Gardiner's Island remains private today, owned by members of the same family that has owned it for centuries. However, the prior owner, Robert D.L. Gardiner (1911-2004), often described as the "Last Lord of the Manor," frequently took groups to tour the island. This image is from a collection of Gardiner's Island photos donated to the library that were probably taken in the 1990s based on the tour group's attire, some of the vehicles shown, and the photo technology.
Like most of the groups Robert Gardiner took to the island, this group took a 30-minute boat ride and then toured the island in trucks. Photographs of buildings on the island, such as the windmill, slave quarters, and blacksmith's shop, reflect the labor that had been required to run the island's manor.
The building most interesting to me is the "Bound Boys House" which housed young men or boys working as indentured laborers on Gardiner's Island. Indentures were common in early America, with terms typically agreed to in a contract, often done to survive, earn money, or pay off family debts. The Gardiner family needed many laborers on the island.
The Bound Boys House is described in a brochure from a 1977 tour Robert D.L. Gardiner gave for Southampton College as being near the windmill and a stone wall. The small windows on this red building and their uneven layout reflect vernacular architecture practices. The windows near the roofline appear to suggest a second story.
We don't know the names of most of the people who lived in this building. One exception may be a young man named Daniel, who could have lived in the Bound Boys House. Daniel was the son of Jane, "an Indian Squaw," and he was indentured to the Rev. Nathaniel Huntting. His indenture notes that he had previously served David Gardiner.
Andrea Meyer is a librarian and archivist who is head of the East Hampton Library's Long Island Collection.
