From 1981 to 1985, Doug Kuntz, Adelaide de Menil, and other photographers captured the fishing crews working in East Hampton and a disappearing way of life. The photos became part of “Men’s Lives,” the book by Peter Matthiessen. The Maritime Folklife Project conducted oral histories at the same time, letting many of the people from the book speak directly.
The interview seen here, conducted on Jan. 27, 1982, with the late Danny King, who was the president of the East Hampton town Baymen’s Association and a key figure in “Men’s Lives,” reveals the value of oral histories. Those not familiar with his name may recognize the American flag-painted dory his crew fished from, now in front of the Marine Museum in Amagansett. Both Danny and his boat appear in the music video for Billy Joel’s “Downeaster Alexa.”
In the interview, Danny explains daily life on a level we don’t see in “Men’s Lives.” He details workdays running from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., describing how the local crews met at Stuart’s Seafood in Amagansett to pick their fishing spots. (In another interview, Danny’s crew explains there are only about 15 or 18 decent spots between Montauk and the Shinnecock Canal.)
Danny explains the mechanics of haulseining, the expense of shipping fish to New York City (7 cents per pound), and how he put together his crew. He also weighs in on whether Bonacker is a derogatory term, when locals were forced to dig clams, and the influence of his fisherman grandfather.
Danny King left East Hampton town to fish in North Carolina in 2004. His exit made The New York Times. This interview took place more than 30 years ago, and the last oral history project is over 20 years old. This is an excellent time to get in touch with your older family members and friends and ask them to share their memories to help add to the historical record. If you’d like information about how you can work with a loved one to create an oral history or record notes on local history you experienced, please email me at the address below.
The East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection holds two large oral history collections. The Maritime Folklife collection includes over 100 interviews with fishermen and their families from the 1980s. In the late 1990s, The History Project, Inc. (a.k.a. the Springs Oral Histories), interviewed more than 150 people, richly documenting daily life, family history, and community in East Hampton Town. As part of the library’s Digital Long Island Collection, many of the oral history transcripts are available online as part of the New York Heritage Digital Collections.
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Andrea Meyer is the head of the Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Library. Questions or suggestions can be sent to her at [email protected] for future “Item of the Week” topics.
