Golden hour is a magical time, when streaks of red and gold are infused into the sky, prompting one to not only look but appreciate.

It’s that time, literally and figuratively, for the Vineyard Preservation Trust, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year. Our Golden Hours is the name of the organization’s exhibit at the Vincent House, which looks through the lens of an Island family living in the Vineyard’s oldest home for eight generations.

The Trust is responsible for the acquisition, maintenance and preservation of many of the Island’s iconic landmarks — now more than 20 in all. Its half-century milestone will include celebrations and reflections on how the Trust came to be and where it’s going.

“In an organization’s lifetime, 50 is an important milestone,” said executive director Nevette Previd. “We were really trying to shine a light on how these buildings are used in the community and the purpose that they serve, aside from being simply beautiful.”

Flying Horses was acquired by the Trust in 1986. — Tim Johnson

The schedule this summer includes concerts at the historic Grange Hall in July and August, a 50th birthday party at the Dr. Daniel Fisher House and an evening with the Dance Theatre of Harlem at Union Chapel.

“It was about activating buildings in ways they haven’t yet been, and exemplifying something we’ve taken into our own,” Ms. Previd said of the organization’s legacy.

The Trust’s roots started in the post-World War II 1940s, when visionaries, led by Vineyard Gazette publisher Henry Beetle Hough, wanted to save downtown Edgartown from becoming a parking lot. The group formed the North Water Street Corporation, an early iteration of what the Trust would become.

In the 1970s, Fairleigh Dickinson and C. Stuart Avery helped create the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society, acquiring landmarks including the Dr. Daniel Fisher House and the Old Whaling Church.

The two organizations soon joined forces to set a course of preservation that continues today, including the acquisition of the Flying Horses carousel in 1986, Alley’s General Store in 1993, Union Chapel in 2002 and, most recently, with the Carnegie Library in 2016.

Union Chapel was acquired in 2002. — Tim Johnson

Chris Scott was the Trust’s executive director during a pivotal period, from 1992 to 2017. In the early ‘90s, he had been working in New York City on an open space preservation plan, when he got a call while vacationing on the Vineyard about a job opening to run the Vineyard Preservation Trust.

Finding himself wistful as the summer drew to an end, Mr. Scott said, “I found myself thinking, ‘Gee, it would be nice to stay on the Island.’”

He took the job.

At the time Mr. Scott joined the Trust, the organization held nine landmark

properties. Under Mr. Scott’s guidance the portfolio grew to include 13 more iconic spots, including the Grange Hall, the Old Sculpin and the captain’s house that is home to the Vineyard Gazette.

Grange Hall was acquired in 1997. — Tim Johnson

In 2004, Mr. Scott received a call from the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank to look at a historic half Cape home on Chappaquiddick. It was a simple one-room, two-story box with an exterior chimney, a common home type for colonial families. Built in 1790, the farmhouse and the parcel adjacent to it have now been set aside specifically for the use of a tenant farmer, currently Slip Away Farm. In 2009, the Old Chappy Schoolhouse was deeded to the Trust, moved to the Marshall Farmstead and restored.

Mr. Scott said he is pleased to see the important work of the Trust continue.

“These properties are part of the Island experience,” he said. “When someone thinks about Martha’s Vineyard, they think about taking the kids to the carousel, the farmers’ market, to a concert at a whaling church, or a wedding reception at the Vincent House. So many activities that enrich Island life that our properties serve as a platform for.”

But preserving old buildings takes a lot of work and a particular expertise. John Anderson has been the man behind the scenes since the 1980s, having washed ashore at the time after decades at sea.

He recalled Stuart Avery sternly telling him: “I want you to help with restoration.”

The Carnegie was acquired in 2016. — Tim Johnson

Soon after coming on board, Mr. Anderson began his first project: painting Edgartown’s Old Whaling Church “inside and out.”

“From my years of sailing, I wasn’t afraid of heights and I knew how to put people together to work on structural repairs,” he said.

Now 78 and semi-retired, Mr. Anderson still serves as a caretaker of the Flying Horses, along with Miles Thurlow. Recently, that work has included restoring the horses’ leather reins, and refurbishing horses Moshup, Beaufort and King Coronet.

“Putting them back to what they looked like in [1876] when [the carousel] was built,” Mr. Anderson said.

For Mr. Anderson, the experience is also personal.

“I have two grandchildren, ages 5 and 8. After they were born, I have pictures of my daughters riding on the Flying Horses with their babies,” he said.

Mr. Anderson said he plans to continue helping with the carousel “until I (physically) can’t anymore.”

Ms. Previd said that she and others at the Trust often hear the phrase “Oh, I’ve been to that building. I didn’t know the Trust owns that.”

The future, Ms. Previd said, will be built on fostering that connection. She said these historic buildings have the potential to continue to “live” for hundreds more years with the right care and financial support.

“We are so lucky to serve the whole community with properties like the Flying Horses that mean so much to multiple generations,” she said. “So, we have that gift to give to the Island, by fostering that sense of connection.”

For more information about the Trust’s 50th Anniversary, visit vineyardtrust.org/events.