Information, News, and features from Montauk Library’s local history collection.
“A herd hits trail out Montauk way,” May 6, 1955 Photography by Times photographer Patrick A. Burns Scanned New York Times clipping Craig Tuthill Collection Montauk Library Archives Cattle drives are part of the collective memory of people who live in Montauk. For over 300 years, cattle and sheep fed off the moors, shearing the landscape into smooth mounds… Read more »
Pictorial maps enjoyed great popularity from the 1930s to the 1950s, and partnered beautifully with tourism and the travel industry. This gem was designed by Harry A. Chandler, a popular creator of bird’s eye views and pictorial maps whose ads could be found in NYC papers during the early part of the 20th century. This… Read more »
“The Fisherman,” ca. 1960 Original artwork by Bob Paganucci, graphic designer Illustration for the New York Mirror; Ink and poster white on brown chipboard Bob Paganucci Collection Montauk Library Archives Bob Paganucci, who pens poetry and wrote the song Montauk, shows equal artistry in his graphic design. The founder of Paganucci Design in New York City built a… Read more »
Sam and Bea Cox, ca. 1950 Sunrise Cottages Become East Deck, 1954 Maisonettes, ca. 1950 Three black and white photographs, one capturing the spirited duo Sam and Bea Cox, and two more referencing the motels that were part of their legacy (that’s Sam sitting with the dog; Bea is on the Maisonettes deck, standing left of the table)… Read more »
Library Ladies at Wölffer Estate Vineyard, 2003 Tina Oberg, Karen Rade, Peg Ambrosio, Charlotte Schorr, Virginia Sayers and Marie Stokes pose in front of the Wölffer Estate tasting room, “Library Ladies” Collection, Montauk Library Archives. In the month of October, grape harvesting and wine-making continue at the crescendo pace begun in September, as workers pick, process and… Read more »
Montauker Margaret Potts to be inducted into Aviation Museum’s Hall of Honor this weekend. Watch live Saturday, 10/9 at 11AM Eastern Time here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuqRejOSW6c Montauker and WWII Army Air Veteran Margaret Potts will be inducted into Urbana, Ohio’s Champaign Aviation Museum Hall of Honor on Saturday, October 9, 2021, by her former flying student… Read more »
Columbus Day Parade, 1980. Photograph, black and white print, Al Holden Collection, Montauk Library Archives. There was a flurry of Columbus Day parades from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s in Montauk’s downtown, “the pride and joy” of a man named Joseph Bosco, the engine who powered the event. Mr. Bosco was born in Calabria, Italy,… Read more »
“Montauk Point, Long Island,” by Charles Parsons. Article printed in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, September 1871. First page of article, showing woodcut illustration of the Montauk Lighthouse, Al Holden Collection, Montauk Library Archives. Please note: This article is in the public domain, and can be accessed for free. See web address below. This September marks the 150th… Read more »
Carl Fisher Home, ca. 1927 Photograph of the Carl Fisher House under construction, Judy Sauers Collection, Montauk Library Archives. The East Hampton Town Board will vote this week on whether to purchase the Carl Fisher House and grounds. If the Board vote passes, this house will become an historic property funded by the CPF, or Community Preservation… Read more »
We’re not sure this lady is standing in technically true tumbleweeds, but we’re certain that today she’d be sending up a distress flare or texting Triple A to help peel her away from a cringe-worthy tick population. She looks perfectly content, though, in this photograph from 1926. We can even imagine her waving to summer… Read more »