35 vintage photos of summertime gay life in 1950s Cherry Grove

In the summer of 2021, the New-York Historical Society presented "Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove," an intimate look at one of the first gay beach towns in the United States. The outdoor exhibition explored mid-20th-century gay life in Fire Island's remote hamlet of Cherry Grove, located on the barrier island south of Long Island, through some 70 enlarged photographs and additional ephemera from the holdings of the Cherry Grove Archives Collection- - which works to collect and archive the community's rich and colorful history.

Now, the Cherry Grove Archives Collection is celebrating a summer of programming dedicated to preserving the history of the community. That includes a brand new podcast, a film premiere, art walks and more.

“The Cherry Grove Archives Collection is thrilled to present a full summer of events and exhibitions that bring the history of the Grove to life through photos, audio and video. Art Walk Exhibitions, our bi-annual Archive Show Weekend, celebrating 50 years of the Invasion of the Pines and a relaunch of our wildly popular Safe/Haven photography book- there’s so much of our history being presented this season," CGAC's creative director Parker Sargent said in a press release. "Cherry Grove is a community that runs on volunteerism, and we spend our summer’s hosting fundraisers for everything from the Community House to the dunes on the beach. So the Archives is always trying to find new ways to engage visitors- to inspire involvement and hopefully generosity, to help us reach our fundraising goals to continue our important work of preserving and presenting the Grove’s history. No matter when you’re in Cherry Grove this summer, there will be something exciting on display to educate and entertain.”

Find out more information about the Cherry Grove Archives Collection here and below.

Patricia Fitzgerald and Kay Guinness, Cherry Grove Beach, September 1952

The 2021 exhibition "Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove" was presented in conjunction with the Cherry Grove Archives Collection. Curated by Brian Clark, Susan Kravitz, and Parker Sargent for the Cherry Grove Archives Collection, it was coordinated at New-York Historical by Rebecca Klassen, associate curator of material culture. Throughout the exhibition, visitors could hear personal, recorded accounts from members of the Cherry Grove community about their experiences and memories.

At Cherry Grove, gay men and women could socialize out in the open, whether on the beach or on the decks of Grove houses. In the evenings, many gathered at local restaurants or at Duffy's Hotel bar, where they could enjoy same-sex dancing late at night. Photographs in the exhibition depict scenes of summer events, including theater performances, an annual regatta, art shows, beach baseball, and an end-of-season costume ball.

Men on the Beach, ca. 1950

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Paul Jablonski

Writers, artists, dancers, theater people, and Hollywood celebrities had been drawn to the Grove since the 1930s. Gay people became the majority of the population during the 1950s and joined with local straight families to work in community organizations. Visitors to the Grove took pleasure in the costumed parties, theatrical events, and liberated atmosphere that this gay sanctuary provided. A sense of togetherness could be felt at campy Cherry Grove costume parties where attendees, straight and gay, showed off flamboyant outfits that would have otherwise been considered a violation of New York laws prohibiting risque attire and cross-dressing. Under the guise of dressing up, many men and women were able to play with gender norms at these fabulous cocktail parties, thereby challenging society's expectations of "proper" behavior. The images on view showcase the abundant creativity in the ebullient social scene. Many Grove house parties were fundraisers for organizations such as the Cherry Grove Fire Department; the Arts Project of Cherry Grove, which organized theatrical productions; the Dune Fund, which preserved the beach dunes; and the Doctor's House, which provided community medical services.

Young Man Posing for Polaroid, 1959

With more and more gay people arriving in the 1950s, long-standing local residents attempted to reinstate "decent" behavior, and police raids became common through the 1960s. Men in particular risked being arrested, jailed, and exposed by name in local newspapers. Headlines from the Suffolk County News--"Five Arrested in Cherry Grove Raid" (August 23, 1957) and "Fifteen Seized in Cherry Grove Raid" (August 9, 1962) -- on display in the exhibition documented these risks.

"Safe/Haven" also highlighted the creative atmosphere appreciated by cultural figures, gay and straight, in Cherry Grove. Writers who rented or visited there included Christopher Isherwood, Patricia Highsmith, and Tennessee Williams. Truman Capote, the novelist, playwright, and journalist whose flamboyant lifestyle contributed to his social celebrity, stayed at Carrington House just outside of the Grove in 1957, where he wrote parts of the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's. In one of the photographs displayed in the exhibition, Marty Mann -- a pioneering member of Alcoholics Anonymous who founded the National Council on Alcoholism -- is pictured with novelist, poet, and playwright Carson McCullers, who wrote the bestselling novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. Both women frequented Cherry Grove in the summer.

Diaper Party, II, 1951

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

The final section of the exhibition explored the changing community of Cherry Grove in more recent decades. In the 1960s, following developments in the civil rights movement, Cherry Grove became more welcoming to Black and Latino gay people, reflected in photographs from that time. Working-class gay women began spending more time in the Grove in the 1960s, a change from the groups of mostly affluent and financially successful women who were there in the 1940s and 1950s. During the 1980s, the AIDS crisis devastated Cherry Grove. Both lesbians and gay men in the Grove took care of many of their male friends who were dying from the disease. Later on, middle-class lesbians had the financial ability to buy houses that had once belonged to these men, preserving the Grove as a gay community.

DJ Beast and Candy Stevens, Ice Palace, ca. 1980

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Valerie Perez and Evelyn Danko

About Cherry Grove Archives Collection:
The Cherry Grove Archives Collection (CGAC) promotes global appreciation of the rich and creative history of one of the earliest known havens for LGBTQ people and their allies in the United States. The CGAC, a committee of the Arts Project of Cherry Grove, is dedicated to the preservation of the social, political, and cultural history of Cherry Grove, Fire Island, New York. The CGAC collects and preserves this history through the archival protection and storage of Cherry Grove's historic artifacts which include documents, ephemera, costumes, photographs, and film.

Patricia Fitzgerald, Kay Guinness, Mary Ronin, and Bea Greer, Duffy’s Hotel, ca. 1950

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Gay Nathan and Julie Paradise

Ed Burke in Ethel Merman’s Mermaid Costume, One Hundred Club Party, 1951

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

End of Season APCG Ball, Community House, Woman with Headdress, September 1954

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

Weekend Guest at Hot House, 1958

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

One Hundred Club Party, 1949

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

Outside of Bea Greer’s Home, Bea’s Brunch, 1951

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

Parasol Party, 1951

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of Harold Seeley

Jess Russel Landing in Sea Plane, Great South Bay, ca. 1950

Gracie Goddard, White Gloves and Veil, ca. 1950

Kathleen O’Donnell Showman, July 4, 2020

Credit: Cherry Grove Archives Collection, Gift of the photographer