Rudolph Oyster House
Encyclopedia
Located on the grounds of the Long Island Maritime Museum
, The Rudolph Oyster House was built circa 1890. It is typical of the many oyster culling houses which once lined the local waterfront, providing work for hundreds of predominantly Dutch immigrant local residents.
Until 1938, the local oyster industry was the center of a booming economy. Unfortunately, a major hurricane on September 21 of that year wiped out the south shore oyster beds. Today the Rudolph Oyster House is one of the few remnants of that heritage.
Thousands of immigrants came to villages like West Sayville in the late 19th century to make their livings in the thriving oyster trade. If the streets of the New World were paved with gold, the streets of West Sayville were paved with oyster shells … literally!
The Rudolph Oyster House is a typical cullhouse. Very lightly constructed with no amenities, it was never meant to be a permanent structure. Walking through the building, you can see, preserved in the rafters the carved names of many of the young men who worked here.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1965.,
Long Island Maritime Museum
The Long Island Maritime Museum is located in West Sayville, New York.-History:The Long Island Maritime Museum was founded in 1966 on the waterfront grounds of the former Meadowedge estate of Mrs. Florence Bourne Hard in West Sayville. Florence Hard was the daughter of Frederick Gilbert Bourne,...
, The Rudolph Oyster House was built circa 1890. It is typical of the many oyster culling houses which once lined the local waterfront, providing work for hundreds of predominantly Dutch immigrant local residents.
Until 1938, the local oyster industry was the center of a booming economy. Unfortunately, a major hurricane on September 21 of that year wiped out the south shore oyster beds. Today the Rudolph Oyster House is one of the few remnants of that heritage.
Thousands of immigrants came to villages like West Sayville in the late 19th century to make their livings in the thriving oyster trade. If the streets of the New World were paved with gold, the streets of West Sayville were paved with oyster shells … literally!
The Rudolph Oyster House is a typical cullhouse. Very lightly constructed with no amenities, it was never meant to be a permanent structure. Walking through the building, you can see, preserved in the rafters the carved names of many of the young men who worked here.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1965.,