Towering baymen’s monument marks its first summer in Oyster Bay

A tribute to Oyster Bay’s baymen has spent its first summer overlooking the harbor, where generations have made their living casting rods and raking the seafloor for oysters and clams.

The Baymen’s Memorial Monument was unveiled in June at Theodore Roosevelt Park, depicting a bayman aboard his boat pulling in his catch.

The statue stands along Oyster Bay Harbor.

The memorial honors the town’s baymen, including those who have lost their lives working on the water. It was unveiled alongside the family of Michael Kennedy, a bayman who lost his life on Long Island Sound.

“This will be a place of reflection, where friends, family and visitors can view our beautiful harbor and take a few minutes to think about the sacrifices made by our baymen,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said at the dedication.

Saladino noted that baymen continue to work the waters throughout the year, often in difficult conditions, harvesting what he described as one of the region’s last locally gathered food supplies.

The Baymen’s Heritage Association raised money for the monument, with Long Island music legend Billy Joel among those contributing to the project.

Oyster Bay artist Kirk Larsen is credited with creating the monument’s original design and initial site concepts, and with helping the Baymen’s Heritage Association find a foundry and secure approval for the site.