For the last several years, patrons have regularly asked about the history of the James Huntting House at 30 Huntting Lane in East Hampton Village. At first, it was described as “the Boo Radley house” or as looking like a haunted house, although lately people have been asking about the house that “used to look like a haunted house but was recently fixed up.” The transformation received some publicity, and not just in real estate ads.
Edward Tyler Huntting Jr. lived in the house until recently. When he died it was left to Tom Strong, who had befriended him later in life. Most stories of Ed’s later years describe him as a scary character, threatening perceived trespassers with garden tools, usually a rake. Ed and his home had quite a different beginning, however, as evidenced by this photograph of the “haunted house” of Huntting Lane in its glory days.
Ed’s mother, Hilda Weber Huntting (1911-2000), gifted the photo to John Ehrlich, who recently donated it to the Long Island Collection. Hilda Huntting was a dynamic real estate agent for over 25 years with a namesake firm that opened in 1961, well before her husband, Edward Tyler Huntting Sr. (1902-1969), died. Hilda was known for her immaculate appearance, and the newspaper records for work permits at 30 Huntting Lane suggest the house was well maintained in her lifetime.
This photo shows the house in its original majesty, capturing with clarity every cedar shake and the cozy awnings with elaborate shades. Beautiful plantings appear around the house. The photo is undated, but it was most likely taken with a glass-plate negative, a technology that allowed for extreme clarity and detail. Glass-plate negatives largely went out of use by the 1920s as photographic technology advanced.
Given the technology, this picture was probably taken close to when the house was built by Ed’s grandfather James Huntting, the president of the East Hampton Lumber and Coal Company, in 1896.
If you’re interested in places here with spooky stories, stop by the East Hampton Library on Saturday for Halloween at the Library from 10 to 3.
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Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is head of collection for the Long Island Collection.
