East Hampton is well known as the summer haunt of many celebrities, but for all that, there are very few famous people who were actually born here.
For a long time, it was believed that John Howard Payne (1791-1852), playwright, actor, and lyricist behind the beloved ballad “Home, Sweet Home,” was born in our fair village. It is now believed that Payne was likely born in New York City, though he undoubtedly spent time in East Hampton as a child. Regardless of his birthplace, Payne’s family had deep roots in East Hampton, and as such, he is memorialized at the Home, Sweet Home Museum on James Lane.
The museum contains countless artifacts related to Payne, but one of the most storied is a three-foot-tall bronze bust depicting him. This still image from an LTV archive video shows the 2003 dedication of the bust upon its installation in the museum. The ceremony was presided over by Hugh King, museum director and town historian, and featured a performance of “Home, Sweet Home” by the East Hampton High School choir, Camerata.
The bust was the idea of the Faust Club of Brooklyn, an organization for gentlemen of a creative bent. In 1872, 25 club members were appointed to a committee to make the monument a reality. The sculptor Henry Baerer (1837-1908) was chosen to render the bust, which was completed in 1873 and installed in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The bust stood in the park until the 1970s, when a group of thieves attempted to steal it.
The bust was then removed to storage until 2003, when the New York City Parks Department agreed to lend it to the Home, Sweet Home Museum on a long-term basis, with the option to renew every 10 years.
Note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the John Howard Payne bust was not given to the Home, Sweet Home Museum, but is a long-term loan.
Julia Tyson is a librarian and archivist in the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
