Raynham Hall Museum — Attraction in Town of Oyster Bay

The Raynham Hall Museum is a hidden gem in Oyster Bay, with fabulous staff, a unique ambiance, and a profound story. Raynham Hall blends colonial and Victorian styles, and is a really wonderful historic home filled with many treasures and things to look at. I was particularly impressed as we got farther into the Victorian parts of the home. The clashing wallpaper and carpets, the Victorian style dining room, the odd angles and curves of walls - this house is hiding a lot more than what meets the eye.

Besides the impressive aesthetics of the home, it also serves as an important touchpoint of American history especially when it comes to key points such as the American Revolution and the lives of slaves who did live on the property. I highly recommend visiting the museum store, which has more information about slavery on the property and during that time as you go further back into their main exhibit.

Overall, I am very glad that I stopped by Raynham Hall. I learned a lot about Townsend's history and Oyster Bay. It's a powerful reminder of the many lives that lived on the property.

Sidenotes: There is a small gift shop in the museum store with some themed trinkets and souvenirs. There is also a bathroom in the museum store. You can download their app to see the VR portion of the exhibit which features talking portraits located in the...

Raynham Hall is a hidden pearl (sorry...) in the heart of Oyster Bay. The house interprets both the Revolutionary War and the Victorian era, and is a bit of an architectural oddity, with a salt box Rev War reproduction grafted on to the front of the remaining original Victorian house. The true importance of the house, however, is the story of its Revolutionary War inhabitants, who played roles of great importance to the Patriot cause. Robert Townsend was one of George Washington's ("Secret Six") spies, and his father was a member of the Continental Congress that helped legislate the colony's revolutionary efforts.

New and ongoing research at Raynham Hall is also bringing new interpretation to the story of enslaved African Americans in the northern states, a reality largely neglected by the familiar narrative in our schools and popular culture that tends to direct attention to the South.

Raynham Hall is not just another house that happens to have survived since colonial times. It was a hub of important civil war activity, including the repeated billeting of General Simcoe and the Queens Rangers (as well as other British regiments), and visits from his friend, the British Spy John Andre, who played a role in the Benedict Arnold plot to betray West Point. For any fan of the Revolutionary War, a visit to Raynham Hall should be a...

Raynham Hall is a gem! We went out to Long Island to visit Teddy Roosevelt's house at Sagamore Hill and I was looking for something else to do nearby. We didn't expect to love Raynham Hall so much. My husband said he like it better than Sagamore Hill. The AR experience really brought the place to life. Its an excellent (self) guided tour. I loved having the people from that time show us through their home and tell us about what was going on in the different rooms with all the intrigue of the war. Additionally there is a great display in the shop/welcome area showing the local area and a battle in Revolutionary War times. It was a real happy surprise for us to learn so much and have it done through such a fun format with the AR.

The AR was easy. You can load it on your phone or use their device. We used their device and we were able to pair our own headphones to their device, which made it great. The AR was simple to use and it was a fun and engaging format to learn about the house, the people...