I grew up in East Hampton, New York. Born in 1953 it was still just East Hampton back then, a few decades before becoming the "Hamptons" and a prize on the Price is right. It was simply home. The local newspaper, The East Hampton Star was published every Thursday and still is to this day. It remains one of only a handful of privately owned papers in the country. Its' banner proudly proclaims, The East Hampton Star shines for all. It has been the policy of that publication, a promise, to publish every letter to the editor. There are certain conditions that must me met however, some discretion is exercised. I have written to the publication myself and was always published. For at least one year in high school it was required reading for studying current events.
That paper has always been associated with the Rattray family. It's the only family I have ever known that owned and published it. I did a quick search, to check my facts, and it was originally started by George Burling. I have never heard of him or that name. According to Wikipedia it is he that started writing East Hampton as two words instead of just one. The reason was to distinguish it from Southampton. I suspect that this George Burling fellow wasn't a local and just didn't know any better. Anyway the paper was sold to the Rattray family in 1935. David Rattray is the editor today. I remember Jeanette Edwards Rattray as being the editor of that paper. She wrote a least one book that I'm aware of about East Hampton history and included a genealogy of those early settlers. My family is among them.
There is a section in the paper that I always enjoyed and looked for. It was an article from 25 years ago, fifty years ago and 75 years ago. I would read those and sometimes know just who they were talking about. The paper has only been archived in a searchable database till 1968. Fifty years ago would be 1974. If I could read that today I would recall it as current events! 75 years ago would be 1949, that was the year my brother Dan was born. Just four years before my own birth. In doing my family tree I have searched that publication many times and found a number of articles concerning relatives. I discovered there was no birth announcement for me in that paper though. The East Hampton Star wasn't shining for me on that day. They did publish when I graduated boot camp in 1972 at Great Lakes Naval Training center.
I was thinking about this. Strange how a "history" section can be a current events section at the same time. I was reading that history and found it amusing. What those old people did and talked about sure was funny. I read about my great grandfather and how his big gray died. It was assumed you would know that was a horse. I read where they got a telephone at the doctors office. There was always something. How those articles were selected I have no idea but they were always interesting to me. I do not receive that paper anymore but hope that section has continued to be included. Fifty and seventy five years ago I would know a good deal about today. Fifty three years ago I graduated from the new high school. Yes, the high school was a brand new building then, I hear it needs to be replaced today, too old and outdated.
I'm certain a lot has happened since 1975 that I know nothing about. That was the last year I actually lived in East Hampton. The twenty five years ago section would be news to me. It would be history as current events. At least for me it would be, know what I mean? We all keep our hometown in our hearts. It makes no difference where we go, it always makes a difference where we came from. Any news about that is current events. What little news I get these days about East Hampton isn't very favorable in my eyes. I do have a few high school friends still living there, and have met a few new ones on Facebook, and I get it. I left when I was still young and full of hopes and dreams. I hadn't developed that deep appreciation for what I had. Today all I can do is smile and remember. I've written about all of this several times and think I summed it up best a while back when I wrote, " I went back, but home wasn't where I left it" I realize it never will be. It's nothing to be sad about however, it is something to remember.
Home Sweet Home, the real place
according to some, disputed by others.
I walked, bicycled and drove by that
almost daily.
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