PRESS RELEASE

August 26, 2009

SOUTHOLD HISTORICAL SOCIETY PUBLISHES NEW BOOK:

“Hotels and Inns of Long Island’s North Fork”

 SOUTHOLD, NY.  The Southold Historical Society is pleased to be able to release a new publication,  “Hotels and Inns of Long Island’s North Fork.”

By the early twentieth century, the coastal bays of the North Fork were filled with new and enterprising hostelries. From the Miamogue and the Great Peconic Bay House in Jamesport to the Clark House and Wyandank in Greenport, the area offered some of the finest accommodations outside New York City.  In this comprehensive collection of images, the hotel industry that has supported life on the North Fork for over 350 years is described in detail.  From the John Budd House—an enduring example of seventeenth-century English architecture in America—to the contemporary bed-and-breakfasts that offer visitors a charming respite, this book captures the essence of a region beloved by generations of vacationers and residents alike.

“Few people today realize the scope of the hotels, inns, resorts, boarding houses, etc., that once graced the shores and villages of the North Fork,” stated Geoffrey K. Fleming, the Southold Historical Society’s director and one of the authors of the book.  Fleming researched and wrote the book with Amy Kasuga Folk, another well known historian who serves as the Society’s collections manager.  Many people who have connections to Southold Town will delight in finding the names of relatives and stories about the grand hotels and inns they once owned or managed in this new publication.

The book is illustrated with over 150 historic images from the Society’s and other institutional collections and includes a huge amount of new research.  One of the more interesting chapters is one that deals with the influence that prohibition and prostitution had on the North Fork.  “It was simply amazing how many individuals came out of the shadows to discuss these very lucrative activities which helped keep the North Fork alive during the worst years of the depression,” continued Fleming.  Other chapters deal with the establishment of larger and more elaborate resorts, and later motels and bed-and-breakfasts.

In addition to the book, the authors have created a database of known hotels which can be visited on the Southold Historical Society’s website.  The web location of the database is:  http://www.southoldhistoricalsociety.org/ North_Fork_Hotels.htm.

The Society was able to find a partner to make this project possible in a company known as The History Press.  Based in historic Charleston, South Carolina, The History Press publishes high quality history and heritage titles that bring the past to life in a variety of areas across the United States. Through publishing, The History Press strives to preserve and celebrate the rich history of these areas, making their intriguing stories available to a wide audience.  Despite a burgeoning, nationwide interest in history—particularly regional history—changes in the book trade over the past decade have meant that many areas are severely underserved by books that can help make history understandable and meaningful. The History Press aims to counter that trend, and to bring publishing back, albeit in a small way, to its roots.

About the authors:  Geoffrey K. Fleming, the director of the Southold Historical Society, also serves as the historian for the incorporated village of Head-of-the-Harbor, NY.  He is the former director of the Bridge Hampton Historical Society and a former member of the Southampton Landmarks Board.  His publications include books on Bridgehampton, Southold, and St. James (Arcadia), and the award winning A Shared Aesthetic: Artists of Long Island’s North Fork (2008), which is being distributed by the noted Hudson Hills Press.  He received his MA in Arts Administration from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Amy Folk has a BA in American History and an MA in History and has over 10 years experience as an archivist/collections manager for various Long Island institutions, including the Oyster Bay Historical Society, Poppenhausen Institute, Oysterponds Historical Society, and the Southold Historical Society. 

For further information on the Southold Historical Society, please visit their website at www.southoldhistoricalsociety.org, and for further information on the book and The History Press, please contact:

Lara Simpson, Publicity

978.741.4210      

lara.simpson@historypress.net

The History Press, Inc.                       

18 Percy Street

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

ISBN: 978-1-59629-725-8

Paperback   •   128 pages   •   $21.99   •   History   •    August 2009