Our Hamptons

Esperanza and Irwin welcome Mia Certic, the Executive Director of the Montauk Historical Society. Carl Fisher's influence in Montauk's history goes beyond his physical legacy of the Montauk Manor, the Carl Fisher House, Star Island, but also his vision. Fisher saw Montauk as the Miami Beach of the north, a blank palette that Fisher could take as far as his imagination and money would go. Mia Certic tells us in detail the successes, the , and everything in between.

Esperanza and Irwin have discussed horticulture on the east end before. Tree collecting, while related, is a bit different. In the early 70's Alfonso A. Ossorio, the artist and sugar magnate, began amassing thousands of rare specimens of evergreens on his 60-acre estate, the Creeks. Horticulturists and tourists have come from all over the world to visit his arboretum. Ben Heller, the real-estate investor and art collector and dealer, also collected rare and beautiful trees, and Warner Leroy filled 60 acres in Amagansett. More obsession than hobby perhaps, but a fascinating peek into a world not often discussed.

Our 100th podcast! Esperanza and Irwin welcome Glenn Purcell and Charles Keller. Glenn and Charles have done extensive research on the Dominys, an early American family of clock and furniture makers from East Hampton. Their partnerships over the past twenty years they've devoted to the subject include Charles Hummel, the Thomas Moran Trust, Preservation Long Island and the East Hampton Historical Society. With backgrounds in design and a commitment to historic preservation, they share this essential East Hampton, and American , with us.

Esperanza and Irwin delve deep into one of the most unknown of East End stories. The Lindisfarne Association (1972 -2012) was a nonprofit foundation and diverse group of intellectuals organized by cultural historian William Irwin Thompson for the "study and realization of a new planetary culture". With a cast of characters from the worlds of art, science, religion, poetry and medicine (including Dr. Jonas Salk), the collective brainpower was through the proverbial roof. And all of it on a campground at Fish Cove in North Sea, Southampton. Listening is Believing.

Esperanza and Irwin welcome Season 8 and 2026 with Steve Long, the East Hampton Historical Society's Executive Director, and Hugh King, East Hampton Village and Town Historian. With our celebration of America's 250th birthday, Steve and Hugh take a look back at American history through a local lens. We'll also hear all the Society's plans for celebration throughout the year.

Esperanza and Irwin have had Robin's Island on their radar for quite a while. But it took a request from Colin, one of our listeners, to make it happen. (Thanks Colin!). Located in the Town of Southold, between Little and Great Peconic Bays, the island can only be reached by private vessel. The history is fascinating, and there have been numerous owners over the years. We'll transport you back to a 1636 deed, and take it to present day, where it is owned and stewarded by Louis Moore Bacon. A fascinating, off radar story, and a meaty one at that.

Esperanza and Irwin return to their sweet spot: the 1970's. 50 years ago, in the Spring of 1975, the Rolling Stones were arguably the biggest rock band in the world; some would say they still are. But facing a variety of tax problems in the UK, the Stones recorded throughout Europe, in addition to LA. But there was a special lure to Montauk in 1975, where the locals gave them their space. The heart of this podcast is the Stones, but the star is Montauk, including the Shagwong, Eothen, Deep Hollow Ranch, and yes, the Memory Motel.

Esperanza and Irwin are joined by journalist, community organizer and Springs resident Biddle Duke. We learned a bit of Biddle's early life growing up as the son of a diplomat, living abroad, but always returning to Wyndecote, the family's summer home in Southampton. Wyndecote was also where Biddle's uncle, Tony Duke began developing the camp by loading a bunch of NYC kids he met on the streets to pitch tents on Wyndecote's lawn. From those modest roots, Boys Harbor was born. An enthralling story, told by a great storyteller. Listening is Believing.

The Long Island Railroad's “Cannon Ball” made its first trip to Montauk from Jamaica, NY in 1890, and operated until the 1970s. The continuous service was provided on weekday afternoons from Long Island City until 1951 when service was then provided from Penn Station. Originally, the Cannon Ball was a train composed entirely of parlor cars – the epitome of luxury – and many regarded the Cannon Ball as a prestigious way to arrive in the Hamptons. But the real conversation of the Cannonball starts with the history of the LI Rail Road. Most of the effort out here was in the 1890’s, and a lot of it grew out of one man’s dream, Austin Corbin, who was a very wealthy banker in New York. He became President of the Long Island Railroad in 1881. As soonas he got onto this job, he had a lot of problems because he inherited a railroad that was bankrupt and actually had been formerly three different railroads. Once he put those together after about a year or so, he turned to the fulfillment of his dream and that was, not necessarily to build a railroad to the end of Long Island. His objective was to shorten the distance by water, over the ocean, between England and New York.

Esperanza and Irwin welcome Sarah Kautz, the Executive Director of the Southampton History Museum. The question is an intriguing one: Did the Mayflower Pilgrims land at Conscience Point, Southampton as well as Plymouth Rock? Through a fun and free wheeling conversation, Sarah shares some thoughts and theories illuminating a fascinating part of American history, within the boundaries of eastern Long Island.

While Esperanza and Irwin both share their personal connections to the Art Barge, this extraordinary story speaks for itself. While Victor and Mabel's lives were devoted to Art, they couldn't have been more different. Victor was one of 11 children of Italian immigrants, Mabel an only child descending from the original settlers of our country. Victor created the education department at MOMA, while Mabel was the Art Department Chair at Rye High School. But it's their arrival to remote Lazy Point, Amagansett in the 1940's, and tugging a decommissioned naval vessel from Jersey City to the shores of Napeague Bay remains a source of wonder to this day.

Esperanza and Irwin go back to a far quieter Springs, September 1970. George Sid Miller's farm field became the launch site for a dream — and the scene of a tragedy. Three young adventurers set off in the Free Life, a hot air balloon bound for Europe, in a daring attempt to cross the Atlantic. But the balloon and its passengers vanished without a trace, leaving behind a mystery that still haunts the community today.In this episode, we explore how the Free Life launch shook the close-knit Springs neighborhood that embraced it as its own, and the lingering questions asked for over 50 years. What drove the crew to take such a risk? And how did this brief moment in aviation history leave such a lasting impression. A story of youth, ambition, community, and loss — told from where it all began.

In this special episode, we sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger to revisit his seminal 1983 New York Times article, "The Strangling of a Resort." Over four decades later, we explore how his observations about overdevelopment, zoning failures, and the clash between preservation and profit still echo through the East End today. What has changed? What hasn't? And what does the future hold?Join us as we reflect on the past, examine the present, and consider what it will take to preserve the character of eastern Long Island in the face of relentless growth.

Esperanza and Irwin discuss all things Yard Sale with Sheril Antonio. Sheril's professional career as Senior Associate Dean and Professor at Tisch School of Arts at NYU speaks volumes, but on a different platform. In the early 2000's, Sheril and Irwin were a yard sale couple, spending countless Saturday mornings traveling the back roads from Southampton to Montauk. The journeys may have started as a quest for objects, but the story line quickly changed. It became less about the object, more about the stories, the culture, the people. Most of all, the indelible memories that remain.

Esperanza and Irwin delve into the Prohibition Era, 1920 to 1933. There apparently were lots of hands in the till, making money from Prohibition on Long Island, or Liquor Island, as one prominent minister was quoted as saying. Carl Fisher, who's Island Club on Montauk's Star Island was the most glamorous speakeasy of its time, with patrons like Ernest Hemingway and NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker. Arthur Benson, where $250,000 worth of alcohol, a staggering amount in 1925, was confiscated from his 4000 acre estate. But it was the fishermen and baymen involved as well, eluding not just the authorities like the Coast Guard, but pirates and mobsters, like Al Capone, while transporting alcohol throughout Long Island and into NYC. With further involvement from Temperance Societies in the early 19th century, to the KKK's support of prohibition in an effort to appear patriotic, we were amazed at all the story lines that converge in this podcast. Listening is Believing.

Esperanza and Irwin discuss the trajectory of the Hampton Classic over the years. It's origins started as the annual Horse Show in Southampton in the early 1900's, overlooking Lake Agawam. It flourished to the point of some horse enthusiasts forming the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club in 1922. The depression created a long hiatus for the show until the early 1950's, and its rebirth as a fundraiser for the Parrish Museum. In the 1970's it moved to Dune Alpin Farm in East Hampton for a bit, and has been at its current Bridgehampton location since 1982. Its expansion into one of the premier events of its kind in the world, mirroring the ever rising profile of eastern Long Island.

Esperanza and Irwin didn't intend for this podcast to go 59 minutes, our longest episode to date. Jerry Torre's fascinating story, as a teenager in his friend Billy's Lazy Point fishing cottage, to his work on the Geddes estate on Lily Pond Lane is riveting. But his years living and working for the Beales at Grey Gardens, his involvement in the Maysles documentary and his personal recollections is at the the heart of this special podcast.

Esperanza and Irwin discuss the preservation of Barcelona Neck and The Grace Estate in East Hampton's Northwest Woods. The land was bought for $6.3 million from collector Ben Heller in 1985 after a referendum, the largest and most expensive public land purchase ever undertaken here at the time. The Nature Conservancy contributed $500,000 to the cost. Randall Parsons, who, in his former post as an East Hampton Town councilman, was instrumental in negotiating the purchase described at the time a Town at the crossroads. "There were subdivision applications in on Barcelona Neck [across Northwest Harbor], the Grace Estate, and Hither Hills in Montauk. It was the first time that people really rose up and said this is not what we want" The purchase was made after a prolonged public debate. Opponents argued against borrowing so much money, saying that if the Grace Estate were developed, town zoning laws would sufficiently limit development at far less expense. But fast forward 40 years, and imagine this much acreage with houses, condominiums and...

Esperanza and Irwin welcome Hannah Lasurdo. Hannah is a Miller, one of the oldest East End families, going back generations. Hannah shares her formative years honestly, including her personal struggles. But what Hannah truly explores is the intangible that we never seem to adequately explain. What is it about this place, that continues to draw us, despite the drastic changes evident to all.

Esperanza and Irwin reflect on the Lost Montauk, from a terrific article written by Henry Osmers for the Montauk Historical Society. Curiously, Montauk often doesn't get the historical respect, for lack of a better term, than other East End villages or hamlets do. We'll visit First House, the Montauk Island Club, Sandpiper Hill and the Wyandanee Inn and more in this homage to Montauk's rich history.