125 Years Ago 1897
From The East Hampton Star, February 12
There will be a dance in Clinton Hall on the evening of Washington’s birthday, given by the East Hampton Social Seniors. J.E. Huntting, T.R. Barns and J.W. Hand are on the committee of arrangements.
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The Long Island Railroad Company is preparing to issue twenty trip tickets for the personal use of clergymen living along the line of the road at a special rate of a cent and a quarter a mile. These tickets can be had upon application at the office of the company at Long Island City. Application blanks can be had of the station agents of the company.
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A knight of the road was lodged in the lockup Tuesday night. The officers were unable to lock up the building, the combination lock being out of order, but they provided a good fire for Mr. Tramp and locks were unnecessary.
100 Years Ago 1922
From The East Hampton Star, February 10
A special meeting of the Alumni Society of the East Hampton High School was held in the high school last week for the purpose of working out the plan which would enable deserving graduates of the school to continue their education at a higher institution of learning.
A committee composed of Nelson C. Osborne, ‘06, as Chairman; J. Edward Gay, jr., ‘13; Kenneth Hedges, ‘09, and Miss Ettie Hedges, ‘95, was appointed to perfect the plan for the “Student Aid,” and the results of the work of this committee will be announced at an early date.
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Generally speaking, New York State residents were not a very well behaved lot last year, as compared to 1920. In fact, a total of 55,516 persons were convicted in courts of special sessions and courts of record as compared to 40,691 the preceding year. Hooch or no hooch, 10,291 were convicted of intoxication, misdemeanors claiming 26,791, petit larceny 4,166, and third degree assaults 1,681.
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A party of eight young men of the village had a rather exciting day of it Tuesday, when they went on a ducking expedition to Gardiner’s Island shoals. During the day, the boat caught fire, one of the hunters shot the barrels of his gun off and on the return trip their boat got caught in an ice flow between Gardiner’s Island and Fire Place. However, the sportsmen proved themselves capable of caring for themselves and their equipment in each emergency.
75 Years Ago 1947
From The East Hampton Star, February 13
The annual Father and Son Dinner will be given on Washington’s Birthday — Saturday, February 22 — at six o’clock, in the Presbyterian Session House, by the Boy Scout organization in East Hampton. E.T. Dayton is general chairman for the dinner, and is in charge of the food; he will be assisted in preparation and serving of the dinner by Frank Eldredge, Hugh Filer, Eugene Lester, and a group of Girl Scouts who will wait on table.
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At the suggestion of a committee of the Bridgehampton Community Council, headed by Russell Simons, and George C. Strong, President of the Bridgehampton Cooperative, the Suffolk County Farm Bureau has sent out notices of a meeting to be held at the Bridgehampton Community House on February 17th, at 8:00 p.m., to consider the merits of the establishment of a Migrant Labor Camp to serve the farmers in the area between Southampton and Montauk.
The matter of proper housing of migrant labor, necessary for handling the potato and other crops, is becoming an increasingly serious problem and it is felt that the establishment of a central camp, with at least minimum housing standards, will eliminate some of the unsatisfactory and present crowded living conditions and attract a better class of labor to this section.
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Announcement is made in this issue of a new market on Newtown Lane, Frank’s Market, to be officially opened Friday, February 14. The market is owned by Frank Blundo, of Hackensack, N.J., who formerly conducted a market in Kearney, N.J.
Frank’s Market will carry a complete line of prime meats and poultry, fruits and vegetables, frozen food and delicatessen.
Mr. Blundo is married and has two little girls. He has been making his home in Hackensack but will have his family here as soon as he is able to secure a home.
50 Years Ago 1972
From The East Hampton Star, February 10
The Montauk Friends of Erin are planning a St. Patrick’s Day poster contest for Montauk school children, with judging by Frank Borth at the Friends’ annual cocktail party, to be held March 18 at the Blue Marlin.
Posters will be submitted to St. Therese and the Public Schools on 24 by 36-inch poster board by March 17.
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About two years after plans were first announced, the East Hampton Town Board is asking for bids on construction of an off-street parking lot in the Amagansett business district.
In November, 1970, the Town’s voters approved the expenditure of $197,000 for land acquisition and construction of the 150-space lot behind stores on the north side of Main Street. An access strip to the north and west of the lot to Windmill Lane was to be acquired, but not paved until needed.
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East Hampton will honor the American Indian Saturday afternoon when residents gather to eat samp and drink sassafras tea; watch a program of Indian dances, games, and songs; hear a panel discussion on the history of the Long Island Indian; and view two exhibitions that will open at Guild Hall.
The Indian samp, made from hulled corn, and the tea, made from the roots of the sassafras tree, will be prepared by Pretty Pony, a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, who lives in East Hampton.
25 Years Ago 1997
From The East Hampton Star, February 13
Taking off to warmer climes is nothing new for East Enders at this time of year. But when a group of six local residents headed down to the war-torn Central American country of Guatemala last month, they weren’t going for a suntan.
The group — three carpenters, a mason, a real estate agent, and a supply yard manager — spent 10 days in Guatemala helping to build an orphanage for some of the thousands of children left behind in the country’s years of civil war. They returned last week.
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“. . . in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” — Benjamin Franklin
Fishermen who thought they had escaped income taxes on their shares of a $7 million settlement with the General Electric company three years ago learned otherwise three weeks ago. The settlement ended a suit over the company’s responsibility for the decline of the lucrative striped bass fishery in New York State.
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The East Hampton Business Alliance has asked the town to overhaul the way it handles solid waste, suggesting that it mothball its $5 million, three-year-old composting plant.
At a Jan. 27 meeting with the Town Councilmen who oversee the program, alliance directors criticized composting as being too costly for business. Calling the future of composting unpromising, they said trucking more garbage out of town would reduce both the townwide garbage tax and carters’ bills.
