The Pelletreau Silver Shop

"The Old Pelletreau House/Built 1686," wood engraving, The Early History of Southampton L.I., NY

Photo of the stand-alone shop in October, 1926 (Southampton History Museum Collection)

Photo of the shop from across Main Street, 1927 (Southampton History Museum Collection)

Gift Shop, ca. 1940s (Southampton History Museum Collection)

Keene's Book Shop, prior to its restoration, circa 1950s (Southampton History Museum Collection)

Originally built ca. 1686 as a dry goods store for John Woodruff Jr. (ca. 1650-1703), who was born in Southampton to early English settlers. Located adjacent to Woodruff's 17th-century dwelling, the gambrel-roofed shop was occupied by merchant Stephen Bouyer (1657-1730), a Huguenot from Havre, France. In 1728, the Woodruffs sold the shop to Francis Pelletreau (1697-1737), another Huguenot whose father was an acquaintance of Bouyer. Francis was a prosperous merchant active in the colonial whaling business.

The shop's most famous occupant was Francis's son, Elias Pelletreau (1726-1810), an acclaimed silversmith, merchant, and celebrated American Patriot. Between 1750 and 1810, Elias crafted tankards, flatware, porringers, and other highly artistic but utilitarian items, using the structure as his workshop and storefront. He served in the local militia, receiving the rank of lieutenant in 1761, then captain in 1765. On the eve of the American Revolution in 1776, 50-year-old Elias was too old to fight in the regular army. Nevertheless, he continued drilling his militia on the Southampton home front. When the Patriots were defeated at the Battle of Brooklyn/Long Island (August 27-30, 1776), Elias fled with his family to Connecticut. He remained there during the British occupation of Southampton, returning after the war 1782. Elias's son, nephew, and grandson continued silversmithing at the shop into the mid-1800s. The Pelletreau family owned the shop and house until 1866. The original house was torn down in 1878, but luckily the old shop survived!

Over the next several decades the little building was occupied by a number of retail businesses until 1964, when it was willed to the Village of Southampton. In 1966, the structure was restored under the direction and patronage of Henry Francis du Pont (1880–1969), founder of the Winterthur Museum, in cooperation with the Southampton History Museum and Southampton Village. It reopened to the public as a historic site under the stewardship of the museum. In the early 2000s, the museum launched an artist-in-residence program to revive the tradition of living craftsmanship within the space. 

Today the shop is occupied by the museum's current artist-in-residence, Alyssa Saccente, of "Gatta Zaffira" Fine Jewelry. Ms. Saccente teaches jewelry-making classes, practices her art, and provides free tours for visitors. The rear yard features a colonial garden managed by volunteers.

Read more about the Pelletreau Silver Shop on our blog.