The Eastville Community Historical Society has received an emergency $25,000 grant from the East Hampton Town Board to help pay for a new cedar shake roof at its headquarters on Hampton Road in Sag Harbor.
The roof, which covers the 1925 Sears & Roebuck catalog house — headquarters of the society since 1996 — had been covered with a blue tarp since September.
“We recognize the vital role that the Eastville Community Historical Society plays in educating the public about our town’s unique history,” East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said in a statement. “Their educational programs help keep the spirit of our diverse heritage alive. We believe that understanding and preserving our collective history is essential for building a stronger, more connected community.”
“This funding is crucial for us to continue our mission of preserving and sharing the history of Eastville,” Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, executive director and curator of the society, said. “We look forward to completing the renovations and welcoming the community back to our programs.” In an email, Dr. Grier-Key said the society hoped to raise $60,000 for the roof repairs. “We are hoping our fish fry this weekend will put us over the edge,” she wrote. The society’s 39th annual fish fry will be held Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.; tickets cost $50.
According to its website, the society “was founded in 1981 and chartered by New York State in 1986 to preserve the history of the working-class community of Eastville and to tell the story of St. David African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The church remains in its original location, built in 1839 by African Americans and Native Americans on Eastville Avenue. It is widely believed to have been a stop along the Underground Railroad.”
