Southampton History Museum Celebrates America 250 at the Halsey House Gala

• The Southampton History Museum hosts its annual Halsey House Gala on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Halsey House & Garden, 249 South Main Street.

• Jean Shafiroff and Mary Slattery co-chair the benefit; Bill McCuddy emcees.

• Halsey House, built in 1683, is one of the oldest English colonial buildings in Southampton.

• The evening's “Salty Sayre” cocktail honors the museum's exhibition Stephen Sayre's American Revolution, at Rogers Mansion through January 2, 2027.

The Southampton History Museum hosts its annual Halsey House Gala on Friday, July 3, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Halsey House & Garden, 249 South Main Street. Held on the eve of Independence Day, the benefit carries particular weight this year as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In a village that predates the republic by nearly 140 years, the museum has the rare ability to celebrate that milestone on ground that witnessed the era firsthand.

Halsey House was built in 1683 and stands among the oldest English colonial buildings in Southampton, a landmark that predates the founding of the United States by nearly a century. Celebrating America 250 on its grounds gives guests a living connection to the colonial era, early Southampton life, and the generations that shaped the East End, which is the museum's argument in a single setting. The gala unfolds on the lawns and gardens of the property, a working piece of the museum's collection rather than a rented backdrop, and the reason this benefit needs no theme decor beyond its own shingles.

Jean Shafiroff and Mary Slattery co-chair, with Bill McCuddy as emcee, a lineup that keeps the evening firmly in village hands: the co-chairs are among the museum's most consistent supporters, and Jean and Martin Shafiroff sit in the gala's platinum tier. Herbert & Rist pours the cocktails, including the “Salty Sayre,” created in honor of the museum's exhibition at Rogers Mansion, Stephen Sayre's American Revolution, on view June 12, 2026, through January 2, 2027. A premier raw bar and hors d'oeuvres come courtesy of Thyme & Again, with live music by D@'Band on the grounds of Halsey House & Garden.

The cocktail's namesake exhibition gives the theme a program to point to. Stephen Sayre's American Revolution, the museum's exclusive show at Rogers Mansion, opened June 12 and runs through January 2, 2027, carrying the gala's Revolutionary thread through the museum's fall and winter calendar. The timing does the rest: the party ends at 8 p.m., and the village's Fourth of July celebrations begin the next morning.

Platinum supporters include Fiona and Stan Druckenmiller, The Derfner Foundation, Jean and Martin Shafiroff, and the M. Sullivan Fund in memory of Marge Sullivan. Gold supporters include Susan K. Allen, George and Leslie Biddle, Judi and Kevin Donnelly in memory of Marie Donnelly, and the Southampton Inn, with a silver tier that counts Averitt Buttry and Rob Coburn, Brian Brady, Peter L. Hallock and Craig P. Mowry, Jetsam Studio, Mary Slattery, and The Peter Marino Art Foundation. A long bronze roster of village names runs from 1708 House and the Halsey family itself to Hilary and Eric Woodward, the kind of supporter list that reads like a walking tour of Southampton.

Proceeds support the museum's mission to preserve and teach local history through its historic sites, archives, collections, and public programs; the museum is a 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In a summer when America 250 programming will blanket the country, Southampton's version has an advantage most cannot match: the history is not being staged, it is underfoot. Tickets and sponsorship details are at southamptonhistory.org/hhg.