125 Years Ago - 1897
From The East Hampton Star, April 9
East Hampton people are considerable peanut eaters. Within the past six months over two hundred bushels of peanuts have been consumed in this town. Six thousand four hundred quarts of peanuts in one winter. Just think of it, $610 spent for peanuts.
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The annual town meeting and election of town officers took place on Tuesday last. It was plainly evident from the unusual interest shown that there were two tickets in the field.
There were 490 votes cast, of which 314 were voted straight, 170 for the Independent ticket and 144 for the Union ticket. Only four defective ballots were found out of the whole number cast, which is a good showing for East Hampton voters.
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The Long Island Railroad is evidently going to try to please its patrons in its future management. The announcement is now made that the entire road is to be cinder ballasted and that hard coal is to be used on all express trains instead of soft coal.
100 Years Ago - 1922
From The East Hampton Star, April 7
In accordance with the custom of many years of standing, the merchants of East Hampton will close their stores on Good Friday between the hours of twelve, noon, and three in the afternoon. During these hours there will be a service at St. Luke’s church, to which the public is cordially invited to come for the whole or part of the time.
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A good many oystermen claim that one of the causes for the decline of the set that now threatens the northern industry is the deterioration in the quality of the mother beds due to inbreeding. Years ago, when such enormous sets were obtained, it was customary to import large numbers of southern oysters for the early season. These oystermen believe that it was the crossing of the breeds of these stocks which made a healthy spawn.
While this may not explain entirely the loss of set, there is undoubtedly much to be gained in oyster culture by improving the breeds. Oysters from one location are known to have much better qualities than oysters from some other sections.
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A series of pool games is being played by East Hampton, Amagansett, Southampton, and Sag Harbor teams. Thus far the East Hampton team is in the lead, having lost only two games out of nine. Those playing on the local team are Joseph Loris, Frank Libert, Dr. Mulford and John Bennett.
75 Years Ago - 1947
From The East Hampton Star, April 10
Picketing in East Hampton! That’s something few Main Streeters ever expected to see. But it’s here; ever since six o’clock Monday morning, when the nationwide telephone strike began. Our pickets do not parade up and down; they have been taking it easy, sitting in a car parked in front of the telephone exchange, with picket placards propped against the car. Inside the exchange, instead of the 10 regular and four part-time operators used at this time of year (last summer there were 21), the chief operator has held the fort alone, since 11 p.m. on Sunday, with a man, the traffic superintendent, as relief operator when necessary.
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A Silver Tea will be given Friday, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m., by the [Women’s Society of Christian Service] of the Methodist Church at the Brown Dominy bungalow on Dayton Lane. All are welcome to come.
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According to tradition, from early Colonial days until sixty or seventy years ago nearly every home in this town had its dooryard garden of old fashioned perennials. Our English ancestors must have brought this love of flowers from the mother country, where to this day, every cottage in the country villages, no matter how humble, has its carefully tended garden. When the housewives had only their family housework, weaving, knitting, sewing, cooking and butter-making to attend to, their natural love of beauty led them to find time to care for their gardens in summer, and make patchwork quilts and do embroidery in winter.
50 Years Ago - 1972
From The East Hampton Star, April 6
A comprehensive three-year, $300,000 water study for East Hampton and Southampton Towns may get underway this summer if the Town Boards approve, and if the public funds are forthcoming.
East Hampton Supervisor Eugene Lester Jr., who has sought the study, said this week that he and representatives from the United States Department of the Interior’s Geological Survey, the County Water Authority, the County Health Department and the Southampton Town Board met last Thursday in Southampton to discuss the project, which would be conducted by the Geological Survey.
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On March 14, the County Legislature asked the State Department of Environmental Conservation not to conduct aerial spraying of gypsy moths in Suffolk. The request was made at the recommendation of the County’s Environmental Quality Council, which has been studying gypsy moth control for about a year, and has concluded that spraying of the insecticide Sevin is both ineffectual and harmful to other insects, some of which feed on the moths.
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After some early-bird work last week, potato planting started in earnest on Eastern Long Island Monday, only to be called off on Tuesday because of wet ground. Rain fell steadily throughout the day, and growers who had turned out with plow rigs and planters early in the morning soon called it quits.
They are all set to seed the 31,000-acre mainstay crop, however, and with clearing weather Wednesday, it was expected the planting would become general before the weekend. Soils are in good tilth with normal ground temperatures, and only the comfort index has been below par.
25 Years Ago - 1997
From The East Hampton Star, April 10
The usual steady stream of cars was still pulling into the parking lot of the G&T Dairy Chicken House Tuesday afternoon, only to find the venerable deli and grocery store was closed — for good.
The business shut its doors on Monday, in anticipation of its sale to Southampton’s Schmidt Brothers Produce Company, which plans to open an East Hampton branch.
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Does East Hampton Town have too much land zoned for commercial-industrial use — and how much does it need? The Town Board will have to answer those questions before deciding whether to follow through on the proposed upzoning of 140 parcels, including the shift of about 420 acres from commercial-industrial to residential zoning.
The town now has roughly 1,400 acres of developed and vacant land zoned for commercial-industrial use, about 1,030 of it in Wainscott. That is too much, according to some town officials and the Long Island Regional Planning Board.
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Restoration of East Hampton Village’s Gardiner Mill will be about three-quarters completed by summer, Robert Hefner, the village historic consultant, reported at a Village Board meeting last Thursday. The structure was returned to its foundation with the aid of hydraulic jacks last week following repairs to its frame, supports, and millstones.
Still to be done in the first phase of restoring “Nathaniel Dominy’s finest work,” said Mr. Hefner, is sheathing and shingling the outside and repairing the floor, windows, and doors.
