About Montauk, New York
Known as the surf fishing capital of the world, it is also home to America's oldest ranch
Montauk, with an estimated population of 4,000, is located at the east end of Long Island, NY. In 1686 the Montauk Indians sold Montauk to a group of East Hampton settlers, known as the proprietors, who owned the land in joint trust for almost 200 years. So began Montauk's history as a summer pasture for cattle, sheep and horses.
The first European settlers in East Hampton were a group of English men and women who came here from Massachusetts. The settlers purchased land from the Montauk Indians in 1648, which extended from Southampton’s eastern boundary to Napeague beach. It wasn’t until 1665 that Wyandanch, the grand sachem of the Montauk tribe, gave the settlers the right to pasture their livestock on Montauk.
There are tales of spooks and spirits a-plenty from the ghost of an Indian chief who haunts a farm to a haunted staircase in Quogue to the Montauk Lighthouse where a drowned girl whispers at night. There are many spine-chilling Montauk ghost stories.
The Montauk Lighthouse, (the oldest lighthouse in New York) was commissioned by George Washington and built in 1797. Legend has it that treasure chests of pirate booty are buried in Montauk. Turn of the century village of Montauk bares little resemblance to today’s village.
In 1879 Arthur Benson bought Montauk from the Settlers for $151,000. Other than a few larger Houses built around the lighthouse the village was concentrated around Fort Pond Bay near the railroad.
Montauk is home to Camp Hero. The site is a 755 acre decommissioned military base thought by many to have once been the site of graphic, government-sanctioned human experiments comparable to the atrocities committed by the Nazis in concentration camps during World War II.
The abandoned military base was the inspiration for the popular Netflix show ‘Stranger Things’. The hit Netflix series, initially titled "Montauk", was planned to be set in Montauk, NY rather than the fictional Hawkins, Indiana.
The first 3 houses to be built in Montauk were appropriately named First House, Second House (built 1797) and Third House (dates back to 1806). Only the Second House still exists today. It is now a museum.
Every year, fishermen make their way to this “Surf Fishing Capital of the World"— also known as “The End”. Montauk is located at the tip of Long Island, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, and Block Island Sound to the north.
Montauk is also home to the oldest ranch in America. Today, it is a popular NY beach town and scenic destination that offers a perfect blend of outdoor adventure, relaxation, and coastal charm.