Welcome to the Town of Southampton’s 375th Anniversary Driving/Biking/Walking Tours! The tours are designed to encourage residents and visitors alike to explore the town and discover its many historic sites and attractions.
Southampton Historic Tours
Please enjoy the tours, but respect private property at all times. The buildings selected are visible from public roads. Locations are approximate.
Southampton Historic Tours
Please enjoy the tours, but respect private property at all times. The buildings selected are visible from public roads. Locations are approximate.
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National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the
Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the
United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction with only 261 in the State of New York, 10
on Long Island, and 5 in Suffolk County.
National Park Service
National Park Service
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The State and National Registers of Historic Places are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, objects, and sites
significant in the history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture of New York and the nation...
NYS OPRHP Criteria
NYS OPRHP Criteria
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The Town Board may designate a property as a landmark if it:
(a) Possesses special character or historic or aesthetic interest of value as part of the cultural, political, economic or social history of the locality, region, state or nation; or (b) Is identified with historic personages; or (c) Embodies the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style; or (d) Is the work of a designer whose work has significantly influenced an age; or (e) Because of a unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood.
(a) Possesses special character or historic or aesthetic interest of value as part of the cultural, political, economic or social history of the locality, region, state or nation; or (b) Is identified with historic personages; or (c) Embodies the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style; or (d) Is the work of a designer whose work has significantly influenced an age; or (e) Because of a unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood.
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Villages are separate entities in the town and may designate their own individual historic landmarks. The Town of Southampton has seven (7) Incorporated Villages within its Boundary each with its
own governing bodies. For a definition of a Village Historic Landmark please visit the Village of interest's Website. Also see Historic Districts on this map for groups of designated landmarks in the Villages of Quogue, Sagaponack, Sag Harbor, and Southampton.
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The Town Board may designate a group of properties as an historic district if it:
(a) Contains properties which meet one or more of the criteria for designation of a landmark; and (b) By reason of possessing such qualities, it constitutes a distinct section of the Town of Southampton.
§ 330-321. Designation of landmarks or historic districts.
There are no historic districts designated by the Town of Southampton at this time.
(a) Contains properties which meet one or more of the criteria for designation of a landmark; and (b) By reason of possessing such qualities, it constitutes a distinct section of the Town of Southampton.
§ 330-321. Designation of landmarks or historic districts.
There are no historic districts designated by the Town of Southampton at this time.
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Heritage resources are man-made objects at least 50 years old that are connected to human activity.
These resources could be any buildings used to house human or animal activities, i.e., homes, sheds, garages, mills, barns, agricultural
buildings, offices, schools, churches, commercial and public-use buildings. They could be structures such as bridges, canals, roads, docks,
fences, monuments and sculptures. They could also be burying grounds, trails, archaeological and commemorative or historic sites. These resources,
when grouped together, help convey the special heritage of an area.
Hamlet Heritage Resource Area is an honorary title bestowed in recognition of the special character of a neighborhood, hamlet or area. It honors the properties and the community that has cherished its historic heritage.
§ 330-331. Hamlet Heritage Resource Areas.
Hamlet Heritage Resource Area is an honorary title bestowed in recognition of the special character of a neighborhood, hamlet or area. It honors the properties and the community that has cherished its historic heritage.
§ 330-331. Hamlet Heritage Resource Areas.
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The Town of Southampton began the study of its historic burying grounds and gravesites in 2004. Ten of
these sites are maintained by the Town and preserve headstones spanning over three centuries of settlement and expansion. The data available
on this map and on the Town's website is currently limited to these ten historic sites. In the future, it is anticipated
that the forty or more privately-owned and additional Native American burial sites may be surveyed and included in the survey.
This map provides the location, general information and photographs of each site. If more detailed information is required, the Town's Website allows the researcher to find a particular headstone by using the name of the deceased, date of death and/or keyword inscription (however, New York State law prevents the inclusion of data pertaining to births and deaths occurring within the last fifty years). The data was collected in a comprehensive survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, and data from a 1931 survey by the Daughters of the American Revolution has since been added. Photographs of each stone as well as inscriptions, stone conditions, locations and site maps are included, and additional links are provided for your convenience.
It has been a long process to provide public access to the valuable information collected in this survey and to elevate the community's awareness of the historic burying places that we have a responsibility to preserve. Special thanks are owed to the Hampton Bays Historical & Preservation Society for bringing together key representatives of our community in the creation of a Cemetery Task Force which contributed their valuable time to this important project. The Town Historian now chairs a Historic Burying Ground Committee that coordinates and encourages efforts to preserve, enhance and interpret the sacred burying grounds of the Town of Southampton.
This map provides the location, general information and photographs of each site. If more detailed information is required, the Town's Website allows the researcher to find a particular headstone by using the name of the deceased, date of death and/or keyword inscription (however, New York State law prevents the inclusion of data pertaining to births and deaths occurring within the last fifty years). The data was collected in a comprehensive survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, and data from a 1931 survey by the Daughters of the American Revolution has since been added. Photographs of each stone as well as inscriptions, stone conditions, locations and site maps are included, and additional links are provided for your convenience.
It has been a long process to provide public access to the valuable information collected in this survey and to elevate the community's awareness of the historic burying places that we have a responsibility to preserve. Special thanks are owed to the Hampton Bays Historical & Preservation Society for bringing together key representatives of our community in the creation of a Cemetery Task Force which contributed their valuable time to this important project. The Town Historian now chairs a Historic Burying Ground Committee that coordinates and encourages efforts to preserve, enhance and interpret the sacred burying grounds of the Town of Southampton.
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There are over 2800 historical markers in New York State. The program was started in 1926
to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Revolutionary War and was discontinued in 1966. This program has now become
a database and management program. The New York State Museum now maintains the archives even though the historic
markers themselves are no longer funded by state appropriations. Private organizations are welcome to submit the
necessary paperwork to have a new marker erected at a local historic site and the Museum will act as a clearinghouse
for these proposals.( Source:
New York State Museum)
As of 2011, there are 20 individual NYS Historic Site Markers standing in the Town of Southampton plus 2 NYS Historic Area Markers. A number of individual historic site signs have been erected by private groups and are not shown on the official NYS Historic Marker List. Approximately 8 additional individual site signs that are listed have not been located-possibly hit by cars and/or removed.
Marker List
As of 2011, there are 20 individual NYS Historic Site Markers standing in the Town of Southampton plus 2 NYS Historic Area Markers. A number of individual historic site signs have been erected by private groups and are not shown on the official NYS Historic Marker List. Approximately 8 additional individual site signs that are listed have not been located-possibly hit by cars and/or removed.
Marker List
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By the time a new State Historic Marker Program was established in the
1960s, and public funding was restored, the nature of automobile travel had changed. With new high-speed
cars and increasing traffic, it was no longer considered safe to erect little historic signs along the edge of
the highway. Stopping to read them was a risky business.
It was decided that funding would only be applied to larger, more detailed signs placed in various types of rest areas, including those along the New York State Thruway, where motorists could pull off the highway, park, and read the signs safely at their leisure. The installation of these signs in the mid-1960s was an early example of providing cultural information in a natural setting along major travel routes - a pattern for the "heritage tourism" programs becoming popular today. (Excerpt above from: New York State Museum)
As of 2011, there are two NYS Historic Area Markers in the Town of Southampton.
Marker List
It was decided that funding would only be applied to larger, more detailed signs placed in various types of rest areas, including those along the New York State Thruway, where motorists could pull off the highway, park, and read the signs safely at their leisure. The installation of these signs in the mid-1960s was an early example of providing cultural information in a natural setting along major travel routes - a pattern for the "heritage tourism" programs becoming popular today. (Excerpt above from: New York State Museum)
As of 2011, there are two NYS Historic Area Markers in the Town of Southampton.
Marker List
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A group of English Puritans from Lynn, Massachusetts arrived at Conscience Point
in 1640 and, with the help of the Shinnecock Indians, they established the first English Colony in the State of New
York at “Old Towne”, in what is now the Village of Southampton. As the number of colonists grew, other settlements
to the east and west of Old Towne were developed. During the Revolutionary War, the residents of Southampton were
involved in skirmishes with the British and following the War, the settlements prospered and expanded, most notably
after the building of the Shinnecock Canal and arrival of the Long Island Rail Road in the late 1800s. The influx of
visitors, especially from New York City, forever changed the economy and landscape of the rural farming communities
in the Town of Southampton.
Because of its long and rich history, Southampton has numerous places of historical interest located thought out the Town.
Because of its long and rich history, Southampton has numerous places of historical interest located thought out the Town.
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When water power was limited or unavailable, early settlers turned to windmills. Eastern Long Island, of course, had a great source
of wind from the nearby Atlantic Ocean and post mills were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. This type of windmill consisted of
a small pivoting body (housing the machinery) with a long tail pole which was located on top of a large tall post. Hence the local
term for them was “spider-legged windmill”. There were a number of spider-legged windmills in the Town of Southampton including one
on Mill Hill, north of Scuttle Hole in Bridgehampton, and another on Sagg Main Street in Sagaponack (both locations have a NYS historic
markers). However, there are no surviving post (spider-legged) mills in Southampton. Zach Studenroth, Town Historian, did locate a
spider-legged windmill on Gardiners Island near East Hampton-possibly the only existing windmill of this type in the entire country.
Later “smock” mills were built (said to be named because their skirted design resembled a baker’s or countryman’s smock). The cap at the top could be rotated so that the sails faced the wind—either manually or with a “fan tail”. Both types of windmills could be moved from one location to another as owners and needs changed. However, many of the windmills ceased to operate in the late 1800s because flour was being shipped by train to the East End. Farmers adapted by planting potatoes instead of grain and they also began raising ducks.
Today 11 windmills still stand on the East End with two operational smock-type mills in the Town of Southampton: the Corwith Windmill in Water Mill and the Beebe Windmill in Bridgehampton. Other replica mills (“mock mills”) can also be found in the area. (Source: “Windmills of Long Island”, SPLIA, Robert J. Hefner, 1983 and Zach Studenroth, Town Historian)
Later “smock” mills were built (said to be named because their skirted design resembled a baker’s or countryman’s smock). The cap at the top could be rotated so that the sails faced the wind—either manually or with a “fan tail”. Both types of windmills could be moved from one location to another as owners and needs changed. However, many of the windmills ceased to operate in the late 1800s because flour was being shipped by train to the East End. Farmers adapted by planting potatoes instead of grain and they also began raising ducks.
Today 11 windmills still stand on the East End with two operational smock-type mills in the Town of Southampton: the Corwith Windmill in Water Mill and the Beebe Windmill in Bridgehampton. Other replica mills (“mock mills”) can also be found in the area. (Source: “Windmills of Long Island”, SPLIA, Robert J. Hefner, 1983 and Zach Studenroth, Town Historian)
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After the settlers arrived Southampton in 1640, watermills and windmills became an integral part of the community
because they were necessary for grinding grain (grist mill), and sawing wood (saw mill), plus other uses.
Even before 1700 there were more than 25 water mills in Nassau and Suffolk County. Mill grant or permits were granted at town meetings usually with farm and pasture land for the miller. Nearly every South Shore community had a mill beside a stream where dams were built. Clusters of houses and barns were built near the mills and these soon grew into small villages. The water mills were used for years until the advent of manufacturing and transportation rendered them idle. Today the grist mill in Water Mill is a museum and schedules demonstrations. The saw mill in Speonk is not operational but can be seen to the south from Montauk Highway.
(Source: “The Mills of Long Island”, Ira J. Friedman, 1962; Part II: The Water Mills of Long Island,Bernice Marshall)
Even before 1700 there were more than 25 water mills in Nassau and Suffolk County. Mill grant or permits were granted at town meetings usually with farm and pasture land for the miller. Nearly every South Shore community had a mill beside a stream where dams were built. Clusters of houses and barns were built near the mills and these soon grew into small villages. The water mills were used for years until the advent of manufacturing and transportation rendered them idle. Today the grist mill in Water Mill is a museum and schedules demonstrations. The saw mill in Speonk is not operational but can be seen to the south from Montauk Highway.
(Source: “The Mills of Long Island”, Ira J. Friedman, 1962; Part II: The Water Mills of Long Island,Bernice Marshall)
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The Long Island Railroad was completed to Greenport in 1844, but a branch line did not reach the southern terminus at Sag Harbor
until 1870. Originally conceived as a way of connecting travelers between New York City and Boston, the road encountered its first
setback when a competing all-land route was built along the coast of Connecticut. Thereafter, the railroad sought alternative
passengers and markets throughout Long Island by building numerous branch lines to both the north and south shores. It first
served as a means of transporting produce and other goods to metropolitan New York, and later helped to develop the tourism
industry on Long Island’s East End that would transform the history of the region. The so-called Montauk Division, which started
from Jamaica, Queens, connected the hamlets of Babylon (1867), Islip (1868) and Patchogue (1869) before reaching Southampton and
its final destination at Sag Harbor in 1870. The Montauk Division was later extended from Bridgehampton through the far eastern
hamlets, reaching Montauk in 1895. The Sag Harbor branch then became a freight line and delivered torpedoes for testing at the E. W.
Bliss factory, but was abandoned in 1940. (Zach Studenroth, Town Historian)
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Because of its long and rich history, Southampton has numerous places of historical interest located thought out the Town. On the
interactive map, these sites will be organized under Historic Points of Interest with categories of important groups of structures
(see Windmills, Water Mills, and Rail Road Stations on this map); plus Other Points of Interest that will include individual sites
with historical significance in the Town of Southampton.
There are now seven incorporated villages within Southampton's boundaries, each with its own village administration: Sag Harbor, North Haven, Quogue, Westhampton Beach, West Hampton Dunes, Southampton and Sagaponack.
Southampton's communities of Remsenburg, Speonk, Hampton Bays, Westhampton, Quiogue, Flanders, Riverside, Northampton, East Quogue, and part of Eastport lie on the west side of the Shinnecock Canal. The communities of North Sea, Bridgehampton, Water Mill, Sagaponack, Noyac, Sag Harbor, Shinnecock Hills, Tuckahoe, and the unincorporated area of Southampton lie on the east side of the Shinnecock Canal.
The Shinnecock Nation is a self-governing, Federally-recognized Tribe. The reservation comprises 750 acres of land located in Shinnecock Hills.
There are now seven incorporated villages within Southampton's boundaries, each with its own village administration: Sag Harbor, North Haven, Quogue, Westhampton Beach, West Hampton Dunes, Southampton and Sagaponack.
Southampton's communities of Remsenburg, Speonk, Hampton Bays, Westhampton, Quiogue, Flanders, Riverside, Northampton, East Quogue, and part of Eastport lie on the west side of the Shinnecock Canal. The communities of North Sea, Bridgehampton, Water Mill, Sagaponack, Noyac, Sag Harbor, Shinnecock Hills, Tuckahoe, and the unincorporated area of Southampton lie on the east side of the Shinnecock Canal.
The Shinnecock Nation is a self-governing, Federally-recognized Tribe. The reservation comprises 750 acres of land located in Shinnecock Hills.
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