Finding Fire Island: Our Legacy

Finding Fire Island: Our Legacy is a documentary series created by the Pines Historical Society to capture and share the rich history of Fire Island Pines. We are proud to partner with acclaimed podcaster Jess Rothschild on this project. It builds on her groundbreaking original series Finding Fire Island, which offered a sweeping overview of Fire Island’s LGBTQ+ communities, the Pines and Cherry Grove. In this new series we delve deeper into the people, events, and organizations that shaped the culture of the Pines and helped transform it into an LGBTQ+ mecca. The series will launch in June 2026 in both audio and video formats.

Check Out the video on the history of the Pines from series 1 of Finding Fire Island

Why We’re Doing This

For any community, preserving its history is essential. It fosters identity, belonging, and pride, while guiding future generations through the lessons and achievements of the past.

Fire Island Pines has long stood as a vibrant and historically significant enclave within LGBTQ+ culture. The story of how this secluded retreat became—and remains—a beacon of creativity, resilience, and community in the face of adversity deserves to be shared and preserved for generations to come.

Meet Jess

Jess Rothschild is a writer, producer and native New Yorker.  Jess is the creator and executive producer of “Finding Fire Island”, the GLAAD Award nominated docuseries centered on the history mystique and lore of Cherry Grove and The Fire Island Pines. Jess also hosts and produces “Hot Takes & Deep Dives” where she interviews formative cultural figures including Rosie O’Donnell, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Mizrahi, Mario Cantone, Melissa Etheridge, Michael Musto and Fran Drescher. Her work can be found on all podcast platforms and YouTube.