OVERVIEW

In 1935, the Town of Southold elected Wayland Jefferson their official historian. During his tenure, Jefferson disrupted traditional religious narratives and wrote histories steeped in taboo subjects—sex, smuggling, and slavery. Although institutions pushed back after 1940 to reclaim their cultural dominance, Jefferson pursued venues remaining open to him to promote his counternarratives. To many in the white community, the town historian was a dishonest gadfly meriting condemnation. To people of color, however, he remains a tenacious straight shooter who deserves recognition. [Read More]

This biography discusses controversies related to the Southold historian triggered after his death: the intersection of racism and historiography, shifting perspectives on collective memory and collective amnesia, and the application of scientific testing to correct errors of interpretation.

Why does Wayland Jefferson impact local history more than sixty years after his death? Read his story and decide for yourself if his narratives were bona fide or faked.