This photo of Richard Nixon and Al Holden in Montauk is dated “circa 1970s” in our archives. It seems likely that it was taken before Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The 37th president said at that time – in the second year of his second term —… Read more »
Carl Fisher opened the Surf Club – which was at first called the Casino – in 1927, primarily to cater to guests at the new Montauk Manor. A Mediterranean-style paradise, it featured a 150-foot saltwater pool with a diving board, 60 cabanas, 400 dressing rooms, a restaurant, a bar, a 1,000-foot boardwalk on the ocean,… Read more »
It seems odd that a newspaper would give the farm away to persuade readers to take out subscriptions. The Daily Mirror even threw in a train ride to Montauk. This is how Hither Hills was developed: The Mirror’s 100-by-25-foot parcels sold for a mere $100 apiece, although you had to buy at least two. In… Read more »
Taken in July of 1937, this evocative photograph came to the Montauk Library Archives as part of a collection from the late Ellie Prado. She was a longtime Montauk resident whose husband, Marshall, was at one time Carl Fisher’s chauffeur. The railroad has played a significant role since it steamed into Montauk in 1895. People… Read more »
In the spring of 1981, Rick Whalen was a couple of years out of college, “knocking around East Hampton trying to find work.” Somehow he hooked up with Stuart Vorpahl for a few months fishing pound traps in Napeague Harbor, and he recalls a good run of weakfish. In this photo Rick is flinging a… Read more »
Richard T. Gilmartin and Frank Tuma Sr. certainly enjoyed surfcasting, as they were doing on this day in the early 1940s on the ocean west of Montauk Point. Tuma in particular was a pioneer of the sport, developing “a snap cast that was extremely efficient at catching striped bass,” according to the Images of America: Montauk book… Read more »
Ladies Auxiliary Christmas Dinner, circa 1974 Six color photographs Montauk Library Archives Can you identify these members of the Ladies Auxiliary at their Christmas dinner at the Blue Marlin in, we think, 1974? Twenty-eight women founded the Montauk Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary in 1949, mainly to provide food and water to volunteer firemen – mostly… Read more »
“The Borths’ Christmas Card,” 1948 Photograph by Dave Edwardes Illustration by Frank Borth Black and white photograph with illustration and holiday greetings added Dave Edwardes Collection Montauk Library Archives Frank and Barbara Borth sent a laugh along with their Christmas cards in 1948 – no surprise from a cartoonist and a wife with the good… Read more »
Meals at the Montauk Manor, 1940s Manor staff carry buffet trays, 1940s Manor dining room, circa 1940s Two black and white photographs depicting the splendor of meals at the Montauk Manor in the 1940s, and the enthusiasm of diners at the time. Al Holden and Richard T. Gilmartin Collections Montauk Library Archives Seconds, anyone? In… Read more »
“Wild Turkeys,” 1923 Black and white photograph Montauk Library Archives Wild turkeys, once nearly extinct, have had a rebound, including in Montauk, as anyone who drives on “the new highway” in Montauk and spots them on the roadside will attest. They were highly prized by Native Americans and European colonists alike, and formed the… Read more »