arts and architecture of the gilded age from 1850 to 1880 . A third program for grades Pre-K and 1 reviews the history of Raynham Hall.