East Hampton Historical: History Matters / Sept — Treasures of Collection | Curator’s Corner | Fall Festival …

September 2022

History Matters

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Letter from the Director

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Dear Friends,

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I hope you’ve had a chance to see this summer’s Top Ten Treasures from our Collection exhibition at Clinton Academy. Of course, each one of the objects on the display has a terrific story to tell, but two are my favorites. The first is the clock face from the 1717 Church, which you can learn more about in our “Curator’s Corner” below. The church, which was the tallest building in East Hampton was located directly across from Clinton Academy. When I look out the front windows of the building, I imagine the Clinton Academy students seeing it loom over Main Street.

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I am also fascinated by the red wool broadcloth coat, which belonged to Colonel David Mulford. Despite owning a “red coat,” Mulford was a strong advocate for American independence during the Revolution. As I retrace Mulford’s footsteps while walking around Mulford Farm, I’m amazed to think he wore the coat on this exact site almost 250 years ago. Although we don’t have any paintings or drawings of David Mulford from the 18^th century, the coat makes picturing him a little easier. He was thin and likely about the same height as his son, Matthew, who was – according to the 1776 regimental muster rolls – 5 feet, 9 inches tall with light hair and a light complexion.

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While fighting for independence, Mulford enslaved eight African Americans at the time of the American Revolution. We don’t yet know what these enslaved people wore, but an advertisement for an enslaved runaway named Prince owned by John Mulford gives a clue. According to the notice, Prince ran away from East Hampton in 1773 wearing a “kersey waistcoat with a reddish cast.” Although the coats belonging to David Mulford and Prince were the same color, kersey cloth was – not surprisingly – a much cheaper, coarser woolen fabric that wasn’t nearly as durable as broadcloth.

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With almost 20,000 objects in our collection, there are many more treasures to explore beyond the artifacts in Clinton Academy. You can now check them out in our newly accessible online collections database. Currently, only 1/3 of the collection is available in this “beta version,” but we plan to increase that number in the months to come.

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If you’d like to volunteer to help with our cataloging and digitization effort, please contact Jaime Karbowiak via email or by calling her at 631.324.6850, x4.

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Thank you for helping keep the past present in East Hampton!

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Sincerely,

Steve Long

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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Ann Joyce

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Q: Tell us about yourself and your connection to East Hampton.

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I grew up in Montauk, and about 4 years ago, my husband and I relocated to East Hampton after spending many years upstate in Niskayuna, New York. My father’s family was among the group of individuals who came from Nova Scotia in the early 20th Century and settled in the old fishing village on Fort Pond Bay in Montauk. A great source of pride is the resilience and grit shown by that community following the devastating hurricane of 1938. My mother grew up in East Hampton. Her grandparents, John and Annie Daly Flannery both came from Ireland in the second half of the 19th century. John Flannery was very instrumental in the building of a Catholic Church on Buell Lane in East Hampton.

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Q: How did you first get involved with the Historical Society?

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During the pandemic, I saw a notice that the EH Historical Society was looking for volunteers to assist with their collections. Not only did the work seem interesting, but the tasks were readily accomplished safely given suggested covid restrictions. Additionally, given that my mother had been President of the Montauk Historical Society for many, many years, I was aware of the trust individuals place in historical societies when they donate items that they and their families have preserved for many years.

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Q: What motivates you to volunteer in the community?

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Growing up in Montauk, volunteering seemed to be part of the social fabric of the community. My parents, as well as, most of the adults I knew were involved in the community organizations, and the youth were typically included in those volunteer activities.

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Q: Do you donate your time to any other organizations?

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While I am not currently donating my time to other organizations, in the past, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, travelled to rural Costa Rica to assist villagers upgrading their local school and community center, and led efforts to raise money to bring water to a rural village in Mexico, I also volunteered with my church, the local PTO, and the various activities of my children when they were young.

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

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I am not sure I can pick one. We are very fortunate to have in the Town of East Hampton so many preserved sites that represent such diverse aspects of the community’s history. I do believe that the Marine Museum is very important both for its efforts to preserve our maritime history, and to educate individuals on the need to protect our waters, and the Moran Studio wonderfully showcases the role artists have played in the community’s history.

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CURATOR’S CORNER

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This summer I had the great pleasure of working with two of our trustees, Frank Newbold and Rip Georges, to curate the East Hampton Historical Society’s first exhibition since the start of the pandemic. While performing preliminary research to discover more information about the items we planned to place on display, I came across a curious mystery that we are now hoping some of our members can shed additional light on.

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The first Meeting House was built in East Hampton in 1649. Colonial meeting houses were essential structures within communities and served as communal places where residents could gather to discuss important matters, conduct business, and hold religious services. A new church building was erected to replace this older thatched roofed structure in 1717. Known to residents as the “1717 Church,” it was the only church in East Hampton for much of the town’s early history and stood approximately where Guild Hall is today.

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East Hampton’s Presbyterian Church underwent many renovations during its long history, but our mystery begins a few short decades after the 1717 construction. One of the objects featured in our exhibit is the diagonal dial clock face from the clock tower added, along with a steeple, to the building’s exterior during a 1735 makeover.

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An article in the Sag Harbor Express on March 15, 1866, appears to support local lore that the renovation occurred in 1735. Yet according to curatorial records dating back to the 1980s here at the Historical Society, the clock’s inner mechanics were built by colonial craftsman Obadiah Frary (1717-1804). Noted as the first clockmaker in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts, Frary began his trade in 1745— making it likely that the church renovation occurred in 1753.

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What we do know for certain is that the clock’s installation date was painted in the four corners of the dial. Whether the date reads 1735 or 1753 remains to be determined!

Do you think the date reads 1735 or 1753?

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Do you have any additional information that can help us solve this mystery? Please weigh in on the discussion on our social media sites or by contacting me, Jaime Karbowiak – Collections Manager. You can also view the clock face and works at Clinton Academy through September 11, 2022.

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Fall Festival for Families – October 1st at Historical Mulford Farm

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As part of its year-long Centennial celebration, the East Hampton Historical Society is presenting a Fall Festival for families taking place at Mulford Farm on Saturday, October 1 from 10am to 2pm (Rain date on October 2).

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Harkening back to the History Festivals that occurred on the Farm decades ago, this year’s event will feature an array of activities including historical reenactors, games, music, walking tours, craft demonstrations, art making, and student history projects.

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Last Historical Walking Tour of the Summer!

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Arrive at Clinton Academy, 151 Main Street by 5:45pm so that the tour can begin promptly at 6pm. Be aware that only street parking is available. Guests will be expected to climb steps and navigate uneven, grassy ground. Wear comfortable shoes! If there are accessibility concerns, please contact the Historical Society’s offices.

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Friday at 6pm

September 2

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Reservations required. $6 per person

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