Montauk History & Culture
Montauk has made its mark across the centuries. The most literal shining example of that legacy is the Montauk Point Light, constructed in 1796 under the authorization of President George Washington. Therefore, it was the first public works structure built by the then-new U.S. government. For a steal of $2.5 million, entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher bought most of the East End in 1926, intending to make Montauk the northern counterpart to Miami Beach. The 1929 stock market crash scuttled those plans, but not before he erected around 30 Tudor Revival-style buildings. Leisurama arrived in the early 1960s, plunking down 200 prefabricated vacation homes in Culloden Point. Perhaps Montauk’s biggest allure today is its fishing. Whether it’s onshore, aboard a sailing charter, or submerged in the water for skishing, you are bound to find people casting off and setting all kinds of saltwater records.