Samuel Carll Hedges (1870-1952) appears here, in a photo from The East Hampton Star’s photo archive, standing in the doorway of a historic building, dressed in an 18th-century costume. He was the middle son of William Hedges and Mary Elizabeth Baker Hedges (1839-1927) and the older brother of Ettie Cartwright Hedges Pennypacker (1879-1970), East Hampton’s first librarian.
Hedges’s obituary made the front page of The Star, which noted that he was president of the historical society here and, according to the subheading, “Took Part in Three Town Celebrations.”
The society’s current director, Steve Long, agreed that the doorway Hedges stands in does look like the back door to Clinton Academy, before some accessibility changes were made, although there is nothing to confirm where the photograph was taken. This image is one of a pair stamped with Marjorie Haffen’s name as photographer, with one note adding that Samuel Hedges is dressed as the Rev. Samuel Buell.
Hedges’s obituary says he dressed as Reverend Buell for Founders Day activities at Clinton Academy in 1940, a role he had also assumed during the 1924 celebrations of East Hampton’s 275th anniversary. However, because this photo was probably taken at Clinton Academy, and because Hedges appears older, it is more likely it was taken at the 1940 celebration.
Hedges played a key role in organizing Founders Day, and in addition to 1924, he was active in the town’s anniversary celebrations in 1899 and 1948.
Outside of his re-enacting, Hedges served on the village board and the three-person board responsible for East Hampton’s original zoning laws. He was also a member of the East Hampton Library Board and the Fire Department. Family members remember him as both an enthusiastic amateur collector of historical documents and the executor for the estates of most of his friends and family.
Hedges “farmed his own land,” his obituary said, until late in life, when he scaled back to gardening lilies.
Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is the head of collection for the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
