About Us
A Brief History of Sailors' Snug Harbor
Robert Richard Randall, a wealthy merchant and member of the Marine Society, founded the Sailors’ Snug Harbor in 1801. In his will a trust fund was established and a tract of land in Manhattan, which was made up of the Randall estate and the purchased Minto Farm, was donated to become the first home of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor. The land and trust fund both were established to help maintain, support and aid decrepit, worn-out, and aged sailors.
As the 19th Century progressed rising land costs resulted in a new 130 acre farm purchase on Staten Island. The new location of Sailors’ Snug Harbor was established at this location in 1833. The home thrived there for over 140 years. Due to increased Medicare costs and inflation the Harbor was then relocated to Sea Level, North Carolina in the early 1970’s. Work still continues today to help retired seamen in need with the Mariner’s Outreach Program.
The Sailors’ Snug Harbor is one of the oldest charitable institutions in the United States and was the first home of its kind for retired sailors located in the country. Seamen were admitted to the institution without regards to their nationality, race, religion, or rank which provided a unique ethnic community with many diverse backgrounds.
Read more on the history of Sailors' Snug Harbor in the finding aid (pdf)
Sailors' Snug Harbor Collection
In 1976, SUNY Maritime College acquired the Sailors’ Snug Harbor archival collection which consisted of important documents and bound volumes of the institution. In 1977, with the help of a grant by the National Historical Records Preservation Committee the collection was archived and stored in SUNY Maritime’s Stephen B. Luce library in 1978. In 2008, further materials were accessioned from the Sailors’ Snug Harbor archives and were added to the existing collection in 2009 in the Stephen B. Luce library’s archives.
The first half of the collection acquired in 1976, covers the period 1797-1969. It consists of documents and records (letters, diaries, Governor’s daily journals, employees and inmates information, etc.) representing a fairly complete picture during the period of activity at Sailors’ Snug Harbor and its impact on Staten Island history. This impact ranged from the social influence of the community to the institution’s influence on Staten Island infrastructure. Also included are records dealing with the acquisition, maintenance, management, and disposition of the Staten Island property.
The second half of the collection acquired in 2008 are materials that further document the activities of the Harbor and their inmates. These materials are wide in scope ranging from the business records of the institution to registries and scrapbooks. Of these records, there is a subset of approximately 9,198 inmate folders that document the official and personal records of the inmates. These materials date from the late 19th Century until the 1990’s. This portion of the records consist of items such as United States citizenship certificates, professional licenses, medical records, photographs, and scrapbooks.
Click here for more details on the Sailors' Snug Harbor Collection