Free Event Admission

In the program bay houses of Long Island, folklorist and architectural historian Nancy Solomon will explore the history and culture of the south shore bay houses of Long Island in the Town of Hempstead. She will explore the architectural design of these unique structures that spread from the Five Towns to Wantagh and Seaford. Topics will also include rum running, baymen’s traditions, and how climate change has affected these unique vernacular structures.

Nancy Solomon received her M.A. degree in American Studies & Folklife Studies from George Washington University.  She is the Executive Director of Long Island Traditions. Solomon is the author of Boat Building and Boat Yards of Long Island: A Tribute to Tradition, On the Bay: Bay Houses & Maritime Culture of Long Island, West Meadow Beach: A Portrait of a Long Island Beach Community and Traditional Architecture of Long Island: A Teacher Resource Guide.  She is a columnist for Voices published by New York Folklore and the Encyclopedia of American Studies Online.  She is the curator of “Waterfront Heroes,” “In Harm’s Way” “Freeport Waters” along Freeport’s Nautical Mile, co-curator of “From Shore to Shore: Boat Builders and Boatyards of Long Island and Westchester”, and curator of “Sandy Shores: The creation of Jones Beach”, an outdoor permanent exhibit at Jones Beach.  She was the primary advisor to filmmaker Glenn Gebhard 1994 documentary “Baymen” and the 2020 film “A World Within a World: Bay Houses of Long Island.” She was the historic preservation consultant to the Village of Great Neck Plaza and Rockville Centre, and the maritime culture consultant to the South Shore Estuary Reserve.  Solomon has lectured extensively on historic preservation and documentation methods for Columbia University’s Historic Preservation Program and area colleges.