Oyster Bay, NY, February 5, 2009. In celebration of the season and of an extraordinary Gold Coast family, the Oyster Bay Historical Society will exhibit letters and photographs from the courtship of Luis Francke and Jane Bush de Lamoutte beginning Saturday, February 7, 2009. The exhibit is titled Dearest Jane ... Love L: Jane Bush de Lamoutte Francke and her love letters from Habana.
Luis Francke operated a sugar plantation and refinery near Havana, Cuba. A rural Indiana native, Jane Bush was educated in France, then briefly married to Alexander de Lamoutte of New York City. The couple courted, mostly by letter, from 1907 until their marriage in London in 1911. Their moving love letters will be on exhibit at the Oyster Bay Historical Society's Earle-Wightman House Museum until Sunday, April 26, 2009.
In celebration of this far-from-garden-variety family from Long Island's Gold Coast and of Valentine's Day, the exhibit will include a special reception from 4:00-6:00 pm on Saturday, February 14, 2009. Please RSVP by phone (516-922-5032) or email.
The collection of letters and photographs was donated to the Society in 2003 by the Francke's grand-daughter, Ellen Curtis, who also provided background information. Her grandmother is memorialized today by the Jane B. Francke Bird Sanctuary maintained on the grounds of Glenby, the Francke's former estate in Upper Brookville. The Sanctuary reflects Jane Francke's abiding interests in ornithology and gardening, and her commitment to conservation and open space.
Headquartered in the historic Earle-Wightman House museum and library, the Oyster Bay Historical Society has provided tourists, students, scholars, and historians with historic exhibits, lectures, maps, photographs, artifacts, and historical and genealogical documents for more than 40 years. In recognition of its contribution, the museum has been designated an historic site on the Revolutionary War Heritage Trail.
For more information, visit the Oyster Bay Historical Society website at http://www.oysterbayhistory.org or call its Director, Thomas A. Kuehhas, at 516-922-5032.
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