
History & Culture
East Quogue, known as Fourth Neck when it was settled in 1673, earned its current name in 1891. If you notice the last names Carter, Downs, Phillips, Jackson, Foster, Howell, Reeve, and Squires, these were the families that settled the hamlet in the 19th century. According to the East Quogue Historical Society, which houses a trove of information, some of the early settlers were woodcutters, in addition to the usual suspects — fishermen and farmers. In some ways, the hamlet is less of a resort destination today than it was in the 1920s and ’30s, when well-heeled hunting parties went off into the woods, when there were local baseball teams, and, with East Quogue lacking a bridge, when boats would ferry the holiday crowd to the beach. Today, the hamlet’s lifestyle is still centered around fishing, boating, swimming, and beachcombing, with cultural events pegged, for year-rounders, to the doings at the local elementary school.