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.

In order to do justice to each of the sites, though, it's important to pace yourself. East Hampton is a resort area as well as gold mine of historical artifacts; a journey into the past can be successfully combined with present-day indulgences, such as window-shopping and enjoying some of the marvelous food experiences.

Museums of East Hampton Historical Society Osborne Jackson House, Clinton Academy, Town House and Mulford Farm You can visit East Hampton viewing each of the individual museums or by taking one of the lively, anecdote-filled tours given by Hugh King of the East Hampton Historical Society.

King goes by the name of the Town Crier, as much for his 19th Century top-hatted attire as for his gift of well-informed gab. There are two tours given on Saturdays throughout the year, both of which meet at the Old Mulford House on James Lane.

The morning Cemetery Tour takes you through the Old Burying Ground, which dates back to about 1664. There, you'll see gravestones belonging to the likes of Lion Gardiner, one of the town's most prominent citizens, and Thomas James, East Hampton's first minister. The cemetery also is said to harbor the grave of Elizabeth Garlick, who, before the more famous Salem trials, went before a magistrate accused of witchcraft because a woman named Elizabeth Howell died shrieking her name. Also buried in that same cemetery are also 21 non-Hamptonites who perished in the shipwreck of the John Milton in 1859.

This tour also takes you to the meticulously preserved Mulford Farm, circa 1680 and Mulford Barn, circa 1721, you'll learn about the way people lived in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The museum is considered one of the most significant Colonial farms in America because it has all of its original buildings in their origianl spots. It is also where you'll find Rachel's Garden, which won a National Garden Club Award. Here, too, you'll see examples of furniture made by the well known Dominy family.

On the afternoon tour, King visits several historic sites along Main Street, telling the stories of the people who built and inhabited them. You'll hear the history of the stagecoach that ran from Brooklyn to East Hampton, as well as the story of the Long Island Rail Road, originally built to get people to the East End. Ask him about the tales involving Aaron Burr.

You'll visit the Town House, which was built in 1731, and was the first town meeting house and school room. Here you can sit on a creaking bench at one of the old desks equipped with an inkpot and a quill.

At the Osborne-Jackson House, home of Sylvanus Mulford Osborne, a picture of 19th Century family life emerges. There's the piano that Aunt Fanny played, the buttery and kitchen where generations of women cooked, and lots of furniture made by the Dominy family. The Dominy name is one you'll also come across many times on the East End, for not only was it a family of millwrights, but the Dominy's were master furnituremakers. The study houses a wealth of old books, some of which still have stickers from the old East Hampton Library Co. Those interested in taxidermy might want to check out the display case filled with stuffed wildlife.

The Clinton Academy, now a museum, was built in 1784 by Samuel Buell, the town minister who also founded the East Hampton Library. Named for New York's first governor, the school was the first private school chartered after the American Revolution. In addition to changing exhibits, there's a Samuel Buell corner, with Buell's portrait next to the original chair and table depicted in the painting. You'll also see the clock and the weathervane from the original 1717 Puritan Church, which no longer exists but whose influence is still felt in the area. There are lots of nifty artifacts, such as a bicycle from 1860 and a fascinating drawing of Main Street in 1810.

Home Sweet Home Take a break for lunch or a stroll through town before going on to the next attraction, the childhood residence of John Howard Payne, called "Home Sweet Home." Payne is best known for writing the song of that name, which was an aria in the operetta "Clari" first performed in London in 1822.

Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center

East Hampton was also the adopted summer home of two other creative Americans, 20th Century abstract expressionist painters Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Their home and studio, the Pollock-Krasner House, is a National Historic landmark property owned and operated by State University at Stony Brook.

When you arrive, your guide will take you to the artists studio, where you'll view a documentary exhibit on Pollock and Krasner. Then, you'll visit the house, which showcases two changing art exhibits a season. Krasner and Pollock moved to the house on Accabonac Creek in 1945. It is there that Pollock worked until his death in 1956 when, at age 44, he was killed in an automobile accident while under the influence of alcohol.

Krasner continued to work at the house in East Hampton during the summer almost until the end of her life in 1984.

When you visit the barn, which Pollock and Krasner converted into a studio, you have to take off your shoes and put on foam slippers so as not to damage the paint-splattered floor, considered an artifact. The room is filled with artists' equipment, but even more interesting is the documentary exhibition of text and photographs which tell the story of the couple's life in East Hampton. Be sure to note the lesser-known domestic pictures, such as the charming photograph of Pollock with his pet crow.

The shingled house, built in 1879, is a small one, and when you visit their living quarters, it's hard not to feel as though you're trespassing on two very private lives. Intimate details are everywhere; Pollock's

record collection, which demonstrate his keen interest in jazz. Upstairs, in Krasner's bedroom, are her necklaces and shell collection. Another room, now an office, was the studio Pollock used the first winter which, later, Krasner worked in while Pollock painted in the more spacious barn. A photo of the room in 1950 hangs there, affording a glimpse back.

No, there aren't any major works of either artist on display in either the barn or the house. What you'll get a rare opportunity to see, though, is an environment in which great creativity flourished.