The Staten Island Historical Society is a unique organization in the New York metropolitan area. Its museum features over 30 original structures in a semi-rural setting covering over 100 acres. Its collections and exhibits tell the story of ordinary people who worked hard every day to build an extraordinary country - from the pre-revolutionary era up to and including today. Through re-created environments, demonstrations, permanent and changing gallery exhibitions, and special celebrations it chronicles the growth of a new world settlement into a big city suburb – in many ways a microcosm of American life.

The Society’s holdings attract over 100,000 visitors a year and include more than 70,000 artifacts; extensive manuscript and map collections; a research library of more than 15,000 volumes; and more than 50,000 photographic images, including the Alice Austen collection of vintage prints, films and glass-plate negatives.