While organizing the archives, we discovered an old scrapbook belonging to a “Mrs. Anderson” of Stony Brook, NY. Inside were dozens of newspaper clippings from the late 1890s to early 1900s—a treasure trove of local community events, milestones, and curiosities. But one series of clippings stood out among the rest: articles detailing a strange and dramatic spiritual clash between the Stony Brook Methodist Church and an encroaching cult known as the Holy Ghost and Us. In the waning years of the nineteenth century, this small Long Island town found itself at the center of a religious controversy that stretched far beyond its borders. The Society of the Holy Ghost and Us, a radical faith-healing sect headquartered in Shiloh, Maine, began proselytizing aggressively in Stony Brook. Their unorthodox methods, supernatural claims, and charismatic leader, Rev. Frank W. Sandford, stirred both fervent devotion and deep concern. This blog post traces the history of the sect, its mystical origins, explosive rise, and the dramatic fallout that followed in both Shiloh and Stony Brook. Written by Scott R Ferrara, TVHS Curator (fb)

📃Women’s History Month spotlight 📃 TVHS Historian Maggie Gillie (1906 - 1988) Maggie Gillie was an enthusiastic and tireless volunteer who died in 1988. She served for nine years for the Three Village Historical Society’s local history collection, the Captain Edward R Rhodes Memorial Collection of Local History. Maggie provided both the inspiration and expertise to get the collection started in 1979. She arranged for the collection to be housed in the Emma S Clark Memorial Library, where it is organized, preserved, and catalogued by the Society, and where it is currently housed today. Maggie‘s love of local history, history in general, books, education, discovery, and of people, endeared her to all who had the privilege of knowing her. The legacy that she left in our care is the preserved history of our community and the record of the lives of the people who lived here. The 10th Annual Candlelight House Tour was dedicated in memory of Maggie. The Maggie Gillie Memorial Award is given by TVHS every year “for contributions by a member of the society in recognition of overall dedicated service.” A lecture by Maggie on lighthouses is available on our NY Heritage collection page and you are welcome to listen for free! We hope you’re enjoying our Selections from the Collection series. Tune in for more archival footage in April! #womenshistory #historians #threevillagehistory #fromthearchives #fromthecollection (fb)