A Living Museum from the Past

At this living museum, actors come together to show local Long Islanders what life was like 200 years ago.

Built in 1970, the Old Bethpage Village Restoration consists of several historic structures. The Village Restoration serves as a living museum, where residents can fully immerse themselves in 19th-century life.

Beth Chamberlain works at the museum, in character – wearing a costume and said the goal is, “to show life on Long Island predominantly in the mid-19th Century and to talk about how the average person lived.” She continued, “Lawrence House was built in the 1770s. We have it furnished in the 1870s. It is home to Gilbert Lawrence. He is a gentleman farmer. He’s running the business; he’s not working the fields. And he is dabbling in real estate, which is a good time and place.”

When asked about why the museum is important to Long Island, Chamberlain said, “I think it’s important for us to understand where we came from. How we got to where we are. You have to understand the trajectory to where we are to understand where we are going.