Built in 1947, Dogwood Hollow Amphitheater is notable as the setting of the Stony Brook Music Festival Series which became a highlight of the Long Island music scene for one and half decades, running from 1955 to 1970. The amphitheater hosted musical greats as Duke Ellington, Tony Bennett and Pete Seeger.
Recently, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) had the honor of receiving a Young Gardiner Scholar grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. With this grant, WMHO was able to recruit Sean Brass, a junior at Stony Brook University in the Social Studies Teacher Education Program, to archive its hundreds of documents related to the creation and legacy of Dogwood Hollow Amphitheater.
As part of his internship, Sean also created a short video for the public to be able to catch a glimpse into the history of Dogwood Hollow. Watch the video on YouTube below.
Congratulations to Sean for his excellent work- and thank you to the Robert David Gardiner Foundation for the opportunity to help WMHO share this fascinating chapter of Stony Brook Village History!
