This photograph from the C. Frank Dayton photo collection at the East Hampton Library shows the blacksmith shop owned and operated by the Strong family here. It is believed to have been taken sometime in 1903. The shop was on Accabonac Highway and Pantigo Road.
The East Hampton Star printed this photo in its Nov. 29, 1962, issue, and named the men, left to right: John Y. Strong, James M. Strong Jr., and James M. Strong Sr.
John Hayes Youngs established the business in 1846. His son-in-law, James Madison Strong (1840-1914), who served three years in Company K of the 127th New York State Volunteer Regiment during the Civil War and was shot in the left arm, bought the shop. Youngs continued to work there to keep his mind busy in his old age.
James M. Strong Sr.'s house stood behind the shop until it was moved. After several years, he sold the business to his two sons, who continued to operate the business under the name of Strong Brothers.
The brothers ran it as a livery stable, but in May of 1916, The Star reported, it burned down overnight as a result of vengeful arson. Estimated losses amounted to $30,000. The Strongs and others in the community lost animals, carriages, and supplies. The garage was rebuilt later, with an office for a real estate business.
For some time in the 1960s, the Mark R. Buick-Pontiac Agency stood in a remodeled version of the original Strong garage. Today, the Strong Insurance Agency sits on the former site of the Strong Brothers Blacksmith Shop. Two of the Strong family account books, showing daily recordings of business activities, are part of the Long Island Collection.
Mayra Scanlon is a librarian and archivist in the Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Library.
