125 Years Ago 1898
From The East Hampton Star, February 18
Much suppressed excitement has prevailed in East Hampton since the news came of the terrible disaster to the noble war ship Maine. But while strong feeling was manifested, there was only a desire to know the truth about the matter. In the stores, on the street and in private houses the great calamity has been the theme of conversation. All sorts of theories are advanced as to the cause of the destruction of the Maine, but when experts differ in opinion what does theory based upon conjecture amount to?
—
The town was visited by a driving snow storm on Wednesday morning. The wind continued to blow from the northwest at a rate of fifty miles an hour till midnight. During the day one of the huge arms of the Hook mill was blown off. A few trees were also blown down in different parts of the village.
—
The Rev. J. Howard Hand, who recently created such a furor in Riverhead by his utterances against dancing, has been asked to remain another year as pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church in that village.
100 Years Ago 1923
From The East Hampton Star, February 16
Ann Cuffee, the oldest resident in Shinnecock and a native of the Reservation, died at the home of Fred Smith last Saturday, at the great age of ninety-five years. Mrs. Cuffee was a most remarkable woman for her age. For forty years she was a cook in the boarding house of Charles S. Rogers at Sagaponack. Twice she had suffered from broken hips, yet even up to two days before her death she was able to be about and was quite active. She had a wonderful memory too, and could readily recall events of seventy-five years ago, long before Civil War times, and she retained all her faculties to the end. Mrs. Cuffee is the last of her family; one son, George Cuffee, was lost in the wreck of the Circassian on these shores many years ago.
—
A gray squirrel seems to have taken possession of the tall elm tree along Main street that has for several months been claimed by a pet black squirrel. The new master now flits from tree to tree with the same cunning and surefootedness as his predecessor, which committed suicide last fall by choking to death when he became wedged in between the pickets on Mrs. George Hand’s front fence. The swiftness with which this little animal can jump from limb to limb and from tree to tree without a mishap is remarkable. Sometimes he will go nearly a block before stopping to rest.
75 Years Ago 1948
From The East Hampton Star, February 19
Due to a sudden thaw after a long period of freezing weather — with frost in the ground more than three feet in some places — then a heavy downpour of rain, East Hampton experienced on Saturday, Feb. 14, a flood similar to that which occurred twelve years ago — on Feb. 17, 1936, under much the same conditions. Guild Hall’s floor was discovered in time to prevent the seats being covered, this time. Cellars in many East Hampton homes were filled; and the shop and home of Charles Squires on North Main Street, just below the railroad bridge, sustained more damage than any other place in that locality.
At Guild Hall, water began pouring through the cellar windows shortly before it was discovered about nine o’clock Saturday morning. The flood was completely unexpected, as it was thought that the bank of earth which had been constructed along the north side of the Guild Hall property line after the flood twelve years ago would be ample protection and would divert the water from the potato lot to the street.
—
Miss Louise Maunsell Field writes from New York: “Have you noticed how East Hampton is replacing Newport and Bar Harbor in recent novels, as being the ‘smart’ resort? In ‘The Gilded Hearse’ the social climber goes to East Hampton for the summer; and in Ralph Ingersoll’s ‘The Great Ones’ the hero and heroine, after becoming fabulously rich, take a summer place at East Hampton. It is all rather amusing to an old East Hamptonian!”
25 Years Ago 1998
From The East Hampton Star, February 19
A faction of the Montaukett Indian tribe, working with a development group, is considering a claim for the former Grumman property in Calverton with an eye toward developing a gambling casino on the 3,000-acre tract.
William D. Talmage, a real-estate broker who was involved in the development of the Tanger Mall in Riverhead, said last week that he was the president of the Dreamcatchers, a group formed, he said, to “advise the Montauketts on opportunities that are out there.” A casino, he said, is just one option, “but you don’t want to limit yourself.”
—
The Peconic Land Trust’s recent purchase of land on Accabonac and Springs-Fireplace Roads, long owned by the Potter family, will preserve almost 100 acres of woodland in an important water-recharge area.
East Hampton Town Councilman Job Potter and his sisters, Madeleine Potter of Amagansett and Gayle Potter Basso of Heber, Ariz., sold the land, three parcels totaling 94.6 acres, to the trust for a price of $1.6 million on Jan. 15.
—
“Tick Hall” will rise again. In fact, the foundation is in. A painstakingly accurate reconstruction of the easternmost house in the century-old Montauk Association has begun under the supervision of Dick Cavett and his wife, Carrie Nye, who lost their historic shingle-style cottage last March 18.
The house was built in 1884, one of seven cottages designed by Stanford White, sited by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park, and built for influential New Yorkers at the urging of Arthur Benson, who had purchased all of Montauk in 1879. The association houses are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
—
A Grace Estate house just weeks away from completion was heavily damaged by fire early last Thursday.
Flames had burned through the roof and destroyed the second story of one end of Carol Leibenson’s North Bay Lane house by the time firefighters arrived, said East Hampton Fire Chief Steve Griffiths. Much of the first story sustained severe smoke and water damage.
The fire might have destroyed the entire house had a Sag Harbor man not been having trouble sleeping that cold and rainy night. Larry and Cynthia Burns of Hempstead Street saw the flames in Northwest Woods from Sag Harbor’s Long Wharf, across the water, and called police.
