101 Main Street. East Hampton

A visit to the Hamptons typically evokes a sense of nostalgia and history for anyone that visits. Driving around, walking through a town center and many homes both reveal and hint at the area’s past. One way to learn more about earlier times in the Hamptons is through visiting some of the properties and buildings preserved by the East Hampton Historical Society.

The society’s mission statement explains what the society strives to do, and what you can expect to find in any interaction with them:

The East Hampton Historical Society serves the residents and visitors of East Hampton by collecting, preserving, presenting and interpreting the material, cultural and economic heritage of the town and its surroundings.

One of the ways they work to fulfill this mission is by taking care of several historic buildings – all of which you can visit. The society also offers exhibits, programs, publications, and other presentations to disseminate historical knowledge and information.

The following highlight some of the East Hampton Historical Society’s properties that you should consider visiting.

East Hampton Marine Museum

301 Bluff Road, Amagansett

The museum is a great place to learn about local fishing and maritime history. Before the Hamptons economy became dominated by tourism, fishing was one of a few backbones of local commerce and employment. While its significant as a driver of the local economy has been diminished it remains an important part of the many residents lives. Visitors are often unaware of this part of Long Island’s past nor do they know there still exists a significant fishing industry here. A visit to the museum can help to learn more about fishing and the connection between Long Islander’s and the sea.

The Mulford Farm

10 James Lane at Montauk Highway. East Hampton

The property and building are a rare authentic example of early English Colonial farm settlement. The main buildings found here include a farmhouse, barn and smokehouse. The home was originally built in 1680. While a few changes were made over the next 70 years of its existence, its structure today is the same as it was in 1750. The current furnishings, which you can see when you tour the home, reflect the period around the 1790s. The Barn was built in 1721 and is a significant historical example of eighteenth century barn building.

The Mulford Farm property also has a wonderful garden, one of three such gardens on historical society properties that are lovingly cared for by the Garden Club of East Hampton.

Town House

Main Street. East Hampton

This circa 1731 building originally served as a town government meeting hall. Town trustees would gather in the building to pass laws and discuss the affairs of the settlement. Not only is it oldest town government building on Long Island, it is also the oldest schoolhouse building too. In fact the exhibit housed there today depicts an 18th century schoolhouse scene.
The building was moved to its current location by the historical society in 1958.

Here is a shortlist of interesting local attractions that you may want to visit during your next Hampton’s vacation.

The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum

The 19th century whaling industry brought prosperity to Sag Harbor, which was once a busy port and hub for whaling. The museum tells the story of whaling, the economics of the industry and its significance and history in Sag Harbor. It is located at 200 Main Street, and is open every day during the summer.

Montauk lighthouse

New York’s first lighthouse, it began operating in 1796. To get there simply follow the Montaug Highway (Rte 27) to the eastern tip of Long Island and you will have arrived at the lighthouse. The area is set apart and a bit distant from the busier and more expensive villages and hamlets found in more westerly Hampton locations. It is worth visiting the lighthouse even just to go for a ride to see the end of the island.
Antiques

There are few centralized locations where you can find clusters of antique shops. Eastport, for example. Once a small village that was renowned as the duck capital of the world it now has many antique shops and dealers. You can see a list of antique dealers here:

The Beaches

So many nice coastline beaches are found in the Hamptons that they need to have their own webpage. Hampton’s beaches.

The Parrish Art Museum

A fine collection of American art, including significant holdings of local Long Island artists. Samuel Longstreth Parrish founded the museum to house art that he started collecting at the turn of the twentieth century. The first sign of the significance and potential staying power of the museum was seen when the original building had to be expanded in 1913.

The nine acres museum property features wonderful views of the Shinnecock Bay. These same views were painted many times by William Merritt Chase, one of the area’s most renowned artists. He ran an art school at the time that Parish started his museum. A sizeable number of Chase’s works are owned by the museum today.

25 Job’s Lane. Southampton

The South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center

If you visit the Hamptons with children that are curious about nature, the natural history museum is a must see. It is especially nice on a rainy day when you cannot go to the beach. The museum itself is set up like a self guided nature walk but is all inside. Here you can find interpretive information, hands on displays, nature talks and more. There is also an opporuntity to go outside if the weather is nice, as there is a nature trail and an outdoor observation deck.

377 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike. Bridgehampton.