Tom Edmonds

Executive Director

Born in Lawrence, KS. He was the son of a cowboy artist, who gave him an early exposure to turpentine, visits to museums and the history of the American West. He majored in fine arts at Ohio State University, received a graduate degree in painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and did post-graduate work in museum studies at N.Y.U.

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He moved to NYC to find fame as an artist and, instead, found and married the love of his life, Maribeth. He has been working in historic house museums for 30 years in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Florida.

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He was hired in 2006 to lead the Southampton History Museum and has, since then, lived the best life he can imagine. His job is primarily consumed with the museum’s development as a cultural attraction and raising the profile of historic Southampton. He accomplishes this by working with community leaders, museum staff and volunteers whose dedication and energy gives him the most satisfaction.

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Maribeth and he share a home in Mattituck along with Pickles, Bubbles and Daisy.

Connor Flanagan

Director of Education

Connor has been with the Southampton History Museum as an employee since January 2016. But he actually got his start in May 2015 as an intern while home from college for the summer. Connor has loved history his whole life and one of his earliest memories is staring at the Temple of Dendur exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of . He also has museum work in his blood with his great-grandfather, Eugene Schaefer, having been an archaeologist who specialized in ancient glass from the Mediterranean. Portions of his vast collection are on display at the Newark Museum of Art.

Connor's favorite part of his job at the Southampton History Museum is to give kids the chance to make deep connections with their history and get hooked like he did through all kinds of hands-on learning experiences. These programs have included writing with quill pens, building small working sail boats, creating faux scrimshaw art and many more! "I just really love history and I want to inspire as many kids as I can to love it too."

If you want your kids to get inspired, ask their teachers to reach out to us and set up a field trip.

Laurie Collins

Museum Manager

Laurie grew up in the Southampton Village. She was encouraged to learn the local history by Mr. Conklin, her Social Studies teacher when she was a junior in high school. She started working at the Halsey House in 1994. At that time the museum properties were only open from mid-June to mid- September.

Soon after she started working there the museum board hired their first director. After that the museum started to evolve rapidly. She has developed a passion for the local history and learns something new every day. The best part is the many people she has met from all over the country who have come to the museum to do research. She has remained in contact with many of them. She loves to share and collect history.

Mary Cummings

Research Center Manager

Mary has been with the museum for more than ten years. She grew up in Southampton and returned after living elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad for several years. With roots in Southampton that go back to its 17th-century origins, she has always had a keen interest in history. Spending her summers in her grandfather’s house, which had been a boarding house in the 19th century, deepened that interest and as a journalist and author, she has always gravitated toward historical subjects.

At the museum she takes particular pleasure in helping scholars and history buffs with their research, relying on the extensive archives and many books in the museum’s library. She is delighted that in her work at the museum, she is always learning and often called upon to write for an exhibit or for some other project.

Sally Van Allen

Business Manager

Sally Van Allen joined the Museum staff in August 2017. She moved to Southampton in 2014 from Washington, D.C. after retiring from a 35-year career at The Gallup Poll and set about restoring her great-great grandparent’s home on North Main Street. Southampton’s lore and history was not exactly beaten into every fiber of her soul, but it came close. One great aunt was among the original eight that incorporated The Southampton Colonial Society in 1910. Another great aunt wrote In Old Southampton and their brother, her grandfather, was president to the Southampton Colonial Society at the time of his death in 1954. Van Allen is excited to be part of a fun and dynamic team working to make sure the museum is relevant for the Southampton community in the 21st century.

What surprised her the most about working in a history museum? “It is a wildly busy place. The screen door is always banging with volunteers coming and going. There could be a garden club meeting in the Music Room, a scholar in the library doing research, visitors coming in the front door, a meeting on the grounds to discuss the best location for a wedding and Tom is always running up and down the stairs.”

Zachary Taylor

Curator & Registrar

Zachary joined the Museum staff in July 2019 and transitioned into a full-time staff roll in October of the same year. Zachary has been a resident of Long Island for almost 30 years, with much of Long Island's history ingrained into him while residing in both Nassau and Suffolk County. After living with family in the Hamptons area in the 2000's, Zachary returns to Southampton once more as a graduate from Stony Brook University, taking the position of curator of the Southampton History Museum. Initially graduating from Stony Brook with a Bachelor's in Art History & Criticism in 2016, and returning once more to Stony Brook to graduate with a Master's in Art History, Zachary hopes to apply his knowledge and appreciation of the museum and exhibition space while working with us.

His roles have included archival organization and categorization, exhibition planning and assistance, coordinating with donors in accepting additions to the Museum, and giving lectures on a wide variety of Southampton subjects. His most passionate work comes from digging through the collections and uncovering the history of specific objects, wishing to share this knowledge to others either in-person with visitors or on the Museum's blog section within the Deep Dive category.

Liana Mizzi

Special Events Assistant

Liana started with SHM in October 2019 as the Special Events Assistant. Her favorite program hosted by the Museum so far has been the Senior Holiday Party at the Rogers Mansion. “People don’t always realize all the hard work that goes into planning an event but when you see the end result and everyone’s having fun enjoying themselves while doing something for a good cause, it’s truly rewarding.” Liana is beyond excited to be part of such a great team and looks forward to the many upcoming events here at the Museum!