Portum petimus fessi – “We who are weary seek a harbor”

Currently on view in the first floor Writing Room

H.M. Pettit (1867-1941), *Artist’s View of Sailors’ Snug Harbor*, Reproduction of the original lithograph, c. 1898, *Collection of the Trustees of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor in the City of New York*

The Age of Sail spanned centuries, with countless sailors opening up global trade and an exchange of culture. Life at sea was harsh, with boys potentially leaving home as early as seven, often losing family ties, and facing the risk of poverty in old age due to lack of pensions or healthcare.

Robert Richard Randall (d. 1801) sought to address this in his will by creating Sailors’ Snug Harbor, a retirement home for “aged, decrepit, and worn out seamen.” By 1831, the trustees established by the will had hired the young architect Minard Lafever (1798-1854) to design the first building. The cornerstone was laid in November 1831, and by June 1833, advertisements were placed in local papers seeking applicants.

Randall’s will left eligibility open, and the trustees, whose values and attitudes would shape the Harbor in its early days, set the criteria: American sailors needed five years of service on US vessels, foreign-born sailors ten years, along with letters of recommendation and proof of no family support. Accepted sailors were medically examined and, regardless of rank, were called “Captain.”

Over 10,000 men were cared for at Sailors’ Snug Harbor throughout its 143-year history on Staten Island. Admitted sailors received complimentary room and board, medical care, and the companionship of their fellow seafarers as they lived out their retirements.

The Snugs

George Trueblood

William Jones

William Holden

Herman Farrelly

Henry Green

Once Sailors’ Snug Harbor began accepting applicants in 1833, word quickly spread about the home and merchant mariners from around the world began to apply. By the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, about 1,000 men a year were cared for at the institution. During that time, the administration began to photograph each admitted sailor in their Harbor-issued suit. This fascinating and innovative collection of portraits is an early example of the use of photography for administrative purposes. Only about 1,500 photographs, taken between 1890 and 1910, still exist. A selection of these photographs is displayed to the right. Note the diversity of these sailors in terms of age, ability, and, to a degree, race.

William Blythe was born on January 5, 1849 in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Captain Blythe immigrated to America in 1864 but was not naturalized. He served at sea for 28 years as a cook and a steward, 26 of them under the US flag. Without an education or the ability to read or write, Captain Blythe, a widower with no children, entered Sailors’ Snug Harbor in 1903. He lived there for 15 years until he was buried in New York Bay Cemetery in Jersey City, NJ in 1918.

For its first nine years, Sailors’ Snug Harbor excluded sailors of color, even though 20% of American seamen were Black in the early 19th century. At sea, Black sailors mostly served as cooks, stewards, or assistants, and were an integral part of the crew. When Sailors’ Snug Harbor opened in 1833, slavery had been abolished in New York only six years earlier. However, free Black people remained vulnerable under the Fugitive Slave Act, and the Harbor may have served as a refuge.

In 1842, nineteen years before the start of the Civil War, the Sailors’ Snug Harbor board proposed admitting sailors of color, and the change was implemented soon after. On September 26, William Watson, a 58-year-old African-born captain, became the first Black man admitted.

“Resolved—that colored seamen may be admitted into the Snug Harbour—provided that in addition to the other qualifications required of applicants, they shall produce proof of their having been born in this State—& that the number of colored men in the Institution shall never exceed the proportion of one to twenty of the whites.” – Meeting of the Board of Trustees, June 27, 1842

Black sailors faced additional barriers to admission: they had to be born in New York (though this requirement was later lifted), and for every 20 white sailors, only one Black sailor could be admitted. Black sailors were also assigned to specific dormitories (originally in the basement of this building, then known as the East Wing) and separate tables in dining areas, and were served by a separate staff.

On all administrative paperwork, a Black or Indigenous sailors’ race would be noted next to their name. It is possible that race was specified in order to adhere to the set racial quotas. Additionally, any sailor who practiced a religion outside of the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches—the religions represented in Harbor services—had that fact noted next to their names as well, including Roman Catholics, for which there was widespread prejudice well into the 20th century.

The Staff

Officers and Heads of Departments, Photograph, 1921, Gift of Arnold Witte
Top, from left: Unknown administrator; unknown administrator; William H. Dorsey, Head Launderer; Augusta E.F. Marriott, Matron; H.M. Pinkney, Farmer; G. Fletcher, Chief Engineer; unknown administrator
*Bottom, from left:* Herman Keopka, Chief Clerk; Clarence R. Jones, Commissary; The Rev. Edward M. Deems, Chaplain; George E. Beckwith, Governor; Dr. Howard C. Williams, Resident Physician; C.W. Decker, Builder

By the turn of the 20th century, Sailors’ Snug Harbor housed about 1,000 residents and required a large staff to maintain and operate it. The medical, matron, and commissary staff worked directly with residents, while the grounds and maintenance teams preserved the Harbor’s beauty. The engineering department handled plumbing, heating, building upkeep, and construction, while able-bodied residents assisted with maintenance and on the farm

While outside contractors managed large projects like the Randall Memorial Church and the perimeter fence, the Harbor’s carpenters built furniture and completed smaller construction tasks. Painters regularly updated exteriors, and cleaning staff ensured the buildings remained spotless. Gardeners cultivated plants in the conservatory and designed the gardens, while the onsite fire department handled emergencies and collaborated with local fire departments when needed. Together, these efforts created a self-sustaining community and provided numerous local jobs.

The Hospital

Postcard of the Sailors’ Snug Harbor hospital, c. 1900

In 1844, eleven years after Sailors’ Snug Harbor opened, the trustees built a small hospital. Most of the sailors came to the Harbor with serious illnesses, and all spent their initial days there so that they could be evaluated and treated. As the site population grew, the trustees offered free medical care to their employees as well, and decided to build a second structure, connected to the first by a hallway. By then the staff had grown to include four full-time physicians, several dozen nurses, a pharmacist, and cleaning and laundry workers. By 1951, the hospital was demolished due to disuse and an infirmary set up in Building F, which was formerly a dormitory.

The nine-ward, 200-bed sanatorium consisted of four wings with a massive rotunda at their center. There were wards for tuberculosis patients, people confined to wheelchairs, and those struggling with their mental health. Built on the edge of the Harbor farm and connected to the main hospital by an airy, enclosed walkway, the Sanatorium opened in 1901. It was torn down in 1951.

Tourist Destination

**Sailors’ Snug Harbor Resident Tour Guides,** Photograph, 1921, *Gift of Arnold Witte*
The sailors were encouraged to stay busy while living at Sailors’ Snug Harbor. Able-bodied Snugs assisted with outdoor work, such as on the farm. Others assisted indoors, such as with overseeing the dormitories or giving tours to visitors. In this photograph, several sailors are waiting in Main Hall to greet visitors to the Harbor and provide tours of the campus.

Over the course of its 175 year history on Staten Island, Sailors’ Snug Harbor gained an international reputation. Visitors could purchase postcards depicting the site’s various buildings and the surrounding environment. The site was open for tours, and many sailors filled their days by acting as tour guides for visitors. In the period from 1884 to 1889, over 40,000 visitors came to Sailors’ Snug Harbor, attracted by the grand buildings and the well-maintained grounds.

*Above:*
Isaac Almstadt (1851-1921), Mariners Relax at Sailors’ Snug Harbor Pier, Photograph, 1878, *Gift of Margaret Harrington*
Residents posed in their winter caps and suits for this photograph taken on the snowy Harbor pier. The fourth man from the left, unlike the others, is wearing a top hat. Although not confirmed, scholars believe that he is Herman Melville, the prominent 19th-century author. He often visited his brother, Harbor Governor Thomas Melville, and was on site in the winter of 1878.
*To the right, top to bottom:*
Postcard of the Front Five Buildings, c. 1900
Postcard of the Randall Memorial Church, Neptune Fountain, and Music Hall,
c. 1900

Sailors’ Snug Harbor Souvenir booklet, 1906, The Noble Maritime Collection
The photographs in this booklet, which you can flip through above, were taken by Edward T. Clegg (1826-1910), a resident of Sailors’ Snug Harbor from 1891 to 1910. This booklet was available for purchase at the Harbor for just 15 cents.

Art Collecting

In 1894, under the leadership of Sailors’ Snug Harbor Governor Gustavus Trask, the trustees of the retirement home started collecting maritime art for the benefit of the residents. The Trust ultimately collected over 100 paintings that were hung in the halls of the dormitories and in administrative offices.

Writing Room/Prayer Room

The Byron Company, The Sailors’ Snug Harbor Reading Room, Photograph, c. 1900, *The Noble Maritime Collection*

This building, Building D, was a Sailors’ Snug Harbor dormitory and this room was a common area. Its Victorian ceiling mural was originally commissioned by Sailors’ Snug Harbor around 1883 in celebration of the retirement home’s 50th anniversary. The mural was hand-painted in the trompe-l’oeil style, creating the optical illusion of a three-dimensional glasshouse roof with flora suggesting the South Seas, where many of the resident mariners had sailed. The mural can be attributed to Charles Berry, who frequently completed projects around the Harbor. At the time that the mural was commissioned, the room functioned as a prayer room. The room for that purpose originally existed in Main Hall next door, but was moved to Building D around the time of the large-scale renovations at the Harbor in 1883.

The main entrance to the gallery has a stained glass transom window above the door that features religious iconography. Although the fabricator of this particular window is unknown, renowned stained glass designer John LaFarge, as well as designers from Tiffany Studios, were employed by the Harbor at that time to craft stained glass throughout the buildings on campus. Just over ten years later in 1894 the room was partitioned into three rooms; the front two were made into dormitory rooms and the largest room became a writing room for the sailors, where the Harbor provided them with writing materials for letters or memoirs.

This building continued to be used as a dormitory until 1976, and the mural was, at some point, painted over. A coalition of community volunteers called the Noble Crew restored the building during the 1990s and uncovered the ceiling mural under layers of plaster and paint. Its subsequent professional restoration was one of the crowning achievements of the adaptive reuse project, but in order to do so, the original 1844 ceiling could not be replaced. It lasted for another 30 years until its collapse in 2020.

Thanks to the generosity of The Versailles-Giverny Foundation and The New York Landmarks Conservancy, the Victorian ceiling mural was restored by EverGreene Architectural Arts in 2023. Today, the room is fully restored to its appearance as the late 19th-century prayer room.