Montauk (Images of America)

From pastureland to military base to a playground for the wealthy, Montauk could tell a thousand stories.

Montauk, the easternmost hamlet in the town of East Hampton, is located at the end of Long Island - 118 miles out to sea and surrounded on three sides by water. The land of Montauk and its varied history - pastureland for over 300 years; a private resort for Arthur Benson and friends; a center of coastal navigation and defense from the time of the Revolutionary War to the Cold War; exceptional modern-day fishing grounds; and a world-renowned resort that began with Carl Fisher - will be explored herein. Great measures have been taken to preserve as much of Montauk as possible, with over 70 percent of the land now designated as New York State Parks, Suffolk County preserves, and East Hampton reserved land to be enjoyed for generations to come.