By Kathleen Cunningham
The Village Preservation Society of East Hampton (VPSEH) is pleased to announce a recent grant to the Eastville Community Historical Society in the amount of $10,000 toward the repair of the roof of the Heritage House located on Hampton Street in Sag Harbor. The Eastville Community Historical Society of Sag Harbor, chartered by New York State, works to preserve the history of the remarkable Eastville community, a working-class neighborhood maintaining this unique multi- cultural district in Sag Harbor Village, and the northern-western part of East Hampton Town. The organization also maintains and preserves the historic St. David AME. Zion Church, built in 1839 and thought to be part of the Underground Railroad, the original place of worship for African Americans and Native Americans living on Eastville Avenue. The neighboring cemetery is the resting place of descendants of African Americans and Native Americans of this community and is owned and maintained by the Eastville Community Historical Society as well. Heritage House, the Eastville Society’s headquarters, shelters many of the organization’s artifacts and historic objects. The roof has been in need of repair for some time and there is presently a blue tarpaulin on it.
VPSEH Grants Chairwoman, Mary Busch, remarked, “The Heritage House is such an important part of our past. Acknowledging the contributions of African Americans and Native Americans in the history of this place is an essential piece of education for all of us. Helping the Eastville Community Historical Society to reach its goals for the historic refurbishment of the Heritage House, once a Sears & Roebuck mail order building from 1925, is in keeping with VPSEH’s commitment to preserving historic buildings, neighborhood character and quality of life in East Hampton Village and its surrounds.”
VPSEH, Chairman, John McGuirk, agreed, “We are delighted to sponsor a sister organization in their efforts to promote the Eastville community, which has made crucial contributions to the history of East Hampton.”