Sixty-Something: Amazingly Amagansett

The hamlet of Amagansett, is mostly a quiet sleepy Hamptons jewel of beautiful homes, wonderful town beaches with a touch of horse country, farming, fishing, and clamming. The name Amagansett is reportedly a Montaukett Indian word meaning, “place of good water.” The location of the good water the Indians referred to was located near where what everyone today calls Indian Wells Beach.

Founded officially in 1680, Amagansett has a different tale of its originality. Whereas East Hampton and Southampton were founded by those folks from Lynn, Massachusetts, some of the original Amagansett founders were actually two Dutch brothers, Abraham and Jacob Schellinger who were not thrilled when the British took over New Amsterdam and called it New York City. So, they left the city and headed out east. Perhaps they were the first “city folks,” to relocate in the Hamptons. One has to wonder how they were received by the other Amagansett founding Baker, Barnes, and Conklin families? Not surprisingly the two Schellinger brothers were the sons of a “city merchant,” not quite trust fund babies but most likely they arrived in Amagansett not without silver spoons.

To me, Amagansett is a hodgepodge hamlet. Of course, like all of Long Island, it has luxury oceanfront property of mansions and family homes. Having the Atlantic Ocean beach as part of the backyard is normal. Over the years, I have been in a few of these homes and it is powerful to sit in the den, living room, or even dine in the dining room and just see the many dramatic faces of the ocean. Having once lived 452 steps from the breaking waves of the ocean at Ditch Plains, Montauk I can promise you when the wind is really blowing in, you hear the crashing waves of the howling ocean all night long. But then there is the sweet music of the morning seagulls too.

I love the little village part of Amagansett with the LIRR train station and those straight lanes south of Route 27 that go towards the sea. Who wouldn’t have loved to have grown up in any of the homes on Meeting House Lane, Hand Lane, or Mankoma and Hedges Lane? Waking to Amagansett School every morning has to be a sweet experience for a child. Driving down those roads is like driving through the set of the “Leave it to Beaver,” show.

Then there are the many faces of the north of the highway (27) Amagansett. There is some historic farmland, some homes with horses, some homes built to be cottages, and of course summer homes on Napeague Bay. I still chuckle when I pass the odd horse riders crossing Town Lane. This back part of Amagansett was one of my favorite bicycle riding areas. It has some mild hills and some up and down quiet winding roads.

I suppose you cannot write about Amagansett and not mention the Stephen Talkhouse. It has been the nightlife scene of the Hamptons for many decades. Sixty-something folks can get a piece of being twenty again by just going in there on a summer weekend night. It does have a fountain of youth quality, although my wife is not a fan of their artwork on the back walls. Thank God I chose not to be in one of those artsy group photos that day way back then.

For those who love statistics, Amagansett has an area of 6.6 miles with the highest elevation being 30 ft. above sea level. The census of 2019 had the official population at 739 yet the census of 2010 had the population at 1,165 folks. On a Saturday afternoon, I would predict there are more folks than those two combined numbers at Atlantic and Indian Wells beaches!

With so many beautiful authentic 18th and 19th century homes still standing and very habitable in luxurious shape, I love the timeless historic feel of driving, bike riding, or just walking through Amagansett. It never gets old there, maybe if you live there you can feel that way too.