Montauk’s post office opened in 1883, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
Most of Montauk was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 2000.
Montauk derives its name from the Montaukett tribe, an Algonquian-speaking tribe who lived in the area. In 1614, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block encountered the tribe at Montauk Point, which he named Hoeck van de Visschers, or "Point of the Fishers". Two decades later, in 1637, the Montauketts sided for their own protection with the New England settlers in the Pequot War in Connecticut. In the aftermath the Montauketts were to sell Gardiners Island. In 1648 what would become the Town of Easthampton (first Maidstone) was sold to settlers by the colony of Connecticut and the colony of New Haven while retaining the lands to the east, from the hills rising above where the first fort stood (Napeague, New York) to Montauk Point. The western boundary of today's Hither Hills State Park is also known as the 1648 purchase line.
Passages that mention Montauk, cut from the printed page as they were published.
...History of Suffolk county, New York1882 · page 40Read the page →
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lution. He first settled in Bridgehampton, and kept a tavern on the east corner of the Country road and the Sag Harbor turnpike. In 1776 he was in command of a company appointed to guard the stock on Montauk. After this he joined General Schuyler's army, and served with distinction. After the war he moved to Sag Harbor and built a house on the south side of Union street a few rods east of Main street. He was a prominent
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In the spring of 1648 Theophilus Eaton, governor of the colony of New Haven, and Edward Hopkins, governor of Connecticut, obtained a deed for that portion of the town lying west of Montauk. This deed was given by the sachems of Shelter Island, Montauk, Corchaug and Shinecock. The object probably was to avoid all trouble that might arise from conflicting claims of ownership. Of this deed the following is a copy. It was re-
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Montauk, 1834 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1904
1907
1909