11/12/2016
The Hamptons, on eastern Long Island is a string of seaside communities known as a summer destination for New York City residents. It’s marked by long stretches of beach and many wineries and farmland, towns and villages with 18th-century shingle buildings and estates hidden behind tall boxwood hedges. East Hampton is home to high-end shopping bars and restaurants.
Located at the tip of the South Fork peninsula of Long Island, 118 miles east of Midtown Manhattan, Montauk has been used as an Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force base. The Montauk Point Light was the first lighthouse in New York state and is one of oldest active lighthouse in the United States.
Montauk is a major tourist destination and has six state parks. It is particularly famous for its fishing, claiming to have more world saltwater fishing records than any other port in the world. Montauk is home to the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in New York state.
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. Southampton is included in the stretch of shoreline prominently known as The Hamptons.
The town was founded when settlers from Lynn, Massachusetts established residence on lands obtained from local Shinnecock Indian Nation in 1640. The first settlers included eight men, one woman, and a boy who came ashore at Conscience Point. These men were Thomas Halsey, Edward Howell, Edmond Farrington, Edmund Needham, Abraham Pierson the Elder, Thomas Sayre, Josiah Stanborough, George Welbe, Henry Walton and Job Sayre. By July 7, 1640, they had determined the town boundaries. During the next few years (1640–43), Southampton was further increased in population by 43 families.
The first meeting house was on a hill that is the site of the current Southampton Hospital. The oldest existent house in the town is the Halsey House at 249 Main Street, which was built by Thomas Halsey, one of the first Englishmen to trade with the Shinnecocks.