125 Years Ago 1899
From The East Hampton Star, January 13
On Tuesday night or Wednesday morning the temperature fell to zero in East Hampton. That is about the maximum degree of cold for this place, the mercury seldom going below that point. Twenty miles north of the Sound thermometers fell to 25 degrees below zero: At Saranac lake the Mercury registered 40 degrees below, and at Saratoga Springs 80 below. The Great South bay is frozen over.
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Several days of good skating have been enjoyed on Town pond.
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The following figures will give some idea of the amount of building going on in East Hampton this winter. Since October 1, 1898, there have been received at the East Hampton railroad station 41 carloads of brick, or 574,000 bricks; 141 carloads of lumber, and 1,140 barrels of lime and cement.
100 Years Ago 1924
From The East Hampton Star, January 11
Preparations were made to warn nearby villages, in case of invasion by the British, after the appearance of their ships in the bay in 1813. Brig. General Rose ordered: “Upon approach of the enemy at Sag Harbor, in case no troops are stationed there, Henry P. Dering, Esq., will speedily give notice to Gen’l Rose and to Col. Wickham and will also give an alarm at Sag Harbor by causing to be fired three minute guns; same signals will be given at East Hampton under the direction of Col. Wickham; in Bridgehampton by Mr. Stephen Sayre, and in Southampton by Maj. Foster.”
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Joseph Miller placed skids under the Dayton cottage on the school property, preparatory to moving it to its new location on the building lot of C.C. Rowe on David lane. The foundation for the house has been completed.
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Over one-hundred members of Hampton Lodge, I.O.O.F., and guests, each member having the privilege of inviting one guest, attended the dinner and smoker at Odd Fellows’ hall last Friday evening. There were several members and guests from Amagansett and a delegation from the Northport Lodge.
Newton Bennett, Elias Payne, Emil Gardell, and E.H. Dayton were responsible for the fine New England dinner that was served, which of course included cold ham, baked beans, salad and all the rest.
75 Years Ago 1949
From The East Hampton Star, January 13
Free use of land on Main Street, Amagansett, has been offered to the Girl Scouts for the erection of a permanent headquarters to care for the growing needs of that village’s five busy troops, it was announced by Mrs. David U. Snyder at a covered dish supper held by the group at the Fire House on Tuesday (January 11).
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Lucia Christofanetti Wilcox of Abraham’s Path, Amagansett, held a one-man exhibition recently at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York City, which brought favorable acclaim from art critics.
“Lucia’s” debut displayed twenty-three canvases to an enthusiastic audience estimated at more than 5,000 during the four weeks of the show.
Alice Hughes, writing in her King Features column, “A Woman’s New York,” said “her canvases dance right to Heaven.”
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The service men’s dance held at Guild Hall on Friday night under Red Cross auspices, with Mrs. George Marshall as chairman, was attended by nearly one hundred and was a great success. Roy Conway acted as Master of Ceremonies; he and Newton Tiffany and Kenneth Stowell gave their services in playing for dancing. Charles Mansir called the country dances. Jack Williams took charge of a snack bar. Drew Lawrie presented a floor show. Money for food, cigarettes, etc., had been donated by a group of patrons and patronesses.
50 Years Ago 1974
From The East Hampton Star, January 10
New York State Assembly Speaker Perry B. Duryea Jr. of Montauk received a surprise visit on the eve of the opening of the State Legislature’s 1974 session when a busload of local residents arrived in Albany Tuesday.
The some 40 East Hampton Town citizens to make the trip — some on the bus, some by car — included First District County Legislator Norton Daniels, Councilwoman Mary Fallon, Councilman Richard F. White Jr., and Town Assessors Robert Dordelman and Frederick Butts. They attended a reception for members of the Assembly and friends given by Mr. and Mrs. Duryea at the Fort Orange Club on Tuesday night.
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Physically, the East Hampton Town Trustees’ meeting was in total disarray Tuesday night. It was more like a corn-popper than a cyclone had hit the meeting room, or maybe it was just a reflection of the political upheaval that has hit Town Hall. The tables were askew and the chairs, which were turned every which way, were occupied by either a Town “Father” or a spectator. Nevertheless, Kenneth Yardley, acting chairman, opened the meeting at 8 p.m. and conditions were forgotten — almost.
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Montauk
The public school now has a school newspaper called “The Red and White Review.” The paper, written and edited by students of the seventh and eighth grades, comes out every two weeks and is a result of the School’s individual studies program. The teacher in charge is Trevor Kelsall, who emphasized the fact that the youngsters do everything; he merely acts as a sounding board for them. The paper includes topical essays, a lost and found department, a joke and riddle section and interviews.
25 Years Ago 1999
From The East Hampton Star, January 14
A booming economy and low mortgage rates in 1998 fueled a 32 percent increase over 1997 in permits to build new houses in East Hampton, and it appears no slowdown is in sight.
According to figures prepared by the East Hampton Town and Village Building Departments, 1,714 building permits were issued in all last year, including new houses, renovations, additions, and other types of construction. Of that number, 367 permits were issued for new houses.
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A diverse group of Montauk residents who, for varying reasons, are opposed to mining the Montauk landfill gelled this week into a committee with a unified goal: to halt the mining project for as long as it takes East Hampton Town to answer the residents’ questions and assuage their concerns.
One of the primary ways the town can do that, they said, is to step back from its proposal to mine all the garbage out of the landfill, thereby reclaiming the land, and instead reconsider a more common method of permanent landfill closure: capping.
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There is nothing left of Capt. William Kidd’s treasure on Gardiner’s Island, Robert D.L. Gardiner assured a recent visitor to the 3,300 acres of white oak Forest, rolling grasslands, and ponds that bear the Gardiner family name.
The treasure that does remain continues to bubble from the mind of the 87-year-old descendant of Lion Gardiner, who settled there in 1639, the same way water springs from his favorite stream.
“I have to drink from it whenever I pass here,” he said, stopping his truck on a trail just past the hollow where the famous treasure of Captain Kidd was once buried and not far from Bostwick Forest, which is named after one of the island’s past tenant farmers.
