Westhampton Beach Historical Society

The Westhampton Beach Historical Society has received several historic items found on a Remsenburg property that was formerly a dairy farm operated by the Jayne family. 

Elizabeth and George Boltres, owners of the property, recognized the importance of the items–a cream separator, used to separate cream from whole milk, an iron cauldron used for a variety of processes that involved heating liquids, and a grinding wheel, a common implement on farms that was used to sharpen blades on many types of farm and household tools.  These artifacts will be on display in the Historical Society’s Milk House to educate visitors on the history of local farming. 

The property at 132 South Country Road has a long history going back to “Hunter John” Tuthill’s arrival in 1740.  Members of his family farmed the property for many years.  His great grandson, John Webster Tuthill (1836-1895), graduated from the Quaker Locust Valley Academy as a Professor of Mathematics, and in the early 1860s had the Academy building constructed on land purchased from his father, David.  He operated the private school for boys until 1869.  Following his marriage that year, he and his wife, Maria Vanderpool Studley, turned their energies to constructing and operating the “Ocean House,” welcoming summer quests.  The Ocean House was operated for many years by the Tuthill family and during this time the property continued to be farmed.  Their 1908 brochure boasted “a first class table with all kinds of fresh vegetables, poultry, eggs, and milk supplied by our 100-acre farm.”  Ocean House was eventually returned to use as a residence for family members.  Algernon B. Jayne married Ruth Margarette Tuthill in 1925 and, some time later, took over operation of the Tuthill family farm, which included 132 South Country Road.  Dairy operations were continued by members of the Jayne family for many years, and their pastures, which extended southward toward Moriches Bay, were used well into the 1950s.  During this time, the Jayne family farm was called Shady Lodge Farm.