East Hampton Historical Society: Guided Tours / Dominy Exhibit @ Clinton Academy / Marine Museum Exhibits …

August 2023

History Matters

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Letter from the Director

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Dear Friend,

We are incredibly excited for the opening of the Dominy Shops. After almost 80 years, East Hampton residents and visitors will once again be able to walk through the very same workshops that generations of renowned Dominy woodworkers used to make furniture and clocks for customers all over Long Island and the Northeast.

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The East Hampton Historical Society has partnered with the Village of East Hampton to interpret the site for the public, and I’m very grateful to the Village and Bob Hefner for leading such a phenomenal restoration/reconstruction effort. It’s been years in the making!

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When Oscar Brill purchased the Dominy property in November 1941, there were many appeals to raise $6,000 to purchase and preserve the site, including a letter to the community written by Mayor Judson Banister that appeared on the front page of the East Hampton Star. Brill also offered to give the building to the Village if they’d move it to a different location. Perhaps because East Hampton’s attention was soon focused on WWII, preservation efforts were unsuccessful. In 1946, Brill tore down the structure, claiming it had become “a fire hazard and a haven for vagrants” according to the Suffolk County News. As the demotion got underway, the Brooklyn Museum expressed interest in saving a section of the front of the house along with a window and some interior paneling, but unfortunately, the door and windows were torn apart before they could be preserved. Much of the timber and bricks that had been used in the house was bought by Charles Squires, whose home and shop were nearby on North Main Street.

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Although the war effort may have played a part in preventing the Dominy house from being saved, I wonder if the community would have mustered the resources if the site was located “up street” and not on the other side of the railroad tracks. Just a couple years after the Dominy house was razed, the East Hampton Historical Society and other local leaders preserved Mulford Farm, which coincided with East Hampton’s 300th Anniversary. Was that success due to lessons learned from the failure to preserve the Dominy house or because Mulford Farm was in the wealthier part of the Village?

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While the house itself was demolished, Dudley Roberts, Jr. saved the Dominy clock and woodworking shops and moved them to his property on Further Lane. After seventy years, they were gifted to East Hampton Village and moved to the Historical Society’s Mulford Farm in 2016. Three years later, they moved again to North Main Street to be attached to the newly reconstructed Dominy house. Serendipitously, the Village owned the property where the Dominy shops and house originally stood.

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The opening reception for the Dominy Shops will take place on August 17 from 5 to 7pm at 73 North Main Street in East Hampton. If you haven’t RSVPed already, I invite you to attend! Click HERE to reply via email. I hope to see you on the 17th!

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Sincerely,

Steve Long

Executive Director

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“Made to Order: Dominy Craftsmen & their Customers, 1760-1840”

In anticipation of opening the Dominy Shops Museum, the East Hampton Historical Society is presenting a new exhibition at Clinton Academy entitled,

Made to Order: The Dominy Craftsmen and their Customers, 1760-1840.

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The Dominy family of craftsmen, including Nathaniel Dominy IV (1737-1812), his son, Nathaniel Dominy V (1770-1852), and his son, Felix Dominy (1800-1868) — father, son, and grandson — worked from approximately 1760 to 1840. While previous exhibitions of Dominy clocks, furniture, and tools have focused on their design and craftsmanship, Made to Order tells the stories of the people of East Hampton who commissioned and used these objects.

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On display in Clinton Academy at 151 Main Street in East Hampton through Labor Day weekend, the exhibit text for Made to Order is accessible in both Spanish and English.

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The exhibit is open Monday – Friday, 10am-4pm, and Saturday & Sunday, 12-4pm.

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Join us for Historical Guided Tours this week!

Friday, August 11. 11 AM. Tour of NORTH Main Street, East Hampton (Meet at Hook Mill, 42 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937)

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Saturday August 12, 10 AM. Tour with EHTPS: D’Amico Studio and Archives, Lazy Point. (2+ miles) (Meet at 128 Shore Road in Lazy Point)

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Sunday, August 13. 10 AM. Tour of Mulford Farmstead (Meet at 10 James Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937)

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Advanced Registration Required.

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Check out our website for the rest of the summer season schedule.

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For more information, please email or call us at 631-324-6850 x3

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FROM THE COLLECTION

When I worked for the Tenement Museum in New York years ago, I often conducted research at the Surrogate’s Court in New York City. Once while I was examining a document in their collection, a man approached me to ask if I was a private detective. When I responded that I worked for a museum, he asked “Why would a museum hire a private detective?”

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Since then, I have often thought about how museum researchers are like private detectives, but instead of finding out just about individuals, we’re seeking information about artifacts. Recently while tracking down clues about the loom located in the kitchen of the Mulford Farmhouse, I felt like a detective. According to our catalog records, this “barn frame loom” was donated by A.W. Topping and its accession number is 1937.32.1, which suggested that A.W. Topping donated it to the Historical Society in 1937. (With accession numbers, the first four-digit number typically represents the year that the museum acquired the object.)

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Initially, I thought the donor was Albert W. Topping (1872-1964), a builder who lived in Bridgehampton and constructed the Bridgehampton Community House. After further research, however, it’s almost certain that the loom was donated by his father, Albert E. Topping at least a dozen years before it was accessioned. According to an article that appeared in the Sag Harbor Express on July 7, 1924, “some time ago, Albert Topping of Sag Habor presented to the East Hampton Historical Society an old-time carpet loom.” An octogenarian and Civil War veteran, Topping told the Express that “I have woven at least 15 miles of carpet on the loom.” Since it was in the Historical Society’s possession since the early 1920s, it’s not clear why the loom was assigned a 1937 number. The accession paperwork does not provide any clue, nor does it explain where or how Albert E. Topping acquired the loom.

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Since the Topping family’s roots are in Bridgehampton, I’m skeptical the loom was ever used in East Hampton before it arrived at the Historical Society. Why didn’t Albert Topping donate the loom to the Bridgehampton Museum? The Museum, originally called the Bridgehampton Historical Society, wasn’t incorporated until 1956, twenty-three years after Albert E. Topping passed away.

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While the loom’s provenance may not be crystal clear, it is certainly among the first artifacts acquired by the East Hampton Historical Society. Now it helps us tell the story of David Mulford, Colonel David Mulford’s son, who lived at Mulford Farm and worked as a weaver during the late 18^th century.

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In Memory of Averill Dayton Geus

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The Historical Society was saddened to learn that Averill Geus passed away on August 1. She was a monumental figure in the preservation and interpretation of East Hampton history. Averill served as a former Town Historian and Historic Site Manager for the East Hampton Village Museums, and she authored From Sea to Sea: 350 Years of East Hampton History, which continues to be one of our favorite local history books. As Chair of the Landmarks Committee for the LVIS, she was instrumental in the publication of East Hampton Heritage. It was always incredibly educational and fun to listen to her stories about East Hampton. She will be missed!

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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT – Inge LaSusa

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Inge LaSusa has been volunteering for the Historical Society for several years, most recently as a docent for the Dominy Craftsmen exhibit at Clinton Academy. We asked her to talk about her experiences as a volunteer.

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Tell us about yourself and your connection to East Hampton.

My life has been a journey marked by education, diverse career paths and a deep appreciation for history and culture. I have a B.A. in Economics and an MBA in International Finance. I worked in Investment Banking and Real Estate in New York City. During the 1980s, I was introduced to the Hamptons, a haven of natural beauty and rich history, as I spent my weekends here. It wasn’t until the onset of the Covid pandemic that I made the Hamptons my permanent residence in East Hampton.

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How did you first get involved with the Historical Society?

Our community’s intricate tapestry of rich history, cultural significance, and economic heritage is captivating. This fascination led me to delve deeper into the region’s past, realizing the importance of preserving, presenting, and interpreting its historical materials. I recognized the significance of granting public access to this treasure trove. This awareness propelled me to join the East Hampton Historical Society as a volunteer, where I could contribute to its mission.

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Which of the Historical Society’s sites do you find most interesting? Why?

As an avid sailor, I appreciate East Hampton’s connection to the sea, which has been a driving force throughout its history. Within the walls of the East Hampton Town Marine Museum, which the Historical Society manages, visitors can explore the story of our community and its intricate relationship with the sea. Through artifacts, photographs, models, and displays, the Museum provides a glimpse into the lives of local families that sustained themselves through generations in the fishing industry. These families, who once thrived, faced mounting challenges in the 20th century, a testament to the changing tides of time.

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Tell us about what you find appealing about the Dominy exhibition at Clinton Academy.

Operating in East Hampton during the late 18th and early 19^th centuries, the Dominys’ exquisite clocks and furniture narrate a story of intricate design and meticulous craftsmanship. The exhibit transports me to their day-to-day operations, showcasing the remarkable tools they employed to create their works of art. I find it truly remarkable that such unique craftsmanship was achieved with seemingly simple tools, a testament to their unparalleled skills.

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Aloha from Amagansett!

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Operating out of the East Hampton Town Marine Museum, the Marine Explorers summer program, which serves ages 6 to 12, is designed to expand the students’ knowledge of the ocean and maritime history and its historical and cultural significance.

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An array maritime projects allow the children to explore their creativity, using multiple media including weaving, watercolor, jewelry making and woodworking. Children also study artisanal techniques used by local artists and craftsmen.

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Our daily walks to the ocean and the Amagansett Life Saving Station give the team an incredible educational platform for marine science, environmental science, and water safety.

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Thank you to our educational team that makes the program possible, including Director of Education, Stacy Myers, Brenden Regan, Clara Forbes, Olivia Druker, Molly Wynne, and Caly Stewart.

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Written by Caly Stewart. Caly is Alumni of the Marine Explorer’s program and attended the first session 14 years ago. She works full time for the Historical Society in the summer and attends Cornell University.