Long Island Is a Sportsman's Paradise

Suffolk Historical Society in Riverhead starts the year with an exhibition titled “A Sportsman’s Paradise: Man and Nature in Suffolk County’s Past.” The show is curated by Jamie Reason with exhibit design by Joshua Cortez and it opens with a reception on Saturday, January 6, at 1 p.m.

From New York City’s wealthy elite to resident locals making a living here, Long Island has been recognized as a mecca for sportsmen and sportswomen for over 150 years, earning its own exhibition at the National Sportsman’s Show from 1895 to the 1940s.

Illustrating how hunting evolved from necessity to popular sport, eventually leading to the introduction of protective conservation laws, this exhibition will explore how the “sporting life” — through job opportunities, increased rail traffic, hotel and resort development, and eventual wildlife conservation — influenced a way of life on Long Island. Through an amazing assortment of hunting equipment, hand-carved decoys, duck boats, fishing gear, themed toys, clothing, magazines and more, “A Sportsman’s Paradise” explores all that Suffolk County offered to those who were seeking its natural rewards.

Of Northern European and Cherokee ancestry, Jamie Reason, an award-winning Native artist and founding member of the Paumanauke Pow-Wow and Paumanauke Native American Indian Scholarship Foundation, is also a lifelong decoy carver and collector. He has served as instructor, lecturer, and writer of Native American Indian cultural history for over 30 years. Serving as Mastic Beach Village historian from 2006 to 2016, his historic involvement in the local community is widespread.

The exhibition runs through October 2024. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holiday weekends. Admission is $5 (free for members) and includes refreshments. Suffolk County Historical Society Museum is at 300 West Main Street in Riverhead. For more information, visit suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.org or call 631-727-2881.