The History of Hampton Bays, NY
Hampton Bays is a hamlet within the town of Southampton, located in Suffolk County, NY. It is situated on the south shore of Long Island, and surrounded by the communities of East Quogue, Southampton Village, and Shinnecock Hills. Although Long Island had long been settled, first by Algonkian tribes and then by British and European settlers starting in the late 16th century, the area that was to become Hampton Bays did not begin to take shape until the late 18th century. In 1773, a farmer named Ellis Squires moved his large family of 9 children to the area, and their house—the first house of Hampton Bays—still stands today. Two of Squire’s sons also built homes nearby, one in 1783 and the other in 1786, and both of these homes survive as well, and continue to be occupied residences.
In the years after the Squire’s arrival, the region saw much development, particularly as New York City began to grow and its population started to spread to outlying areas. The region, comprising of 11 hamlets altogether, had been referred to as “Good Ground” until 1922, when these hamlets combined under the name “Hampton Bays.” The main reason for the name change was so that the group of hamlets could benefit by being included in the increasing success of the tourism industry in the surrounding villages of Westhampton, Southampton, and East Hampton.
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