Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages
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| Established | 1939 |
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| Location | 1200 Route 25A Stony Brook, New York, 11790 |
| Type | art museum, local history museum, transport museum |
| Founder | Ward Melville |
| Website | http://www.longislandmuseum.org |
The Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages, colloquially known as the Long Island Museum (LIM), is a nine-acre museum located in historic Stony Brook, New York. The museum focuses on serving the Long Island community by preserving and displaying its extensive collection of art, historical artifacts, and carriages; providing robust educational and public programming; and collaborating with a variety of other arts and cultural organizations.
Its mission is to inspire people of all ages with an understanding and enjoyment of American art, history, and carriages as expressed through the heritage of Long Island and its diverse communities. The museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) since 1973 for excellence in exhibitions, programs, and collection care. In 2006, the museum joined a small group of institutions nationwide as a Smithsonian Affiliate.
The Long Island Museum was founded in 1939 as the Suffolk Museum by local philanthropist Ward Melville, who was an active community and corporate leader. Melville established the museum with the help of his wife, Dorothy Bigelow Melville; prominent naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy; a well-regarded local doctor Winifred Curtis; and insurance broker O.C. Lempfert. The concept for a museum in Stony Brook originated when O.C. Lempfert, avid hunter and taxidermist, displayed his hunting trophies and specimens at friend Archie Rayner’s home. He called his collection Suffolk County Museum of Natural History. In 1935, Dr. Winifred Curtis began bringing the neighborhood children to see Mr. Lempfert’s collection. When the Rayner home was sold in 1939, Dr. Curtis appealed for help from Mrs. Ward Melville to find a new location for the collection. Persuaded by Mrs. Melville, the collection was moved to an empty building known as the Stone Jug, owned by local pharmacist Charles J. Zimmerlein. The Little Museum in the Jug as it came to be called, was formally incorporated as the Suffolk Museum on December 28, 1939.
In 1948, Ward Melville purchased the Stony Brook Hotel and its surrounding property. This allowed for the expansion of the museum and its growing collections that correlated with his goals of renovating Stony Brook into a more historic-looking village. The purchase and subsequent renovations allowed the "Little Museum in the Jug" to move to a more sustainable, viable space. The expanded space also accommodated Ward Melville's interest in horses and pleasure driving with the construction of the Carriage House. Containing eighty vehicles and related artwork, the Carriage House opened to visitors on July 7, 1951.
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