National Lighthouse Museum

Lighthouses are for Lovers and Friends High Tea
2026-03-14 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island, NY, 10301
Guests are invited to bring their own teacup to compete in our Best Teacup Contest, adding a personal and whimsical touch to the afternoon. Americana period attire is encouraged, so feel free to dress the part and step back in time as we celebrate history, friendship, and romance. The event will also feature the launching of the Angel Fish Flag by Selva Orzelli.. Enjoy raffles, light jazz, and delightful conversation as we gather for an elegant yet relaxed high tea experience surrounded by the enduring charm of lighthouses and the connections they represent.
Sponsorships available.
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Melissa’s Diary: An Erased American Hero
2026-03-19 18:00 - 20:00 | National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island, NY, 10301
In the treacherous waters off the coast of Maine during the late 1800s, Melissa Colby Holden, a woman of Native American heritage and indomitable spirit, embarked on a daring journey that would forever alter the course of maritime history and women’s rights. This is not merely the story of Maine’s only permanent female lighthouse keeper, but a testament to the power of one woman’s refusal to be erased by a male-dominated world determined to silence her voice.
This is not a story about a woman who needed saving. This is a story about a woman who helped change history and refused to be erased.
Based on true events, this Life’s Diary chronicles a remarkable woman’s journey through love, loss, tragedy, innovation, and triumph. From the windswept isolation of Mark Isle Lighthouse to the bustling streets of Washington, D.C., Melissa’s story unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America, one where women were fighting for their most basic rights while men in positions of power sought to maintain the status quo at any cost.
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Before the Lights Staten Island and the Birth of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service
2026-03-22 14:00 - 16:00 | National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island, NY, 10301
This first talk explores how Alexander Hamilton’s creation of the Revenue Marine —later known as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service— and the work of early customs officers made Staten Island a key state and federal maritime outpost in the early republic. Focusing on an 1814 act that converted St. Andrews Church glebe at the Watering Place (present day Tompkinsville/St. George) into state and federal quarantine grounds, the talk will discuss how cutter operations, quarantine policy, and public health helped secure American commerce and shape the island’s emergence as a center of federal authority. Although intended to protect the port and the nation’s commerce from the importation of infectious disease, the 1814 act also planted the seeds for the growth of Tompkinsville ultimately fueling fear and resistance that culminated in the violent destruction of the state Quarantine Ground.
About the Speaker: Dr. Vigorito is a Professor of Psychology at Seton Hall University recently retired from his full-time position after 33 years of teaching and now serves as a part-time senior scientist in Seton Hall’s Institute of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. Dr. Vigorito is a trustee at the National Lighthouse Museum and has a long interest in the history of the place once known as the Watering Place.
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NEW DATE: Gateway to the World: The Great Port of New York with Bill Miller
2026-03-29 14:00 - 16:00
Called the greatest harbor anywhere, Bill Miller – Mr. Ocean Liner – will take us on a tour of the harbor & its highlights: the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, bridges & ferryboats, the grand liners & the great skyscrapers.
Bill Miller, known as Mr. Ocean Liner, has written over 100 books on passenger ships. He is also a popular guest speaker on modern-day cruise ships, having made hundreds of voyages and visited ports from Alaska to Antarctica.
He has also hosted ocean liner events at Lincoln Center, been a curator at South Street Seaport, appeared in numerous television programs, and been the recipient of numerous awards. His life has been the subject of a TV documentary aptly titled Mr. Ocean Liner and available on Amazon Prime.
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Lighting the Way: Robert Padovano
2026-04-02 - 2026-06-10
An exhibition of original paintings spotlighting the waterways and vessels that make our hometown thrive and the lighthouses that protect them.
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 2, 6-8pm

The Watering Place: Stories Before the Revenue Service
2026-04-19 14:00 - 16:00 | National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island, NY, 10301
This second talk of the series explores the early history of Staten Island’s northeastern shoreline, long before lighthouses and federal patrols shaped the harbor. From early European encounters and Dutch settlement efforts to the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, we will trace how the Watering Place evolved from a source of fresh water and a quiet farmstead into a strategic military staging ground. Through vivid local episodes—including violent struggles with the indigenous people, an unusual knighting ceremony, and the arrival of a massive British fleet—the talk reveals how this overlooked shoreline played a pivotal role in New York Harbor’s colonial and revolutionary past, linking these early stories to Staten Island’s later maritime and public health history.
About the Speaker: Dr. Vigorito is a Professor of Psychology at Seton Hall University recently retired from his full-time position after 33 years of teaching and now serves as a part-time senior scientist in Seton Hall’s Institute of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. Dr. Vigorito is a trustee at the National Lighthouse Museum and has a long interest in the history of the place once known as the Watering Place.
Register Today!

Safety and Healing: Public Health and Discovery on Staten Island
2026-05-06 18:00 - 20:00 | National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island, NY, 10301
This talk traces Staten Island’s role in American public health and safety, beginning with the world-renowned Dr. Benjamin Rush and local leadership spearheaded by Dr. Richard Bayley, first health officer of the NY State Quarantine and Marine Hospital established at the Watering Place. We will journey outward to nearby Staten Island places such as the Seamen’s Retreat to the south—later a federal research laboratory and a U.S. Marine Hospital at the forefront of identifying and treating infectious disease. The journey then moves inland to Sea View Hospital, site of a landmark antibiotic trial for the cure of tuberculosis and the discovery of the first antidepressant drug. The talk will also spotlight Joseph Henry, eminent scientist and inaugural director of the Smithsonian, whose experiments at the U.S. Lighthouse Service Depot transformed lighthouse illumination and foghorn design, strengthening navigational safety for seafarers nationwide. Together, these stories show how maritime safety and medical discovery on Staten Island shaped national public health.
About the Speakers: Dr. Vigorito is a Professor of Psychology at Seton Hall University recently retired from his full-time position after 33 years of teaching and now serves as a part-time senior scientist in Seton Hall’s Institute of Neuroimmune Pharmacology. Dr. Vigorito is a trustee at the National Lighthouse Museum and has a long interest in the history of the place once known as the Watering Place.
Dr Marraccino is an Adjunct, Associate Professor at CUNY and trained Fellow, associated with Bio-Rad Laboratories,Biotechnology, Explorer program. I bring over 25 years of teaching experience advancing STEM and Career and Technical Education (retired from: NYCDOE, CTE) programs. Dr. Marraccino is also a trustee at the National Lighthouse Museum, and previously lectured on the Quarantine with Dr. Vigarito.
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Annual Golf Outing
2026-05-08 | South Shore Golf Course, 200 Huguenot Avenue, Staten Island, NY, 10314, United States
Friday, May 8, 2026
Shotgun Start 9:00am • Best Ball Format
Grand Oaks Country Club (South Shore Golf Course)
200 Huguenot Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10312
Register and Sponsor Today!

Preserving America’s Lighthouses
2026-06-07 14:00 - 16:00 | National Lighthouse Museum, 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island, NY, 10301
The Memoirs of a Coast Guard Ocean Engineer with Rear Admiral Daniel R. May (Ret.)
Join Daniel R. May for a fascinating presentation on his decades of dedication to preserving America’s historic lighthouses and other vital aids to navigation.
Through personal reflections, behind-the-scenes insights, and engaging anecdotes, he shares the challenges, milestones, and passion that have helped protect these maritime landmarks and ensure their legacy endures.
Rear Admiral Daniel May, a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, is the recipient of a Distinguished Service Medal and many other awards. During his career, he served as the engineer for major lighthouse projects, including the relocation of Block Island Southeast Light in Rhode Island (the first move of a major lighthouse in the United States), the relocation of Highland Light on Cape Cod, and the design and construction of a revetment to protect Montauk Light on Long Island, New York.
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16th Annual Lightkeeper's Gala
2026-08-07 17:00 - 23:00
Details coming in early 2026!
