Collection Highlights

The Acasta Whaling Log
 
Acasta Title Page Image The Long Island Collection has recently acquired the log book of the whaling ship Acasta, making it the second example of its kind in a collection of more than 50 whaling logs. Dated June 28, 1830 - June 18, 1831, the Acasta set sail from Sag Harbor to Patagonia; written in a book specifically designed to be a ship’s log, the text records information pertaining to the sighting, chasing and killing of whales, as well as the number of barrels of oil produced. It also includes descriptions of encounters with other ships during the journey, as well as a summary of the voyage and catch.
   
The Jefferson Davis Letters
  
Jefferson Davis Letter Image

Previously unknown to staff, letters written between Jefferson Davis and others regarding the Delafield Commission were recently discovered in the Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Library. The four letters were found tucked in the book Report on the Art of War in Europe in 1854, 1855, and 1856 by Major Richard Delafield. The book and letters are connected to Long Island as a region because Major Delafield had been the Corps of Engineers’ Superintendent of the Defenses of the Harbor of New York while Davis was Secretary of War. One of the letters found is transcribed in the book’s introduction. Although, the book was in the collection’s catalog, the letters had not been accounted for.