For close to a century the Pines and Cherry Grove communities of Fire Island have been safe havens for gays and lesbians.

From the beginning of the Blue Whale Tea Dance in 1966 to the annual Invasion of the Pines, the island has been known for years as a place where gay men and women could be out and live freely.

Christopher Isherwood, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Montgomery Clift were just some of the celebrities who visited the beach community back in the day, including male model John B. Whyte who developed the Pines as a more upscale getaway in the 1960s.

When the AIDS crisis hit in the 1980s, though, much of that history was lost along with the men who had made the Pines their summer home for years.

The Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society works to save the legacy of the Pines for future generations, so they can learn about the beach community's place in LGBT history.

"It's about creating remembrance for those who spent time here or lived here and it's also about mentoring a generation of people who have no clue what Fire Island is, the experience, what it meant, it’s place in gay history." FIPHPS president Robert Bonanno told NewNowNext. "When you mention the words 'Fire Island' it goes hand in hand with Stonewall."

The historical society got its start in 2010, when Bonanno heard a rumor that new owners were changing the name of the Blue Whale, the bar where the Pines' infamous tea dance was born. "I thought to myself 'how can they change the name of something that was so historic?'"

The name didn't change and starting then Bonanno was determined to make sure that the history of the Pines would be preserved.

Not only does FIPHPS have an essential website cataloging the history of the Pines, the society also throws events reminding visitors about the island's past like last year's 50th anniversary celebration of the Blue Whale's Tea Dance.

The society's extensive online archives include everything from the island's early 20th century beginnings as a theater community to iconic Pines architecture and events from the '70s and '80s that became legendary in Fire Island lore like the Morning Party.

"Gay Mens Health Crisis partnered with people on Fire Island during the beginning of the AIDS crisis—this woman, Nikki Fried, was instrumental. She and her friends created the Morning Party, which was what people did after they danced all night," Bonanno explains.

"They came back to somebody’s house and they had a [dance] party. She decided that that was how they were going to raise money for their friends with AIDS. Eventually GMHC got involved and it became the biggest fundraiser in their history." The final Morning Party was held in 1998.

"One day maybe somebody will make a movie or a documentary out of it because it’s a great story."

Bonanno reveals that if he could pick any time to be on Fire Island he would pick the summer of 1969.

"The swinging '60s were happening and it was just about to explode into the '70s," he says. "I would just love to be a fly on that wall."

Bonanno is focused on Fire Island's past but he's fearful for its future.

"One day someone might be saying: 'Once upon a time there was a place called Fire Island...' That’s why what we do is so important to me, and that’s why I'm so passionate about it," he confesses. "It’s a history that needs to be preserved. It’s a part of our culture and it’s a part of gay history."

For more information and history, visit the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society website.

Below, watch the trailer for Logo's new reality series, Fire Island.

Fire Island premieres Thursday, April 27 at 8/7c on Logo.