About
1982 - Renovated Session House
“Built ‘up street in 1858
Moved to the lawn area of the Church in 1905;
Moved to it’s present location in 1926, when it was significantly enlarged;
Remodeled with small interior rooms at various times;
Totally renovated and modernized inside, with a new major entrance, ramps, landscaping on the outside, in 1982.”
It all started in 1858…
In 1858, Miss Fsanny Huntting noted in her diary that her brother, J. Madison Huntting was raising money to build a Session House on a vacant lot on the south westerly end of Main Street. The lot was between Payne’s Store and a shoemakers shop. Jeanette Rattray in Up and Down Main Street, wrote the building was in constant use for prayer meetings.
The bell from the wreck of the John Milton was presented to the Session House, as a gift from G. Jefferson Mulford and J. Madison Huntting, in Decemeber 1858. The John Milton of New Bedford, MA, crashed upon the rocks near Montaul Point on February 20, 1858. All 33 persons aboard were lost. The Captain, not realizing the lighthouse light had been changed six weeks earlier, thought he was heading into open water, while the boat actually headed towards shore, with all sails set. All that remained of the ship the following morning was the bell, perched above the waves, tolling in the surf. In 2012, the bell was presented by the First Presbyterian Church to the Montauk Piont Lighthouse Museum, where you can see it on display.
The Session House on the move- In 1905, the Session House was moved to the corner of Main Street and David’s Lane. In 1926, it was moved further back to it’s current location.
The Session House today - Photo Album
Memories of the Old Session House, East Hampton Star, Aug 13, 1926, p. 8
Presbyterian Session House Formally Opened, Suffolk County Review, 26 Dec 1926, p. 13
A Service of Rededication for the Renovation of the Session House, September 19, 1982