Press Releases
May 26, 2009 – Whaling Log Press Release
The Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Library has recently purchased the whaling log of the Acasta which sailed from Sag Harbor bound for Patagonia 1830 – 1831 to add to its collection of more than 50 whaling logs. The recent purchase augments the collection with a second example of a log of the Acasta. The first log book for the Acasta owned by the Long Island Collection was from the late 1840s and was written on blank pages. The newly acquired log was written in a book designed to be a ship’s log with spaces to include specific details such as latitude, longitude, winds, and occurrences. The text contains details from sighting a whale through the butchering process and the number of barrels of oil obtained. It also includes descriptions of encountering other ships during the journey.
This recent addition to the Long Island Collection was purchased from Charles Apfelbaum, Rare Manuscripts & Archives of Watchung, NJ. Mr. Apfelbaum purchased the log from House of Mirth, another rare manuscript dealer who purchased it from the Swann auction in New York City. Prior to being auctioned in New York City, the log was owned by the late Frank Braynard, maritime historian and the founder of the South Street Seaport Museum, who had a large collection of shipping material.
To view the log in the Long Island Collection, please contact:
Andrea Meyer, Head of the Long Island Collection, at andrea@easthamptonlibrary.org
or 324-0222 ext. 4
or contact
Dennis Fabiszak, Director, at dennis@easthamptonlibrary.org or 324-0222 ext. 7
Or visit during public hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday – Saturday 1:00 – 4:30 PM.
May 26, 2009 – Jefferson Davis Letters
Previously unknown letters by Jefferson Davis have been found in the Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Library. While working on a cataloging and inventory project, Steve Boerner, a librarian-archivist in the Long Island Collection, found the four letters in the book Report on the Art of War in Europe in 1854, 1855, and 1856 by Major Richard Delafield. The book and letters are connected to Long Island as a region because Major Delafield had been the Corps of Engineers’ superintendent of the defenses of the harbor of New York while Davis was the Secretary of War. One of the letters found is transcribed in the book’s introduction. Although, the book was in the collection’s catalog, the letters had not been accounted for. Gina Piastuck, another librarian-archivist in the Long Island Collection re-housed the letters in order to preserve them. Now, both the book and the letters are in the Long Island Collection’s catalog and are available for viewing. To view the letters, please contact Andrea Meyer, Head of the Long Island Collection, or visit the Long Island Collection during public hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday – Saturday 1:00 – 4:30 PM.