Celebrate National Library Week with us by listening to stories from our oral history collection about the library’s history and the people involved over the years. This year’s National Library Week theme is “Find Your Joy.” We find joy in our community––in our founders, patrons, and dedicated volunteers who have helped our library grow from… Read more »
In the 1910s and 1920s, tea rooms and tea houses dotted America’s new motorways, providing tea and light refreshments to traveling tourists. On the eastern end of Long Island, motorists driving through Montauk could find refuge at the Weeweecho Tea House situated on the southern bluffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. At that time when Montauk… Read more »
Montauk is known for its cheerful community events and celebrations. Even in the off-season, events like the St. Patrick’s Day parade sponsored by the Montauk Friends of Erin and the annual Turkey Trot draw crowds from across Long Island and New England. At last week’s East Hampton Town Board work session held at the Montauk… Read more »
Head outside and rejoice in the melting snow like these youths photographed sloshing about in the slush on the grounds of the Montauk School. Equipped with calf-high boots and peacoats, these Montauk students took to the playground to seesaw, slide, and horse around as teacher Mrs. Joyce chaperoned and captured their playfulness on black-and-white film. … Read more »
Let’s take a break from our winter-themed posts. We could all use a respite from the below-freezing temperatures, incessant winds, and piles of snow still lining the sidewalks, driveways, and playgrounds. Fast forward to summer. Strap on your Mary Janes and get your favorite striped T-shirt out of storage. We’re going fishing with this young… Read more »
This week’s chilly weather gave us a taste of the biting temperatures and harsh winds our Montauk ancestors experienced in winter. With lower recorded temperatures and less forestation and development hindering the wintry maritime winds, Montauk must have felt uninhabitable to year-round families struggling to stay warm. “All of the local bays and harbors are… Read more »
Two years into World War II, “tin fish,” a non-threatening nickname for torpedoes, became the prevailing fish running in Montauk’s Fort Pond Bay. What was once a bustling fishing village, still in recovery from the 1938 hurricane, was now occupied by a US Naval Torpedo Testing Range. The US Navy started construction of the torpedo… Read more »
It is no surprise that Camp Hero (Montauk Air Force Station) is the most requested topic to research in the Montauk Library Archives. The former military base, turned state park, is not only brimming with lore and legend, but also significant for the military innovation that took place at the coastal defense site. These factors… Read more »
For those who celebrate, the countdown to Thanksgiving is just 7 days away. Whether you’re cooking at home, traveling to see family and friends, dining out, or ordering in, you have probably started making plans and gathering groceries. If you haven’t and are still looking for some sweet and savory inspiration, take a look at… Read more »
Every week, the Montauk Library Archives fulfills historical reference and research requests from local newspaper reporters, documentarians, podcasters, authors, and the like. You may have seen images from our archives last month in the East Hampton Star’s article “Carl Fisher’s Montauk, 100 Years Ago” or aired on a recent episode of the Smithsonian Channel’s Mysteries… Read more »