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Join Us on Culper Spy Day, Saturday, 9/6

Posted on by Kristen Nyitray

Spies do exist in the archive! Visit Special Collections during the 11th Annual Culper Spy Day on Saturday, September 6 between 10am and 1pm. On view will be an original 1779 letter from George Washington to spymaster Benjamin Tallmadge about the activities of the Culper Spy Ring, an intelligence gathering effort in our local community during the American Revolutionary War.

This event is part of the community-wide, “11th Annual Culper Spy Day/Weekend.” The Three Village area, steeped in history, played a crucial role in America’s push for independence. It was here that one of the nation’s first spy rings operated in secrecy, providing General George Washington with critical information that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution. Learn more about all of the activities being held on Culper Spy Day at: https://www.tvhs.org/culper-spy-day.

Location and time: Stony Brook University, Melville Library Level 2, Special Collections (100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook. 11794) between 10am and 1pm (free parking in the Administration garage).
Directions: https://www.stonybrook.edu/about/maps-and-directions/

GPS: 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, 11790
From the Three Village Historical Society: take 25A west. Make a left onto Nicolls Road/Route 97. Bypass the first right/SBU’s North Entrance and make the next right at the Main Entrance , West Campus. Proceed straight; park in the Administration parking garage, 1st floor (free parking on weekends).

The Melville/Main Library is adjacent to the Staller Center for the Arts. Enter the Melville Library and take an elevator or stairs to Level 2.

Section from George Washington's letter to Benjamin Tallmadge, dated September 24, 1779 discussing matters related to the Culper Spy Ring. Signed, "I am sir your most obedient and humble servant, George Washington." Source: Special Collections, Stony Brook University Libraries.
Section from George Washington’s letter to Benjamin Tallmadge, dated September 24, 1779 discussing matters related to the Culper Spy Ring. Signed, “I am sir your most obedient and humble servant, George Washington.” Source: Special Collections, Stony Brook University Libraries. 
"A Spy for General Washington," Rayhnam Hall Museum, 2006.
“A Spy for General Washington,” Rayhnam Hall Museum, 2006.
Kristen Nyitray

Kristen Nyitray

Associate Librarian; Director, Special Collections and University Archives; and University Archivist at Stony Brook University Libraries
Contact her for research assistance with rare books, manuscript collections, historical maps, and SBU history. E-mail: kristen.nyitray@stonybrook.edu.
Kristen Nyitray

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