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.

By Joan Reminick