The call went out this week for jack-o’-lanterns in the hopes to bring a little Halloween spirit to the Annie Cooper Boyd House, the historical house on Sag Harbor’s Main Street.
Halloween will certainly be a little bit different this year due to COVID-19, but the Sag Harbor Historical Society still hopes to spread some cheer as part of what will be the second annual Annie’s Field of Jack-O-Lanterns. Last year, there were activities inside and out, but this year, the trustees have requested people just drop off their carved pumpkins with a battery-powered light so they can be displayed along the porch and fence for all to enjoy.
The house is located at 174 Main Street and the jack-o’-lanterns can be dropped off on Friday evening between 4 and 6 p.m. The pumpkins will be
Bethany Deyermond, a society trustee who came up with the idea last year, wanted to continue with it as a safe way to celebrate and enjoy Halloween. “Our ACB house is located at the gateway of Sag Harbor’s Main Street business district,” she said. “Our hope is to light up our property and bring joy to everyone who drives by this weekend during these unsettling times. This second annual Annie’s Field of Jack-O-Lanterns will continue to bring awareness of our organization and mission to keep Sag Harbor’s history alive!”
The Annie Cooper Boyd was left to the Sag Harbor Historical Society for use as its museum and headquarters when Nancy Willey died in 1998. Her mother, the namesake, was an artist whose drawings, paintings, and diary from the late 1800s have been used to understand the village’s rich history. She was the daughter of William Cooper, a shareholder in a number of whaling ships and local whale boat builder.
The house was built in 1796 and as a museum it now holds archives of historical documents, books, photography, art, and period clothing, dating from the mid-1700s.
In a Facebook event announcement, the society was very clear that the museum will not be open and there will be no extended gathering allowed, due to restrictions in place because of the coronavirus, “but we can still make this season fun,” they wrote. “Help us light up Halloween!”
The society noted that anyone dropping off a carved pumpkin should wear a mask — not the Halloween kind, but a face covering.
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