The Invention of the American Vacation

The idea of going on a vacation is a modern concept. No one ever “took a vacation” before the 1790s. Indeed, the word “vacation” didn’t exist before 1791, when two famous American gentlemen went on a long recreational tour, launching a tradition that is still with us. The word “vacation” is derived from the verb “to vacate,” which is what school children did to schools when it was time to work on family farms in summer months. Peconic Landing resident Charles (Chuck) Olton, an American historian, will use a rich collection of images to tell the remarkable story of that first vacation, part of which occurred right here, on the North Fork of Long Island.

Presented by the Oysterponds Historical Society.