While the anthropological and linguistic origins behind how places get their names can sometimes be tricky to unravel, the source of Bridgehampton’s name is pretty straightforward. It’s a place where, one time, they built a bridge in the Hamptons. After settlers began to move east through the town of Southampton, the bridge in Bridgehampton—the Sagg Bridge—was built in 1686 over the Sagg Pond, linking Bridgehampton to Sagaponack. But while that bridge was undoubtedly welcome in its time, the Long Island Rail Road’s arrival in 1870 is what really connected Bridgehampton to the rest of civilization. Today, Bridgehampton undeniably captures the essence of the East End. Along lovingly landscaped lanes and roads, traditional shingle-style homes rest at the top of cobblestone driveways. Meanwhile, life down by the water reveals the sorts of ostentatious modern estates that help make the Hamptons “the Hamptons.”