Lectures at Long Island Maritime Museum: The Culper Spy Ring

Name: Lectures at Long Island Maritime Museum: The Culper Spy Ring
Start: 2026-05-03T12:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-03T14:00:00-04:00
Location: Long Island Maritime Museum

: May 3, 12:30 pm – 2 pm.

: Members Free; $10 Non-members

The Culper Spy Ring: The Lasting Legacy of Long Island’s Revolutionary Roots

Please join us as we welcome guest speaker Kimberly Phyfe from the Three Village Historical Society & Museum in Setauket. Phyfe will bring to life the dramatic and often overlooked role Long Island played in America’s fight for independence. She will explore the true story behind the Culper Spy Ring—a network of citizen spies assembled at George Washington’s request that operated in secrecy from Setauket to Manhattan. Through a mix of storytelling, visuals, and primary sources, she will reveal how everyday Long Islanders like Abraham Woodhull, Anna Smith Strong, and Robert Townsend used invisible ink, coded messages, and covert operations to gather intelligence under the noses of the British. The lecture also examines the broader context of Revolutionary War battles and the tensions between Loyalists and Patriots that defined the region.