Photo by D. Guest
DAN'S PAPERS, October 12, 2007 Page 27 www.danshamptons.com
Duck Tale What Really Happened that Night in Flanders During the Move By D. Guest The Big Duck pulled onto Route 24 at 11:15 p.m. last Friday night and was headed home — four miles up Route 24 to the same spot it came from in 1988. Powered by self propelled, hydraulic, remote controlled dollies, which allowed the duck to “float” on oil, eliminating any cracking or twisting that might otherwise occur in the thin concrete shell, the duck left its home of the past 19 years without a hitch. D. Guest is a marketing assistant at Bay Street Theatre and an assistant for Davis Construction Building Movers. She was present at the moving of the Big Duck.
After clearing its former foundation, Guy Davis of Davis Construction House and Building Movers handed over the remote control to his eleven-year-old daughter Rose, who flawlessly steered the duck out onto the open road. Rose was forced to relinquish the remote about 15 minutes later to her nine-year-old sister Violet, who was anxious to assume control. These girls are highly skilled in maneuvering structures of all sizes and shapes, and in April they even helped their dad drive the six de Menil houses down Montauk Highway to East Hampton Town Hall. With his daughters sharing the control, Guy was able to relax for a few minutes with fellow
mover Greg Williams, both of whom hopped on the front beams of the duck for a quick ride. It was only after the Davis daughters got bored of duck driving that I got my first crack at steering the duck down the road. The instructions seemed simple at first — hold the remote in one hand and when necessary move the specified switch with the other hand. To keep the duck in the middle of the road, lightly toggle the switch up and the duck moves left, tap it down and the duck moves right. But simple it was not. It was dark, everyone was watching my every move, and at that time of night with all that pressure, who could remember up (continued on the next page)
HAMPTON TRADITION VIII — HILDRETH’S By T.J. Clemente The Hildreth name is imbued with American history. When family members arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1635 they became sheep and cattle ranchers. The family came to the East End of Long Island in the 1700s to find better grazing for their livestock. In 1842, Lewis Hildreth opened up a general store called Hildreth’s, and a tradition of service, quality goods and friendliness was born. Believe it or not, the store located on 51 Main Street in Southampton is the original. A walk inside feels like walking into an art exhibit at any big city museum.
Before the Long Island Rail Road came to the East End in 1872, the merchandise in Hildreth’s came by horse-driven wagons after being unloaded from merchant ships in Sag Harbor. On regular shifts, goods were transported on the muddy roads into town to be unloaded in the back. Since the train service began, the trip has been shorter but the work is still done with a certain diligence. Today, according to Marketing Director Martin Haley, Hildreth’s has over 100,000 items for sale daily, and is currently celebrating their 165th anniversary as America’s oldest department store.
The store is still family owned and operated with Henry Hildreth III at the helm. The wooden floors of the store are the originals and the showcase windows are also the original design. Also, the same front door that was used in 1842 is still there. In 1844 Hildreth’s went high-tech using a telegraph to place and receive orders in a more timely fashion. The history of the store truly reflects the charm of the items for sale at Hildreth’s, as they still sell many of the same housewares and dry goods that they did back then. Years ago, I bought my mother a charm(continued on the next page)