Area History
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The Bays
Learn about maritime architecture, ranging from bay houses and bungalows to boatyards and hotels. See what is in your hometown. Listen to stories of hurricanes and rumrunners. Learn how to document your community’s cultural resources. Add your own story to our memories page. And learn what baymen do for a living. All this and more! Just click on South Shore Portal . And share your thoughts with us and link to us!
Howell Homestead
The easterly portion of the home was built between 1654 and 1690. This was the first permanent residence in the township of Southampton west of the Shinnecock Hills. The Howell family holdings of real estate comprised Ketchabonack Neck, which included the area from the ocean to a point approximately where the Montauk Highway now runs. It was purchased from the Ketchabonack Indian tribe for a jug of rum and tobacco.
The Homestead was later known as the Gill House. During a 1997 renovation, fire destroyed the roof. The Jones family subsequently purchased the house and has recently completed a seven year restoration.
The Jessup Lane Bridge Net Reel
Fisherman have long depended on strong, long lasting nets for their livelihood. Nets in the 19th century were often made of natural material (flax, cotton, or hemp) that quickly rotted from exposure to water, fish and vegetation. Coating nets with tar and drying them between uses were common methods of slowing decay. Today’s nets, made of synthetic materials resist rot well. But net winders – large wooden reels like the one by the jessup lane bridge, once lined the shores near new england and long island fishing ports, lifting and spreading large sections of nets to be dried by the sun and wind.
