Tottenville: The Town the Oyster Built: A Staten Island Community, Its People, Industry and Architecture
Barnett Shepherd has resided on Staten Island since 1972. Before coming to Staten Island he taught art history at the University of Florida in Gainesville. From 1978 to 1981 he was research associate at the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, where he specialized in Staten Island's historic architecture. He directed a comprehensive survey of historic architecture and presented a major exhibition and publication, Staten Island: An Architectural History. He is the founder and first president of the Preservation League of Staten Island. He was executive director of the Staten Island Historical Society from 1981 to 2000, overseeing four historic properties, the largest being Historic Richmond Town, a 100-acre New York City–owned site with 27 historic structures. He has taught Staten Island history at the Discovery Institute of the College of Staten Island, CUNY, since January 2003. Mr. Shepherd has published scholarly articles and books on Staten Island history.