Marine Museum

The Marine Museum on Bluff Road in Amagansett is run by the East Hampton Historical Society. The museum is housed in a three-story building that used to serve as U.S. Coast Guard barracks. Artifacts, photographs, models, and displays cover local interaction with the marine environment. Exhibits on the whaling industry, recreational use of the sea, and social life at the eastern end of Long Island are inside. Admission costs $10 for adults and $8 for children age 2 to 16; museum members and children under age 2 get in free. Tickets are for timed admission.

A new exhibit at the Marine Museum features paintings by an East Hampton artist, Claus Hoie. His subject matter is a nineteenth-century whaling expedition that originated from Sag Harbor. The right whale was the most commonly hunted whale because they tended to swim slowly and feed at the surface. Watch the museum's YouTube video linked below for educational facts on right whales.

A boat painted like an American flag is on display in front of the museum. It is a dory donated by a former local fisherman, Dan King. Mr. King built the boat in 1976 to use in haulseining, a traditional method of fishing with nets. In 1990, this fishing method was banned in New York State. In 1992, Mr. King launched the boat in protest of the ban at Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett. A number of folks were arrested at the protest including the musician Billy Joel, a Sag Harbor local. The boat showed up at another protest in June 2021, perched atop a trailer, where rights for trucks to drive across a portion of the Montauk beachfront are being curtailed by a homeowners' association.

The Marine Museum also offers private group tours; for information, contact info@easthamptonhistory.org. Tours are limited to 8 per per hour at the Marine Museum.

The East End Classic Boat Society's Hartjen-Richardson Community Boat Shop is located behind the museum. See the link below for their hours and membership information; their mission is to maintain traditional skills used in building and restoring vintage boats.

East End Classic Boat Society. Home, East End Classic Boat Society. January 1st 2014. Accessed July 14th 2021. https://eecbs.org/.

East Hampton Historical Society. East Hampton Town Marine Museum, East Hampton Historical Society 1921. January 1st 2021. Accessed July 7th 2021. https://easthamptonhistory.org/east-hampton-town-marine-museum/.

East Hampton Historical Society. Download fun and educational activities!, East Hampton Historical Society 1921. January 1st 2021. Accessed July 7th 2021.

https://easthamptonhistory.org/fun-and-educational-activities/

Walsh, Christopher. "Hailing Maritime Heritage." East Hampton Star (East Hampton, NY) October 10th 2019. .

Walsh, Christopher . "Baymen Take to 'Truck Beach' to Protest Court Ruling." East Hampton Star (East Hampton, NY) June 27th 2021. .