Montauk almanac

On this day

Short pieces of local history, each with a date and a source. Nothing here is written from memory.

1927

Lake Montauk is opened to the sound

An inlet was dredged through the north shore of Lake Montauk in 1927, turning a landlocked lake into the harbor the charter and party fleet works out of today.

Source: Town of East Hampton harbor history · View the source

1926

A developer buys most of Montauk

Carl Fisher, fresh from building Miami Beach, bought most of Montauk in 1926 intending a northern resort. The Montauk Manor and the Yacht Club tower date from that push, which the 1929 crash cut short.

Source: Montauk Library local history collection · View the source

April 12, 1792

Congress orders a light at the end of the island

Congress authorized a lighthouse at Montauk Point in 1792. Construction began in 1796 and the light was first lit on November 5, 1797, making it the oldest lighthouse in New York State.

Source: National Park Service / United States Coast Guard historical record

History is summarized from the sources named above. If you can correct or add to an entry, we would rather hear it than keep it wrong.