Southampton Historical Museum Journals: January 2015
The Southampton Historical Museum’s special journaling project, which asked Southampton locals to write a daily journal for the entire year, began on January 1, 2015. After December 31, 2015, journals will be submitted to the museum and included in a major exhibition for Southampton’s 375th anniversary at the Rogers Mansion in the spring and summer of 2016. The journals will then be added to the museum’s archives for future generations to research and enjoy.
To help celebrate this unique event, we are posting select entries each month from a few of the project’s 60 participants. On Thursday, January 22, these participants will gather at the Historical Museum to mingle, get to know each other, share their journals and discuss the project.
Read our select entries from January 2015, furnished by the Southampton Historical Museum, below. They are edited only for spelling and basic grammar.
Oliver Peterson, Web Editor, DansPapers.com
Thursday, January 1, 2015
So, the great Southampton Historical Museum journaling project begins! I used to journal constantly in my teens and twenties, but somewhere along the line those days passed. I’m looking forward to this commitment to write daily and to seeing where it takes me. Watched the ball drop last night and Colleen and I got a good laugh at seeing (as they panned the crowd with the camera) two cops taking selfies together literally seconds before the ball dropped in NYC. What a world we live in! God forbid they pay attention to the crowd moments before chaos erupts in Times Square—got to get that Instagram shot! Then again, they’ve pretty much given up on doing their jobs since Mayor de Blasio said his black children need to be wary of police, lest they end up like Michael Brown or Eric Garner.
[Editor’s Note: While it may have been implied, arguably, de Blasio did not actually mention Brown or Garner specifically in his controversial comments, or the fact that his son could end up dead.]
Emma Balou, Curator & Registrar, Southampton Historical Museum
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Today I went to work at the Rogers Mansion and spent most of my day diving deep into the archives researching the Rogers, Nugent, and Parrish Families. Nicole and Anastasia (my interns) have been a huge help organizing and transcribing all of the Rogers Mansion’s families’ historic documents. After work I went home and walked our dog Logan. Due to the cold weather he hasn’t been getting out as much as he usually does and I think he has cabin fever as much as I do! Today has been exceptionally cold but Logan and I bravely went down to our little Peconic Bay beach. By the time my feet touched the sand I had turned into a human Popsicle. The sky was exquisite so I quickly took a picture and ventured back home – even though Logan could have stayed out much longer. That night I worked on a painting and drew a few sketches in my journal. When Matt came home we made Turkey BLTs and watched an episode of Breaking Bad on Netflix. So ends these 24 hours…
Trudy Ainge
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Took a gorgeous walk at the cut down at Flying Point this morning with Lola. It was very cold but the brilliant sunshine made it bearable. We found the duck hide on Mecox Bay side and I took a photo of Lola up on it! The beach was glorious–plus 6 surfers out braving the freezing waters. Finished the day at yoga—visited a new studio in Hampton Bays. (Well, new for me!) In the window is an extraordinary looking person–”sam”–in a pose all made out of driftwood collected from these beautiful shores. Wrapped in tiny white lights. So clever, fun and imaginative. So ends these 24 hours…
Hilary Woodward, Journaling Project Founder and Co-Coordinator
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
This day I walked to the Jitney from our house. It was 5:40 in the morning and dark and still, but not exceedingly cold. I wore a head lamp and went south out of the woods onto North Main Street to County Road 39. It was lit with vehicles going east, the early parade, so I put my headlamp away. The air was crisp and there was purple grey over the eastern horizon. Upon return from the city, I walked home by way of David Whites Lane and stopped to watch massive flocks of black birds dance over the Kraszewski’s fruit orchard to the east. The ladies singing group came over to sing before dinner. So ends these 24 hours.
Check back for more entries from the Southampton Historical Museum journaling project.
For more information, visit southamptonhistoricalmuseum.org or check out the journaling project on Tumblr.