Montauk

Montauk’s name originates from the Montaukett tribe, an Algonquian-speaking group who inhabited the area. In 1614, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block encountered the tribe at Montauk Point, which he named Hoeck van de Visschers, translating to “Point of the Fishers”. Two decades later, during the Pequot War in Connecticut in 1637, the Montauketts allied themselves with New England settlers for protection. As a consequence, they sold Gardiners Island.

In 1648, the area that would become the Town of Easthampton (initially called Maidstone) was sold to settlers by the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven, while the lands to the east, from the hills above the first fort (Napeague, New York) to Montauk Point, were retained. The western boundary of present-day Hither Hills State Park is known as the 1648 purchase line.

The Narragansett-Montaukett War began in 1653, with Narragansetts under Ninigret attacking and burning the Montaukett village, resulting in casualties and captives. Lion Gardiner aided in the recovery of Chief Wyandanch’s daughter, and in gratitude, he was granted a significant portion of Smithtown, New York. Devastated by smallpox and fearing extinction at the hands of the Narragansetts, the Montauketts sought refuge with white settlers in East Hampton, leading to several famous skirmishes. These conflicts concluded in 1657.

Fort Pond Bay derives its name from a Montaukett “fort” on its shore. In 1661, a deed titled “Ye deed of Guift” granted all lands east of Fort Pond for the common use of both indigenous people and townsmen.