MILL NEWS & NOTESFROM THE

Water Mill Museum41 Old mill road, Water Mill, NY 11976

(Mail to: PO Box 63)Vol. 39 Fall 2017

A Message from the President

If you’ve walked or driven past the Water Mill Museum recentlyyou’ve no doubt noticed the changes made to the façade of our17th century landmark building.

Work on the street-facing wall has been underway daily eversince the Museum closed early in September to give our carpentersa jump on the weather. Slowly but surely they’ve been makingprogress restoring and repairing the seriously deteriorated wall.

To see just how far-gone the wall was just check out the accompanying photos of some of the rotting and disintegratingboards that have been uncovered.

Better yet, stop by the Museum to look at what has been accomplished—and all that remains to be done. You’ll see first-hand how much work is involved, and how crucial and tremendousan undertaking it is. Rick Muller, our head carpenter, and RaySachtleben, who we recently welcomed to the team, will be happyto answer your questions.

Thank You To Our Volunteers

In this season of thanksgiving, we acknowledge and thank ourmembers, supporters and volunteers who help keep the museumgoing. For their time, labor, and dedication, we thank our board ofdirectors, elected officers and committee chairs who meet monthlythroughout the year to assure the success of Water Mill Museum.

Thank you to Marilyn Holstein of Discovery Maps, Merry andGreg of Long Island East Printing, Bob Eisenberg of East EndBlueprints, Marsha Kranes for editing and Faye and John An-dreasen for planting our beautiful outdoor flower pots. And a greatbig special THANK YOU to John Andreasen and Mary Maran.John has retired after many years as our volunteer lawn mowerand grounds keeper. His dedication and expertise have been muchappreciated!

Mary has given her all to the museum for so many years, shar-ing her skills in many ways. We are especially grateful for her roleas chairman of our newsletter for more years than this writer canremember. Mary is relocating to Pennsylvania to be closer to herfamily. We wish her well. She will be sorely missed.

We are forever grateful to our supporters whose generosityand encouragement helped us get this necessary project underway.

But there’s so much more to be done.

We need and are counting on your continued support and thatof other friends and neighbors to see the job through to completion.It’s essential if we are to ensure that our community’s 1644 grist-mill and its unique role in our hamlet’s history will be enjoyed bygenerations to come.

Jeanne White, President

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On Water Mill’s Postal History

Showcasing artifacts and photographsfrom the Water Mill Museum’s collection,a new permanent exhibition on the museum’supper level celebrates American postalhistory, beginning with the first postmastergeneral, Benjamin Franklin, as well as arich local history, highlighting the estab-lishment of the first federal post office inWater Mill with the appointment of StephenSquires as postmaster in 1867.

The exhibition was curated by Julie B.Greene of the Bridgehampton Museum andmade possible by the Town of Southampton’s2017 Cultural Arts and Recreation Grant.

Museum welcomes new Exhibit Designer/Installer and Publicity Person

Julie Greene moved to the South Fork in 2001 and the followingyear started working at the Hampton Library in Bridgehamptonwhile she was enrolled in C.W. Post’s Palmer School of Informa-tion Science. She was a reference librarian and the local historylibrarian there until early 2017. For the past 15 years, Julie hasimmersed herself in the history of Southampton Town. In additionto working for the Water Mill Museum, she is the archivist andcurator at the Bridgehampton Museum, the curator at the QuogueHistorical Society, and she was recently appointed as the Southamp-ton Town Historian. The author of “Bridgehampton’s SummerColony,” part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series,she has lived in North Haven, Flanders, Quogue, and now Noyacwith her husband and three children.

“Arthur Muller, retired Postmaster of WaterMill, stands in front of the desk he used andthe clock he wound during his tenure from1946-1976. These are among the items hedonated for the refurbished postal exhibit.”

Stitches of Time – Quilt Show and Sale

The Water Mill Museum’s 31st annual quilt show once againbrought a beautiful splash of color to the museum. Our quilterswere motivated to sell and sales were brisk. Even though the showwas shortened to accommodate the early closing of the Mill forrenovations, it was a great success with many visitors.

This year’s raffle quilt drawing was held at our October boardmeeting, and longtime member, Connie Norbeck was very happyto get the call that she won the lovely Grandmother’s Flower Gar-den antique quilt. Connie has been buying raffle tickets for over25 years and we thank her for her support.

This was my first year to chair the Quilt show. I stepped in tohelp since my mother, our longtime show organizer, passed awaylast January. With the help of the rest of the board the show wentoff without a hitch. I am very excited that Peggy Helstowski hasjoined our board and will be co-chairing the show next year. Peggyis a longtime quilter and we hope that her expertise will make ourshow grow. The Quilt show will go back to it’s normal time slotnext year and will once again be held for three weeks.

Anyone interested in entering quilts in the show should checkour website, www.watermillmuseum.org, for more information,or call me at 631-726-4899 to get on our mailing list.

Eileen Noonan

This Winter

Find us on Facebook or at the watermillmuseum.org

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We added a new family event to our calendar thissummer, an old fashioned game night with Ice CreamSundaes, made with homemade ice cream, handcranked by the kids. On July 20th, eighteen childrenand assorted parents, grandparents, aunts and unclesattended. Among the games featured were jack-straws(pick-up sticks), jack-stones (jacks), ring taw (mar-bles), cats cradle, and cornhole (bean bag toss). Itwas a spirited evening!

“Poor” Times in Southampton

The period between the American Revolution and the Civil Warwas one of economic decline during which Southampton Townstruggled to deal with its many poor and homeless residents.

To address what was a growing problem, the Town appointedan Overseer of the Poor. In April 1789 an entry in the local recordsnoted that the Town government had ruled that:

“… the Overseer of the Poor together with one of the Justicesof the Peace who shall see idle person who has no visible meansof gaining an honest livelihood be empowered to take up suchperson and put him to labor.”

Every year for nearly the next 100 years the Town allocated

money for “support of the poor,” and “to buy a poor house andmaintain it.”

Funds were also set aside for the care of babies, to providefirewood for widows, and to transport widows to relatives livingoutside Southampton Town. In 1862 the Town built a special hometo house “lunatic paupers.”

During this grim period in local history, Dr. Dwight, thepresident of Yale reported on what he observed during an 1822 tripto the area:

“Southampton is said to have been formerly a flourishingsettlement,” he wrote, adding that at present “it wears the aspectof decline…[its] general appearance is less agreeable andprosperous.”

AS THE WATER WHEEL TURNEDA look at Water Mill’s past, as revealed in the Southampton Town records

Photo Highlights of Our New Calendar Event “Old Fashioned Game Night”

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Clay Art Guild of The Hamptons

For the first time in many years BOWLS OF PLENTY (theClay Art Guild’s annual fundraiser for Water Mill Museum) wascancelled. One of the reasons was that the museum is undergoinga major restoration and currently, there is no wall on one side ofthe building—the venue for this event. We thank Clay Art Guildfor their past support and hope the fundraiser will resume in thefuture.

Attention Artist Members

We are happy to announce that CHRISTINA STOW andLANCE CORY have agreed to chair the Members’ Art Showagain in 2018.

If you even THINK you may wish to participate, PLEASEsend your email address to director@watermillmuseum.org. If youare not a computer user, please send us your mailing address toWater Mill Museum, P.O. Box 63, Water Mill, N.Y. 11976

Christina will be sending you preliminary information as soonas our 2018 calendar is finalized. This is a fun annual show andwe welcome your participation.

Archives – Chuck Halsey, Marlene HaresignNewsletter – Susan McCulley, Mary Maran Bricks – Faye Andreasen Webmaster – Betty Kistler Newsletter Mailings – Sue TaylorHospitality – Faye Andreasen, Donna Liehr

Quilt Show – Peg Helstowski, Eileen NoonanGift Shop – Sandy Raynor Buildings and Grounds – Bill Petty, Vivian Corwith Budget – Officers with Sandy Raynor as ChairmanMill Manager – Joani Wilson

2018 Water Mill Museum BoardPresident – Jeanne White

Recording Secretary – Sandy RaynorCorresponding Secretary – Anita Bishop Squires

Treasurer – Eileen Noonan

Committees:

Honorary Life Members

Marilyn CorwithDoris Foster

Charlton HalseyNancy HalseyJanet LavinioTim MaranArtie Muller

Holiday Greetingsand a

Happy New Yearfrom the

Water Mill Museum

Holiday Gift Idea

Do you know how your road received itsname, where the Shinnecock villages were located in our community, where the golfcourse and Hampton airport were located inWater Mill? The museum’s history book, WaterMill Celebrating Community, the History of aLong Island Hamlet, will answer these ques-tions and many more. A great gift for familyor new neighbors. Soft cover books are $20and hardcover books $30.

Copies are available at the museum orby calling 631-726-4741 or 631-283-3433

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