Blue Point, NY is a hamlet in Suffolk County located in the Town of Brookhaven in Long Island. Blue Point is part of the Brookhaven Patent from King Charles II, first settled by people in Setauket in 1655. The name Blue Point is supposed to have originated from the bluish haze that settles over the point of land extending into the bay.
During the Revolutionary War, the harbor at Blue Point was a major shipping point for British vessels.The British ships in Blue Point were raided several times by American rebels from Connecticut. The oldest dwelling in Blue Point is the old Joseph Avery homestead built in 1812 on the north side of what is now Middle Road. When the railroad came through in 1869, the town became a popular summer resort.

The Stepping Stone is the annual yearbook for Bayport-Blue Point High School in Bayport, New York. The school was constructed in 1927 as an elementary and high school for the Hamlet of Bayport. The high school serves two towns, Bayport and Blue Point, from which it derives its name.

The Thomas R. Bayles Local History Room, located in the Adult Department, is a room full of local history. Most of the books, pamphlets, postcards and photographs were donated by Mr. Bayles in 1976. The collection was dedicated in his honor on October 4, 1980.

The waters of the Battenkill, flowing from Vermont through southern Washington County to the Hudson River, are the source of inspiration for the art and artifacts showcased in an exhibition during the first half of 2015. Battenkill Inspired showcased the work of contemporary artists, as well as taking a look at the river’s culture: the covered bridges built to cross, the many industries that once drew power from its flow, the lure of Dionondehowa Falls and its pleasure park and the electricity generated for a trolley system, the world-class trout fishing with its own original fly patterns and personalities, the 1960s-70s decorated rafts for a timed float and competition, and current efforts to preserve this valuable resource.

In 1903, New York State decided it was necessary to enlarge the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals, in order to compete against evolving modes of transportation and the growth of railroads. This enlarged system of canals, known as the Barge Canal, was completed in 1918. The enlarged Barge Canal was 12-14 feet deep, 120-200 feet wide, and was able to accommodate larger, self-propelled vessels carrying up to 3,000 tons of cargo.

In the early 1970s the New York State Department of Transportation was cleaning out its Rochester office, preparing to move to a new building. There were several thousand glass and film negatives (along with some original prints) created by the State, documenting the construction and early years of the Barge Canal in the Western Division. These photographs were given to the Erie Canal Museum, and in the 1980s there was a dedicated effort by the museum to rehouse and make archival contact prints of the film negatives. The set of glass negatives were transferred to the State Archives in 1985. This digital collection includes the set of contact prints that remained at the Erie Canal Museum.

In 1903, New York State decided it was necessary to enlarge the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals, in order to compete against evolving modes of transportation and the growth of railroads. This enlarged system of canals, known as the Barge Canal, was completed in 1918. The enlarged Barge Canal was 12-14 feet deep, 120-200 feet wide, and was able to accommodate larger, self-propelled vessels carrying up to 3,000 tons of cargo.

The Canal Society Collection contains a large sub-collection of Barge Canal Construction albums. These albums, which are organized by contract number, were created as official State records documenting construction projects on the Barge Canal as they progressed. It is likely that these albums originated at the Syracuse Weighlock Building (now the Erie Canal Museum) when it was the Middle Division headquarters. The Middle Division of the Erie Canal stretched from Cayuga County to the eastern boundary of Oneida county. The albums were taken by the Canal Society after the New York State Department of Public Works vacated the building in the late 1950s.

In 1942, a student-run volunteer fire department was formed at Bard College. The Bard College Fire Brigade (later called simply the Bard College Fire Department) became a central campus organization when founder George Blackstone returned from military service in 1946. Intended to protect the Bard community and to provide student members with fire fighting skills, the company fought fires as far away as Rhinecliff and Clermont during its active years. As years passed, however, leadership faltered. Suffering from lack of funds and dwindling membership, President Kline closed the department on May 3, 1960.

The Bard College radio station WXBC was envisioned in 1946 by Elie Shneour '47, and implemented by many hands, including those of John Gillin '47 who wrote his senior project about the technical design and construction of the station. The "X' in its call letters stood for "Experimental," and the 1951 yearbook described the station as the "Voice of the Bard Campus."