Unhiding Black History in Rye, NY

The Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy is honored to announce the final phase of the William Voiris Archaeological Dig, along Milton Road between the Bird Homestead and the Meeting House-Historic Grace Chapel properties. The dig will take place 9AM until 3 PM, Monday July 29th through Friday August 2nd.

The Voris Archaeological Dig will once again be led by Dr. Sara Mascia of the Historical Perspectives, Inc., a cultural resources consulting firm. Dr. Mascia has an impressive resume and an extensive background in “...devising, implementing, and overseeing documentary analysis and field investigations designed to assess archaeological and historical potential.” Dr. Mascia has been the lead archaeologist for three phases of the Wm. Voris site and has held university coursework classes on site over the past three years. 

William Voris,  an African American entrepreneur,  purchased the property in 1840, built a house on the property and soon established a successful business as an innkeeper and specialized in handmade ice cream, decades before electricity made ice cream much easier to produce. Soon his establishment became so well known and popular that he branched out and rented a building lot at Rye Beach (now known as Playland) and opened an additional ice cream parlor. 

In July and August of 2022, Dr. Mascia and her team of archaeologists, along with more than a dozen volunteers from the local area, uncovered numerous artifacts, including pieces of ceramics, smoking pipes, bottles, jugs, from the 19th century as well as some from the 18th century. During the final two days of the nine-day dig, Dr. Mascia was able to pinpoint one of the four corners of the Voris Ice Cream Saloon.

Last year, the Museum Association of New York awarded Historical Perspectives, Inc. and the Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy one of the 2023 Awards of Distinction. The  statewide awards  “celebrate unique leadership, dedicated community service, transformational visitor experiences, community engagement, and innovative programs that use collections to tell stories of everyone who calls New York home.”

On Monday, the team, along with local volunteers including high school students and members of the Port Chester-Rye NAACP, will continue this work to learn more and be better prepared to tell the story about this African American family living in the small, yet bustling boat building harbor hamlet of the 19th century Town of Rye.:

Come by and learn more about this successful ice cream maker starting on Monday July 29 during “national ice cream month.”

Register here.

The former Voris home lot is situated between the Rye Meeting House-Historic Grace Chapel and the Bird Homestead along the Blind Brook estuary and is maintained by the Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy. The Voris’s neighbors  were the Bouton-Bird families . Henry Bird was the first Treasurer of the Village of Rye, a renowned entomologist and woodworker; his sons Roland and Junius were pioneers in the fields of paleontology and archaeology, respectively. Many of their discoveries can be seen at the American Museum of Natural History. Alice Bird was an exceptional nature illustrator and landscape specialist as well Doris Bird, children’s librarian at the Rye Free Reading Room were both daughters of Henry and Harriet Slater Bird. The archaeological workshops at the Voris site continue to provide the public an opportunity to excavate, screen for artifacts, conduct research, and learn more about African American history in the Town and current City of  Rye.