Sylvester Manor is a 236-acre site on Shelter Island which holds the memory of the colonization of indigenous Manhasset land and Northern complicity in slavery. The Manor was built by enslaved and indentured laborers in 1652 as a provisioning plantation in service of sugar plantations in Barbados. Use of the Manor evolved with each generation, and slaveholding practices continued until 1820.

In its 370 year history, Sylvester Manor has been home to eleven generations of women in varying conditions of freedom, enslavement, and indentured servitude. How did the lives of Sylvester Manor women change over time?

This collection presents archival documents, artwork, and site photographs connected to or representative of Sylvester Manor women in order to understand the complexities of their lives across generations.