East Hampton village and surrounding areas - the historical interest…
The Village of East Hampton, voted "America's Most Beautiful Village" in a poll by National Geographic magazine, retains its old world charm and remains relatively unspoiled by modern development. It has also been described by an English-woman as "More English than England", due to careful preservation of the original style of buildings from the 16th century. East Hampton was founded in the year 1648 by a group of farmers originating in the English county of Kent - known in Britain as "The Garden of England". They arrived via Connecticut and Massachusetts, where they had originally landed from England before deciding to move south onto Long Island. For some time the village was named Maidstone, for the English town on the Kent coast familiar to many of the early settlers. Farming was the livelihood for most until the mid-1800's, when the town began to develop into a resort for the wealthy and art-oriented societies. It was farming that caused the beautiful windmills to be built so that corn could be ground into flour. Pantigo Mill, Gardiners Mill and Hook Mill stand proudly in the village today and all can be viewed on their Open Days. They represent some of the oldest and best examples of American craftsmanship in the Wooden Age. In the town there are other wind-mills and sites where up to eleven recorded mills once stood in the East Hampton area. At the western end of the village you can find the village pond, the original watering hole for the cattle of the early settlers. Nearby is the Mulford Farm, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and considered one of America's most significant, intact English Colonial farmsteads. While originally the site of three successive blacksmith's shops, the Mulford Farm was already a family farmstead of approximately fourteen acres by 1680. In 1790, the census states that there were eight people living in the house: David and Rachel (Gardiner) Mulford, three sons, one daughter and two apprentices. From Mulford Farm, a short walk past the newly restored and opened 1804 Gardiner Mill and up the stile into the burying ground that overlooks Town Pond, brings you to the graves of many people who lived here and developed the village through its early years. The history here is fascinating and there is a tour organized by the East Hampton Historical Society on certain weekends. Check out their web site at http://www.easthamptonhistory.org for details. The museum "Home Sweet Home", nearby on James Lane, was built in the early 1700's and is the most distinguished lean-to or "saltbox" in East Hampton. It was the home of John Howard Payne, composer of the popular song "Home Sweet Home". It is now a village museum, open daily May through September (October and November weekends only).
To the north, there are the crystal clear shallow waters of Accabonac Harbor (which gives the locals their name of "Bonackers") and Gardiner's Bay and Three Mile Harbor, plus the wonderful areas of North-west Harbor and the nature reservation along Sammy's Beach. Ideal places for kayaking or for sunbathing or swimming in sheltered waters. On certain summer weekends there are Antique Fairs at the Presbyterian Church and at Miss Amelia's Cottage in Amagansett, organised by local groups such as the East Hampton Rotary Club (which meets at James Lane Café on Mondays at 6pm). For more information on East Hampton's fascinating history, check out the following Web Sites:
http://www.easthamptonhistory.org/cemeterytour.html = East Hampton Historical Society, Cemetery Tours
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Today, the Town of East Hampton, which includes Wainscott, East Hampton Village, Springs, Amagansett and Montauk, still
represents the quaint and the historical, as well as the sophisticated and modern. To the south it boasts some of the most
beautiful Atlantic sandy beaches in the USA, together with the preserved "double dunes" that harbor colorful Monarch
butterflies in summer.