How we make history--and what we then make of it--is engagingly dramatized in T. H. Breen's portrait of a 350-year-old American community faced with the costs of its “progress.” In the particulars of one town's struggle to check development and save its natural environment, Breen shows how our sense of history reflects our ever-changing self-perceptions and hopes for the future. Breen first went to East Hampton, the celebrated Long Island resort town, to write about the Mulford Farmstead, a picturesque saltbox dating from the 1680s. Through his research, he came across a fascinating cast of local characters, past and present, who contributed to, invented, and reinvented the town's history. Breen's work also drew him into contemporary local affairs: factionalism among residents, zoning disputes, and debates over resource management. Driving these heated issues, Breen found, were some dearly held notions about a harmonious, agrarian past that conflicted with what he had come to know about the divisiveness and opportunism of East Hampton's early days. Imagining the Past is about the interplay between some of the East Hampton histories Breen encountered: the “official” histories of many generations, the myths and oral traditions, and the curious stories that Breen, as an outsider, discerned in the town's rich holdings of artifacts and documents. With a warm yet wry regard for human nature, Breen obliges us to confront our pasts in all their complexities and ironies, no matter how unsettling or inconvenient the experience.

Once part of Northampton, the village of Easthampton was founded over three hunderd years ago with a land grant to John Webb, the first European settler. Situated along the Connecticut River, the settlement grew with the arrival of farmers and the emergence of sawmills. Continued expansion attracted more settlers and by 1785, Easthampton had become its own polital entity. Twenty-four years later, Easthampton was formally recognized as a town. The second half of the ninteenth century brought manufacturing to Easthampton. Textile mills and elastic production marked the transition from an agricultural settlement to an industrial community. Seeking employment, many immigrants relocated to Easthampton, thus creating the need for schools, banks, churches, and other institutions. The town continued to prosper through World War I. Many businesses have come and gone since those days. The arrival of the Stanley Home Products Company helped encourage an economic revitalization that returned stability to the community. In 1999, the town became a city. Today, the social and economic fabric of Easthampton continues to grow and strengthen.

Richly illustrated with archival photos and reproductions of the artists' work, "Hamptons Bohemia" chronicles the evolution of a community and the colorful characters who have inhabited it, from Winslow Homer to George Plimpton. 176 full-color and halftone images.

The first Masonic lodge in what is today Nassau and Suffolk Counties was constituted in 1793. For over 200 years, more than 70 lodges were founded and flourished in various locations from Amagansett to Great Neck. For the first time, some of the secrets of the Masonic fraternity are revealed in this book. Recovered from dusty lodge attics and closets, this selection of long-forgotten photographs and artifacts gives the readers a brief glimpse of what was taking place behind the closed doors of their local lodge. Long Island was the Masonic home of Theodore Roosevelt of Oyster Bay and, 30 years later, was honored by a visit to the Huntington Masonic lodge by his fifth cousin and fellow Mason Franklin D. Roosevelt. Masons continue to support the community through charitable endeavors, including the Masonic Medical Research Institute, Masonic Safety Identification Programs, Shriners Hospitals, and many more.

A complete historical and visual guide to the East Hampton Village Nature Trail. A small section of land, donated to remain a wildlife sanctuary, nestled in the center of the growing and bustling village of East Hampton. The history of this special place is as wonderful as the wildlife residents that are protected here. With contributions from many of East Hampton's very own, this book covers the Garden, the Wildlife, Historical Interest, a Century of Change, the St. Francis statue story and much, much more. Lots of beautiful photographs from East Hampton resident, wildlife photographer and wildlife expert Dell R. Cullum

"General Washington's spies on Long Island and in New York" by Morton Pennypacker. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.