We’re closed for the season, but come celebrate the Holidays with us!
Ahoy There!
We are CLOSED for the season… Re-opening April 5, 2025
Proposition 4 Passed!
Thank you for voting
YES
in Support of the Museum
Thanks to your Yes vote for increased funding, we will now be able to:
Offer FREE admission to local residents
Expand our programming on local history & maritime culture
Develop marine mammal preservation programming
Expand our collaborations with local schools
Offer a full range of summer activities for kids and teens
Preserve and maintain our historic home
Extend our operating hours, improving the visitor experience
Safeguard our collection of local historical objects and artifacts
Thank You!
The Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum has been a part of the East End’s cultural landscape since 1935. Starting out with just a room or two of objects gathered by local residents who loved village history, we have grown over the decades to be one of the cultural touchstones of the East End, with a collection of over 3,500 objects.
Housed in the historic Benjamin Huntting House - an iconic Neo-Gothic structure built in 1845 and named a National Landmark in 1998 - for the past 90 years or so we have been gathering, preserving, protecting and displaying the rich, diverse and fascinating history of Sag Harbor and the surrounding area. Currently open for six months of the year, we average over 5,000 visitors per season, from all over the world.
Each year, we offer a range of both permanent and changing exhibits, tours for our local school children, and additional programming such as lectures, music events and author talks.
We are proud of what we accomplish each year and can now do so much more!
Creating Community • Preserving Culture • Educating the Public
Visit us to discover the history and celebrate the culture of Sag Harbor
Our Free Virtual Museum is Open!
Travel the high seas, enjoy exhibits, enter contests, listen to music, watch short films – and so much more – all for free, from the safety and comfort of your own home.
Preserve History • Create Community • Give Today
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
August 26th, 1839: A suspicious looking vessel
Captain Henry Green was one of Sag Harbor’s most noted and successful whaling masters. Aside from his storied whaling career, he is also known for helping repel the British raid on Sag Harbor during the War of 1812, and for leading a company of fortune seekers out to California during the Gold Rush of ’49. But on August 26th 1839 he made history of a different sort.
On this date Green and his friend Captain Peletiah Fordham were out in Montauk hunting by Fort Pond Bay when they came across four African men dressed in nothing but blankets, only one of whom knew a very little bit of English. The men asked what country they were in, and if was a slave country. Four other black men soon joined them, and eventually they made it clear they wanted Captain Green to come aboard their ship (which was lying off Fort Pond Bay) and sail them to Sierra Leonne. For his services, they would give Captain Green a great deal of money that they had on the ship. Slightly suspicious, Green suggested instead the ship be brought into port. As night was approaching, the men refused, but agreed the ship could be brought to port the next day. Green then asked for proof he would be paid. Some of the men went back to the ship and returned with two trunks. Upon opening them, Green found himself staring at over 400 Spanish doubloons.
It is hard to imagine how history might have changed that day if Green and Fordham had encountered these men a little earlier in the day, or even if the wind had been blowing from a different direction. As is was, the US Revenue Cutter Washington sailed into view and took control of the situation, with her commander Lt. Gedney seizing the “suspicious vessel,” the Africans and the chests of gold as well, leaving Captain Green empty handed.
Although arguably the first on the scene, Captain Green would become a mere footnote in time, as the story soon became an international affair that would change the course of American history.
The name of the vessel was - the Amistad.
Visit a Certified National Treasure
Built in 1845 for $7,000, the building we know as 200 Main Street was originally the home whaling ship owner Benjamin Huntting II and his family.
Today it is home to The Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Museum where we preserve and promote the Sag Harbor culture through displaying historical objects, hosting contemporary exhibits and events.
The Museum is a certified National Treasure and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We welcome your visit!
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Help Preserve & Promote Sag Harbor Culture
Historical Objects • Contemporary Exhibits • Community Events
