Information, News, and features from Montauk Library’s local history collection.
“I love Montauk and don’t want to see it ruined,” said an advertisement in the July 16, 1970, issue of the East Hampton Star. The ad included a mail-in coupon for donations to the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, a group that had recently formed to resist a proposed 1,500- home development of Indian Field. April… 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 »
Vanished, it would seem, are the days when admission to any event cost less than ten dollars, as it did when Frank Borth designed this $1.75 ticket to tour the Montauk Lighthouse. A professional illustrator, he was a true friend to the Montauk Historical Society as well as other community organizations, including the fire department,… 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 »
According to the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread – yes, there is such a thing! – Irish soda bread was born of necessity during the potato famine. Ireland was importing a soft type of wheat from America, and yeast was difficult to obtain. Adding baking soda (also called bread soda) to… 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 »
We could all use some good role models … and guess what? We’ve had plenty of local heroes we can celebrate and perhaps even emulate on February 26, which is Set a Good Example Day. First is Richard Gilmartin, seen in front of the Montauk Lighthouse in the photo above. A dedicated historian and sport… Read more »
George Watson bought a dive bar he would later call The Dock from Bob Fitzgerald in 1973 after a handshake deal over 9 a.m. shots of blackberry brandy. “It was a cinderblock building. It was kind of raw looking,” he recalled during an oral history interview late last year. “And one of the first things… Read more »
Is there anything sweeter than a community cookbook? Often compiled to raise money for a good cause, they tend to be stuffed with all manner of extra ingredients. Corny jokes, endearing illustrations, poetry, sage advice, tips for hunting, gathering, and fishing, the names of book committee volunteers and recipes from others fondly remembered, even celebrities… 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 »