100 Years Ago 1923
From The East Hampton Star, May 4
Next Tuesday evening at 7 o’clock the residents of East Hampton will assemble on the Episcopal church lawn, in front of the Home, Sweet Home cottage, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first singing of “Home, Sweet Home.”
The people of East Hampton are always proud of the fact that John Howard Payne, the author, spent his boyhood here, living in the Home, Sweet home cottage now the residence of Mr. and Mrs. G.H. Buek, and now that the 100th anniversary of the first singing of this dearest of songs is at hand, it seems most natural for everyone to celebrate the event by gathering at his boyhood home and singing anew his immortal song.
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Sag Harbor
The two large elm trees in front of Thompson and Osborne’s place on Main street were cut down Tuesday by contractors paving Main street. The trees were planted sixty-five years ago by the late Mr. Thompson and during the last years of his life he was to be found visiting with some old friends protected by their friendly shade.
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The Farmers’ Commission House, Inc., of New York, which was organized a number of years ago by Suffolk County duck growers for the purpose of marketing their ducks, did such a profitable business last season that a dividend of twenty per cent was declared at the annual meeting of the concern at Eastport a few nights ago. The total amount of business done during the year was approximately $1,800,000, the number of ducks handled being about 1,000,000. The concern has a surplus of $36,000. One-third of the ducks shipped to the commission house came from Riverhead Township.
75 Years Ago 1948
From The East Hampton Star, May 6
Mrs. Perry B. Duryea of Montauk has accepted the chairmanship of the American Overseas Aid and United Nations Appeal for Children, for East Hampton Town. This was organized at the request of the United States Government with the active assistance of its State Department. Mrs. Duryea will be assisted by Royal Luther Jr., chairman of the committee in East Hampton village; Mrs. Sunset B. Basbrook for Amagansett; William Stafford for Sag Harbor; LeRoy Osborn for Wainscott; and Mrs. P.H. Sargent for Springs. Mrs. E.V. Conway of Montauk is treasurer for the townwide drive, and checks for contributions may be made payable to her.
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The Ladies’ Village Improvement Society met on Monday at the home of Mrs. Percy Ingalls, Mrs. Russell Hopkinson presiding. Discussion of the preservation of the Mulford house and plans for participation in the Tercentenary celebration here occupied most of the meeting.
Mrs. Samuel Seabury represented the Garden Club of East Hampton, bringing a message from its president, Mrs. Joseph Ramee, that the majority of the Garden Club’s executive committee approves heartily of the proposal that the Village buy the place. Mrs. Seabury personally feels that it is a tremendous asset to the village.
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Professor William Bradley Otis of New York and Montauk, for 44 years a member of City College’s English department, will retire at the close of the semester, at the age of 70. Cited three times by students as the most popular City College faculty member, Dr. Otis has been a persistent opponent of many educational conventions. He advocates establishment of an “emeritus course” on colleges, given by retired professors working without compensation, to advance undergraduates. He also recommends that a one-year study of American literature be made compulsory in every U.S. college.
50 Years Ago 1973
From The East Hampton Star, May 3
East Hampton High School’s varsity baseball team recorded two victories over Center Moriches this week and Mr. and Mrs. John F. Ruby of Muchmore Lane will remember the second game for some time. Dave VonFrank won that game in extra innings by blasting a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth right through one of the windows of the guest room on the second floor of the Rubys’ home.
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Gypsy moths, bothersome dogs, and children were topics dealt with at a meeting of the Sag Harbor Village Board Tuesday night.
The audience of about 20 persons was told that the Village would not be sprayed for gypsy moths because of the dense population. As for bad-tempered dogs, Mayor Harry Fick suggested that complaints be made to the Police Department.
Most of the talk at the meeting concerned youth and what to do about it. Robert Burns and James Haeghaert, Pierson High School students, complained that members of the Sag Harbor Youth Center — which, as yet, does not have a place of its own — had been “bounced” by police from a room in the Veterans of Foreign Wars building the night of April 7, following a basketball game to raise funds for a youth center.
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The Montauk Air Force Station will be offering two courses under the auspices of the El Paso, Tex., Community College. One is beginning Spanish. The dialect and culture of Latin America will be stressed. The second course is on ecology, and covers plants and animals in relation to the environment. Final date of enrollment is May 31. Technical Sergeant David Lyell has further information.
25 Years Ago 1998
From The East Hampton Star, May 7
Carrying banners, flags, and picket signs, about four dozen Peconic County proponents accelerated their cause from a lobbying effort to civil insurrection on April 29, by slapping New York State with a lawsuit they elatedly served themselves on the State Attorney General’s headquarters in Albany and on both houses of the Legislature.
Residents, officials from the towns and villages that joined the lawsuit, and five lawyers who helped craft it boarded a Jitney just after dawn to make the six-hour journey. They marched a circuitous route through central Albany, blue-and-green Peconic County flags aflutter, that ended with a press conference on the steps of the Legislative Building.
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Plagued by revenue shortfalls of $3 million and dogged by the Internal Revenue Service for $900,000 in back taxes, A Program Planned for Life Enrichment was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Federal Court in Westbury on Friday.
In East Hampton, APPLE runs both a 50-bed residential treatment center for chronic substance abusers on Industrial Road and an outpatient service on Main Street. It also runs five other group homes and a number of different programs across Long Island.
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With the impending arrival of summer it’s time to catch up on changes in the complexion of East Hampton Village’s business district. Between Main Street and Newtown Lane, there’s the newest shop of a countrywide chain of clothing stores, an East Hampton outpost for a string of summer resort community shops, a new source of bath and kitchen fixtures, a store that moved to new quarters, and a store that expanded into a neighboring space.
Breezin’ Up, which opened at 21 Main Street Saturday in a space formerly occupied by an antiques shop, is the newest of about a dozen stores owned by Patrick Cauley of New York City and Lorinda Cauley of Connecticut.
