Circa-1790 Homestead Survives Largely Intact

If you are familiar with the “back” roads in Southampton, roads that allow you to sometimes escape the traffic along Montauk Highway – the main route through the various hamlets – then you’ve likely driven past the home of Timothy Halsey Jr. (1764-1811) at the major intersection of Strong’s Lane and Scuttle Hole Road, which was recently improved.

This home was built circa 1790 and is a timber-framed saltbox with an exterior in nearly original condition after all these years. Except for the original front stoop that was removed some time since October of 2010, the house and accessory structures are largely – and longingly – unchanged.

According to the book, Sketches of Local History, by William Donaldson Halsey, and published in 1935, Scuttle Hole Road “received its name from a peddler, who in telling of a mishap that befell him while on his way to the old Rogers home in the valley, near the pond, when he either broke down or upset his cart by getting into a slough or hole, on being asked how he got out, replied, “Oh, I had to scuttle to do it.” Hence the name, 'Scuttle Hole'.”

Timothy Halsey, referred to as “Master Tim,” was an early schoolmaster in the Scuttle Hole Road School that no longer exists. In 1786 he married Mary Sandford (1758-1811) – who was six years older than him - and they had two children together: Polly and Benjamin. The 1810 Census shows them still living in the town of Southampton, but they both died on the same day in Buffalo, N.Y in 1811. Timothy was 47, and Mary was 53. I wish I knew how.

Early maps show Deacon Jeremiah Haines as being the next owner of this property in 1850 and 1858. He built Hayground’s second schoolhouse, which still survives at 1445 Montauk Hwy, and his grandson built . Deacon Jeremiah married Mehetable Halsey in 1811 who may have been related to Timothy Halsey, which would potentially explain how they acquired the property.

The owner as of 1902 was Captain William Cook Haines (1817-1886) and his family, who I imagine inherited the property as William was one of Jeremiah’s four children. Captain Haines was married to Frances (Fanny) M. Rogers (1836-1918) and they had nine children (actually 11, but two died as infants).

In 1956 there was a “Tour of Old Houses” as part of the tercentenary celebration of Bridgehampton. This house was included on the tour. At that time it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Norton. The program states that the “house was once a tavern and stage coach stop at which time the bar was located in [the] present living room.” As the house is located at an intersection that has existed since very early on, that is not hard to believe.

Stratton C. Walling was the last owner of the house before the Peconic Land Trust happily became involved with the property’s preservation. Stratton may have received the property from his life partner, Samuel R. Rolston who predeceased him. Stratton was an actor in films such as “You Can’t Take it With You,” as well as on and off Broadway, and made Long Island’s East End his home in the 1950s.  He died in November of last year in a motorcycle accident in Bangkok at the age of 88.

Despite its location at a busy intersection, the property is picturesque, with ample room for home, yard and play, and even room for a pool without consuming the area of the property like so many others today. There are two accessory structures: one small gabled gardening shed and a larger garage/barn with additions that seems even older than the house, maybe because their weathered-ness and because of the garage’s saltbox form. There are many details on all three structures indicative of how unaltered they have been over the years but seemingly out of respect and fondness rather than laziness or neglect: the amount of windows with their many small panes, the large shingle size and cladding exposure, and the width of the interior floor planks. Many of today’s modest new traditional style homes don’t seem to capture essence of these older structures no matter how hard they try. Why is it so difficult I wonder?