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C.W. Post Receives Collection from Cedar
Swamp Historical Society
April 11, 2000 -- The Cedar Swamp Historical Society has donated
more than 1,100 pieces of an extremely rare collection of Long
Island memorabilia to the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
in Brookville, NY.
The assortment of books, pamphlets, historic flags, maps,
wills, deeds, letters and other documents -- many of which haven't
been seen by the public in nearly 50 years -- will be stored
in its entirety in C.W. Post's Rare Book Room in the B. Davis
Schwartz Memorial Library. Cedar Swamp is the region encompassing
Hempstead Harbor to Oyster Bay and Long Island Sound to the Westburys.
Open to students, scholars, researchers, academics and the
public, the majority of the collection was owned by the historical
society's deceased trustee, John B. Shiel, who was also the keeper
of the Matinecock Meeting House. Additional items have been donated
by John G. Peterkin, founder and past president of Cedar Swamp
Historical Society, who offered his collection of 25 historic
flags dating from 1590 to the early 1800s.
This collection will also include two poems by John Howard
Payne, who wrote the lyrics for "Home Sweet Home;"
a signed commission by Nathan Woodhull, president of the Provincial
Congress and commander of New York Revolutionary military forces;
a passport of Rufus King, a Long Islander who participated in
drafting the Constitution and Bill of Rights and was also a candidate
for vice president in 1818; a British Revolutionary War map of
New Jersey; a military payroll list of Long Island names; a Revolutionary
War letter from a soldier to General Clinton requesting leave
for husbands and fathers; the Duryea Starch Insurance policy
(covering Glen Cove's largest fire in 1850); Washington Irving's
comments on the Revolutionary War; a Cedar Swamp map; old northeast
maps; 1695-1812 deeds; wills and documents; some of the oldest
newspapers of New York and Glen Cove; advertisements; and Civil
War posters.
Shiel had catalogued most of his collection for library use.
His daughter, Joan Alison Shiel, computerized it. Now Conrad
Schoeffling, C.W. Post's rare book librarian, will be the caretaker
of this rare collection of artifacts and documents.
"Cedar Swamp Region has a 356-year-old history that is
truly nationalistic," said Peterkin. "We hope Cedar
Swamp Historical Society's collection, and its placement at the
C.W. Post Campus, will be the foundation for Long Island University
to have a Long Island Museum."
Founded in 1976 by John G. Peterkin, president, director and
trustee for 23 years, the Cedar Swamp Historical Society seeks
"to research, expose and preserve national history and the
heritage of the 17th century settlement of Cedar Swamp (East
of Hempstead Harbor)."
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| Members
of the Cedar Swamp Historical Society
recently celebrated with Long Island University officials, the
transfer of their rare collection to the school. Pictured, left
to right, front row: Red Owl, University Vice President for Planning;
Joan Shiel; Beatrice Schimoler; Tess Mullarkey, C.W. Post Chancellor;
John G. Peterkin, founder of the Cedar Swamp Historical Society;
Bonnie and George Hegeman. Back row, left to right: Joseph Shenker,
C.W. Post Provost; Col. Francis Lewis; Conrad Schoeffling, C.W.
Post Special Collections Librarian; Eleanor Rapelje; Peter Rapelje;
Vivian Youngs; Don Ungarelli, Dean of University Libraries; Janet
Marks, University Archivist; Greg Hunter, Professor, C.W. Post
Palmer School of Library and Information Science. Not present:
Donald Pollitt of Brookville. |
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