Volunteers do a great job in helping local museums function, especially at Raynham Hall Museum. Not only does the organization benefit, but the volunteers' lives are made richer. That happens locally in Oyster Bay at its several museums and cultural attractions; and luckily, there are volunteer jobs available that might just appeal to you.

Historic Raynham Hall was the home of the Townsend family in the 1770s-1870s. It has 20 rooms displaying what daily life was like in Oyster Bay during the Colonial and Victorian periods. During the Revolutionary War, Robert Townsend, "Culper Jr.," was a spy for General Washington. His sister, Sarah "Sally" Townsend received the first documented American Valentine from Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe in 1779. Another officer, James McGill, carved "The adorable Miss Sally Townsend" into a window pane in Raynham Hall. You can see the valentine and the etchings at the museum!

The Townsend Slave Bible is the current exhibit. This bible recorded the accounts of the Townsend family's slaves, both domestic and property workers. The next exhibit, entitled "Come Out and Play!" opens on Sept. 9. It showcases antique games, books and children's garments largely from the Victorian era. The exhibit also includes an interactive area featuring reproductions of old-fashioned toys.

The museum was named a Revolutionary War Heritage Trail site and was accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1991.

The museum is open for tours, visits, educational programs, and research. The Raynham Hall Museum also holds a lecture series, picnic lunches in the garden, haunted history tours in October, holiday candlelight tours, and holiday open houses.

This summer, Raynham Hall will be replacing its old white fence with a historically accurate, hand-crafted reconstruction of a picket fence with the help of local architectural historian John Collins, and the Incorporated Village of Bayville. Ten locust saplings have been donated by the Bayville Preserve. The saplings will be cut and readied for use by Pierre Marchais of Pierre's Tree Service who volunteered his services.

The museum is looking for old or unusual photographs of Raynham Hall for its exhibits. It also would appreciate any tax-deductible donations of a late-model Macintosh computer to further computer access of the museum. There are volunteers needed to help collate mail, organize and file, weed and plant in the garden, and scan collections into a new database. There is also an opportunity to be an interpreter or tour guide. You can visit Raynham Hall Museum at www.raynhamhallmuseum.org, or call 922-6808.