Sagtikos Manor in West Bay Shore is offering two holiday events in support of local history, both well-established traditions.
The first is Holiday Shopping Weekend with basket raffles taking place from Friday, Nov. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus are also available on Saturday, Nov. 29, from 11-3 p.m. at a cost of $5.
The second on Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, is A Sagtikos Christmas Toy Story, which takes visitors on a tour of rooms decorated to reflect toys from colonial to present day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., when the last tour takes place. The cost is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $12 for children.
The manor’s gift shop will be hosting the Holiday Shopping Weekend, offering a “good combination of things,” said gift shop director Maria Pecorale, also second vice president of the Sagtikos Manor Historical Society.
“The gift shop is very different,” she said. “We have some historical items, beautiful jewelry, scarves and accessories and household gift items. We have things for children and adults.”
Pecorale got involved with Sagtikos Manor Historical Society some 38 years ago after her youngest daughter took a fourth-grade class trip highlighting colonial history, and “I was fascinated with the place.” Her daughter became a docent and Pecorale added to the volunteer group that runs the manor. “It’s amazing because it’s totally run by volunteers. There’s not one paid person involved,” she said.
This year, some 40 gift baskets have been donated for the raffle, with all the proceeds benefiting the Historical Society. The Holiday Shopping Weekend will benefit both the gift shop and the Historical Society, which maintains the interior of the county-owned manor site.
“The gift shop was originally an antique shop. It sold old teacups and things from the past. Fifteen years ago, another volunteer and I took it over and had it refreshed…. We took it over and made it a real gift shop, not just selling old stuff,” she recalled. Helping with the venture is that Pecorale had experience as a former gift shop owner in West Islip.
The manor house itself was built in 1697 on land purchased from the Indians and notably hosted George Washington for an overnight stay. Its other roles included serving as the British Army’s Long Island headquarters, a retreat for an American-born mayor of New York, the Thompson-Gardiner family country home and a local dairy farm. Suffolk County purchased the site in 2002 amid rumors it was to be demolished for condos.
“George Washington actually came here in 1790. As president he came to Long Island to thank the people for supporting the Revolution and him as president,” said Pecorale. “He insisted on paying (for his room). We printed part of his diary and what he wrote…. The story goes he would not put his head on the same pillow as the enemy,” and therefore turned down the best of the bedrooms for smaller quarters.
The manor is also significant in that its owner, Mr. Thompson, is believed to have sneaked intelligence to the revolutionaries when the British confiscated his house and banished him and his family to the attic. They also had the option to leave their home altogether—an option they rejected, said Pecorale.
The site reflects colonial design as well as the Gilded Age and Victorian Era with a ballroom included in the 20th century addition.
For more details on either event, visit the Historical Society website, where folks can reserve a spot on the holiday tour, which typically sells out. Walk-ins are welcome on tour days only if space permits.