History came to life for Port Jefferson Middle School seventh-grade students when they learned how Port Jefferson played an integral role in a Revolutionary War spy ring working for George Washington.

Historian and curator Georgette Grier-Key and Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margo Garant engaged the students in the rich history of the Village, only yards away from their school’s entrance. Throughout their conversations, the pair shared how Main Street was officially designated by New York State as part of the Washington Spy Trail – well-known locally as the Culper Spy Ring – and considered America’s first espionage group. Additionally, they shared information about the centuries-old Roe House, which displays a letter from Washington thanking the members of the Spy Ring and a map that details the trail they traveled to send messages from Connecticut across the Long Island Sound into Port Jefferson and then into Manhattan.

“The students are learning about this time period during class and had the unique opportunity to connect textbook learning to an authentic, interactive experience allowing for the synthesis of knowledge,” said seventh-grade teacher Monica Consalvo, who organized the learning program.