Tales of the East End

Witchhunt in East Hampton

One Friday in early February, 1657, 16-year-old Elizabeth Gardiner Howell lay feverish and delirious in her bed in the small, isolated village of East Hampton.

Legend of Capt. Kidd

He was a respected member of his church in Manhattan and passed the collection plate on Sundays. He was an accomplished sailor and a businessman whom the king of England said was "well beloved." He was hired by powerful political figures to stop marauding vessels from preying on commercial ships. He buried a fortune in stolen treasure on Long Island.

Ride 'Em, Island Cowboy

It was called ``going on'' in Montauk and Shank remembers it well. ``All the local fellows used to help with the cattle drives,'' he said.

A Reputation Forged in Silver

Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of ... Elias Pelletreau? Well, not exactly.

In Montauk, Lighting the Way For Sailors

Almost from its very beginning, the 80-foot-high lighthouse at Montauk Point was, in the words of an early visitor, ``a landmark of the first importance.'' The lighthouse was born in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, when it became clear that safe coastal navigation was essential to the new nation's economic well-being. President George Washington agreed with Congress that a series of lighthouses along the Eastern Seabord was a priority.

Sag Harbor's Heyday

On a typical day in the early 1800s, the streets of Sag Harbor were the world's streets, teeming with people from places as exotic as the Fiji Islands, the Sandwich Islands, Madagascar, Ceylon.

A Publisher's Ambitious Start

On the afternoon of May 10, 1791, in an unassuming house on Main Street in Sag Harbor, David Frothingham finished setting four pages of type by hand, cranked his hand-operated press and hoped for the best.

Payne's Sweet Song

John Howard Payne was a theater critic at age 14, a playwright soon after and then a child star. He was a friend of Washington Irving and Charles Dickens, a staunch defender of the Cherokee Indians as they were forced from their homes in Georgia to Oklahoma on the ``Trail of Tears'' and a diplomat who died at his post as American consul general in Tunis.

A Long Island Social Climber

When she was single, one newspaper called her "the Rose of Long Island." When she was married, she was "the Lovely Lady Presidentress."

An Indian Named Pharaoh

His name was Steven Pharaoh, and he was the embodiment of everything that ever was on Long Island and everything that would never be again.

They Were Big on Dignity

You might think that Addison Tuthill would have been impressed when P.T. Barnum himself, the greatest showman of his time, came all the way to the little hamlet of Orient on Long Island's North Fork just to see him.

Rough Riders Return

It was summer, 1898, and Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were coming home.

Submarines in LI Waters

It didn't take long for submarine builder John P. Holland to decide that New York Harbor wasn't the best place to test his designs. While the protected waterway was calm enough, Holland's hope of working without interference was continually torpedoed by heavy ship traffic, curious citizens, and snooping by Navy vessels and foreign spies.

It's a Tall Tail, but True

In 1931, when Long Island was mired in the Depression, a Riverhead duck farmer named Martin Maurer had an idea he hoped would promote his business.

The Mogul of Montauk

Carl Fisher was a blustering, cigar-chomping promoter. Above all, he was a dreamer.

Little Peconic Bay and E = mc²

The most famous summer vacationer in Southold history was the German-born genius who created the world's most famous equation. His name was Albert Einstein.

The Nazi 'Invasion' of LI

At 8 on the evening of June 12, 1942, the German U-boat Innsbruck completed its 15-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean. As darkness descended, the submarine settled quietly to the sandy bottom a few hundred yards off the Amagansett beach.

Sag Harbor

IF YOUR WERE to ask the average American citizen 200 years ago to name the nation's great ports, you'd probably hear Sag Harbor mentioned in the same breath as New York City. That's because one of the first bills passed during the initial session of U.S. Congress was the establishment of New York City and "Sagg-harbour" as the New York State's two official U.S. Ports of Entry. Clearly, things have changed. What was once a thriving center for foreign trade and whaling has become a quaint summer resort village. Yet all is not lost from those glory days. Sag Harbor is still home to a wealth of landmark buildings whose architectural styles trace the development of the town from those earliest years -- witness the cottagelike simplicity of the 1693 House -- through the Georgian, Federalist, Greek Revival, Italianate, Victorian and Beaux Arts styles. Take particular note of the historic Old Whaler's Church, an 1843 Egyptian Revival treasure whose steeple was lost in the Hurricane of 1938.

East Hampton

DID YOU KNOW that East Hampton was once known as Maidstone? Or that Main Street, now lined with trendy boutiques, used to be a route heavily trod by herds of cattle on their way to the grazing fields of Montauk? These are but two fascinating facts you'll learn as you tour the East Hampton area.

The North Fork

A SERENE AND picturesque respite from the malls and the expressway, Long Island's North Fork offers its own quiet enticements. The burgeoning wine-growing industry that has grown up here over the past two decades is a source of fierce regional pride, so when you're in the area, do try to work at least one winery into your itinerary.

Towards the End

LONG BEFORE Billy Joel called it home, Amagansett had a rich and interesting life of its own. How many of the summer people who flock there today know that during the 19th Century, Stephen Talkhouse, now a hot music club, was the nickname of a chatty Montaukett Indian named Stephen Pharoah who took a legendary walk from Montauk to Brooklyn in one day. This was an area whose livelihood was dependent not upon tourism but upon whaling. Montauk, years from becoming a mecca for sport-fishing, surfing, and beach life, was known as the Wild West of the East -- a destination dining spot for cattle herds on the munch.

A Beacon of Light

Mills ¦ Lighthouses ¦ Worship ¦ Cemeteries ¦ Libraries

A Land of History

HERE ARE East End sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Island Sights

THE EAST END has several historic sites, including preserved homes and exhibit halls that make history something that fills the senses and the imagination. Many opening times are adjusted according to the season. Readers should call ahead when possible.

The Wineries