The Star Shines on Springs

A new Springs Historical Society newsletter, "The Star Shines on Springs," is providing a window into Springs life of the past half-century.

The newsletter, part of East Hampton's 350th anniversary celebration, is a compilation of articles culled from bound volumes of The East Hampton Star, 1942-1980, that were donated to the Springs Library. Copies are mailed each month to Historical Society members and are available at the library.

Mary Anne Siegfried is the Historical Society volunteer who has undertaken the project. Each newsletter will look at a particular aspect of Springs, not necessarily a "comprehensive" examination, Ms. Siegfried stressed, but an eclectic one.

The development of neighborhoods such as Maidstone, Fireplace, Gerard, and Clearwater will be covered, as well as articles about Springs institutions: the Presbyterian Church, the school, and the Parsons Blacksmith Shop, the subject of this month's issue. Last month's had articles on Accabonac Harbor.

The newsletters will be spiced up with old advertisements, (from Miller's General Store, for instance), stories about Springs people, and the obituaries of long-gone residents. "There are a lot of fun characters," said Ms. Siegfried.

A former employee of the Asia Society in Manhattan, Ms. Siegfried recently passed on the reins of a newsletter she had overseen for 25 years, Afghanistan Forum. "The Star Shines on Springs" is helping with her "withdrawal," she said.

She hopes the opportunity to read about Springs's past will bolster the Historical Society's membership, whose $10 annual dues support the Springs Library, and help to obtain and preserve items related to an earlier Springs. Those wishing to join may write the society at Box 1860, East Hampton 11937.