The School Heritage Museum at Huntington
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The School Heritage Museum was established in December 1985 to serve as the official depository of the Huntington School District’s traditions and history. Beginning with eight cartons of assorted pieces of memorabilia, the collection has grown to include thousands of artifacts, photos, documents and pieces of school lore. Among the items are school illustrations from 1794, science equipment from 1898, gymnasium benches from 1910, building plaques and cornerstones dating to 1910 and even 1920’s era drinking fountains and the bell that rang out from the original high school, which stood from 1857 to 1909 on Main Street at the site of the current town hall.
The Heritage Museum, which is located in Huntington High School’s room 140, has effectively chronicled 350 years of public education in the community. 
Artifacts include a complete set of school yearbooks since the first one was published in 1930 and annual bulletins from prior years, decades of district newsletters and newspaper clippings detailing school milestones, 19th century diplomas, historic athletic award banners, trophies and cups, distinguished alumni displays and quirky items such as the letters that once spelled out the name Robert K. Toaz Junior High School high atop the first junior high built in Suffolk and the megaphone used at the 1939 homecoming festivities.
Individuals, community and school groups are welcome to visit the facility and learn more about the history of the district and the students and staff who studied and worked here through the years. Customized tours can be arranged by calling the curator at 673-2048.
Curator
Jack Abrams has been curator of the Huntington School Heritage Museum for more than two decades. Beloved by current and former students alike, his half-century record of service to the community was recognized when the Board of Education voted to rename Huntington Intermediate School in his honor, effective July 1, 2008.
Born during the Great Depression, Mr. Abrams is a graduate of Andrew Jackson High School in St. Albans, Queens. After serving in the U.S. Army Special Service and Signal Corps in Korea and graduating from New Paltz Teacher’s College with a B.S. in Education, he began his career at the Newbridge Road School in North Bellmore before joining the Huntington school family in 1955. Along the way he added advanced degrees from Hofstra and Columbia universities.
The first of many assignments saw Mr. Abrams work as a sixth grade teacher at Woodbury Avenue Grammar School. As the years unfolded, his Huntington career included stints as elementary science coordinator and principal of Nathan Hale, Woodbury Avenue, Washington, Village Green, Toaz/Finley’s 6th school and Woodhull.
In 1975 Mr. Abrams initiated the unique sixth grade outdoor education program that annually sees hundreds of students trekking to Camp Greenkill for four days and three nights of hands-on educational activities. He even spent a year teaching fifth grade in Great Britain with the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program. Another year was spent as a third grade teacher in Northport while on a sabbatical from Huntington.
Mr. Abrams served the last six years of his career as principal of Jefferson Elementary School before officially retiring in 1987. It wasn’t long before he was busy establishing the district’s museum, which today is filled with more than 1,500 items.