The Remsenburg Academy, originally a private school, then a residence, then a Post Office, and now owned by the Town of Southampton, is a designated Landmark of the Town of Southampton.
The Academy was constructed in about 1863 by John W. Tuthill as a one-room schoolhouse on a large property the Tuthill family had owned since the 1700s. It served as an intermediate school for young gentlemen from New York City who boarded with local farm families. John Tuthill closed the school in 1869 to open the Ocean House, a boarding house next door, which still stands at 132 South Country Road. The Academy continued to serve as a guest quarters or family residence.
By 1958 the Academy property was subdivided from the former boarding house property and was used as family residence. Between October 1958 and 1967 the front of the Academy also served as the local Post Office. The last private residents, Robert Burchette and Joseph D. Ryle, bequeathed it to the community in the 1990’s to be used as a library and repository for local artifacts and records. The building sat empty for several years until a committee of volunteers from the community converted the structure from a family residence back to its original design as a schoolhouse.
The Remsenburg Academy Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation, currently operates and maintains the Academy.
Historical Photos
