Southold Reminiscences:: Rural America at the Turn of the Century

When the primary value of bay-front property was the privilege of harvesting seaweed, state legislator and Southold newspaperman Joseph Nelson Hallock was stealing watermelon from "Peter Gils" Well's patch and fighting for the privilege to "pass the water" at Southold Academy. In the spirit of Mary Ellen Chase's turn-of-the-century account of life in rural New England, Hallock offers his firsthand impressions of the difficulties and pleasures of
North Fork life one hundred years ago. With a recipe for samp porridge and tales of power brokering in Albany, Southold Reminiscences is sure to inspire.

Geoffrey Fleming, the director of the Southold Historical Society and editor of this edition, has been the village historian for several communities throughout Long Island including Bridgehampton, Southampton, and Head-of-the-Harbor. Publications include books on Bridgehampton, Southold, and St. James (Arcadia), as well as numerous articles and essays. He received his MA in Arts Administration from the Art Institute of Chicago.