Want Deeper Picture of Historic Farm

An archeological survey of close to three acres at the corner of East Hampton’s North Main and Cedar Streets could reveal the locations of wind-powered sawmills once on the site, which was a town common from about 1700 to the mid-19th century, and could turn up other artifacts and information about what once took place there.

The property was purchased in 2005 by East Hampton Town with the community preservation fund. Through the efforts of a committee of volunteers, a Revolutionary War-era house there has been set up as the East Hampton Historical Farm Museum, depicting the daily life of an East Hampton farm family in the early 1900s.

The land was once referred to as the “mill lot.” According to research by Robert Hefner, a historical consultant for East Hampton Village and Town, three wind-powered sawmills stood there, in succession, between approximately 1630 and 1860. Across the street was the residence of the Dominys, a family of skilled woodworkers — millwrights, cabinetmakers, and clockmakers — who used the mill lumber for boards, framing timbers, and the raw material needed for their finely crafted items.

There was also a blacksmith shop at the common, Mr. Hefner said this week, creating a sort of “industrial center.”

In a proposal under review by the East Hampton Town Board, Allison Manfra McGovern, an archeologist and professor, has suggested doing an archeological survey of the property that could pinpoint the sawmills’ locations, determine if the site might be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, and guide future decisions about management and use of the property.

Dr. McGovern’s inquiry, at an estimated cost of $5,670 for a first phase, would begin with archival research, a review of historical documents such as maps, histories, and photographs, to determine past land use in the area and define the locations of any already documented cemeteries, roads, buildings, and Native American settlements.

Then a series of test pits would be dug, by shovel, on an evenly spaced grid — 16 per acre in undisturbed sections of the site as well as more tightly spaced test holes around the house and barn, some 63 to 68 test holes in all, Ms. McGovern estimates in her proposal.

In addition to the shovel test pits, two or three larger squares would be excavated. After the soils are screened and, if deemed necessary, analyzed as to sediments, botanical remains, and faunal materials, the excavations will be refilled.

Any artifacts found will be cleaned, classified, and catalogued in the lab and then returned to the farm museum for display.

The archeologist says in the proposal that “if significant intact archeological deposits are encountered, or if the foundation remains of the mill are located, recommendations will be made for either preservation of the site or additional archeological investigations. . . .”

The first phase of the survey, she says, will take about six weeks, including preparation of a final report, barring rain, snow, or a freeze.

Grants are available for such projects, Ms. McGovern said in her proposal. Additional archeological investigations may be recommended if intact archeological features are found on the property.

The cost of that is difficult to determine, she said, and would depend on whether a paid crew is used or if students or other volunteers would be relied on, but she provided an estimate of just over $7,000 up to $11,550.

  While an 1865 survey depicted a small drawing of a windmill on the area of the site, the mill no longer existed at that time, Mr. Hefner said this week.

According to Mr. Hefner, the 1715 Dominy house, which stood at the southwest corner of North Main Street and Cedar Street, contained Nathaniel Dominy’s woodworking and clock shop. It was demolished in 1946.

Five of the six windmills built on Long Island by Nathaniel Dominy between 1795 and 1815 still survive, Mr. Hefner has said, including East Hampton’s Gardiner Mill and Hook Mill.

In the early 1870s, Selah Lester bought the mill lot from Sybel Dominy for $300. Around 1876 he had the house that still stands on the site, which was owned by Capt. Jonathan Barnes, moved by sled from Old Montauk Highway, Amagansett, to the site.

According to Ms. McGovern, Selah Lester found work aboard whaling ships that sailed from Sag Harbor. He also worked as a fisherman and a farm laborer, and farmed his own small lot.

When he died, his son Talmage Lester lived there. Other Lester descendants inherited the property.

Over the last several years, the town spent $200,000 from the community preservation fund to restore the house, and a restoration of the barn is planned.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Lester family was raising seven children in the two-bedroom Cape Cod-style house, which was built in the style of Miss Amelia’s Cottage in Amagansett.

It is now filled with artifacts hailing from a number of East Hampton’s old families, including numerous pieces of furniture and other items salvaged from the Tillinghast barn in East Hampton after that property was sold and before the buildings there were demolished.

The museum, which has seen 500 visitors since it opened last fall — with a winter hiatus in between — is open on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.