Keeping Time in Sag Harbor

Book excerpt: "For 300 years, Sag Harbor has been a prism reflecting facets of American history, from its heyday as a prominent whaling port worthy of mention in Moby-Dick, to a factory town shipping out Bulova watches, to its latest incarnation as an alternative coastal retreat to the exclusive Hamptons. Stephen Longmire explores the stories of this renowned eastern Long Island community in Keeping Time in Sag Harbor, a unique combination of fine-art photographs and historical text." "Architecture is a cornerstone of Sag Harbor's charm, because the village has preserved a full range of buildings, dating from the American Revolution to the present. These include the stately eighteenth- and nineteenth-century mansions lining what realtors have dubbed "Captains Row"; the modest homes of generations of working people from diverse backgrounds; the commercial facades of Main Street; and preserved public buildings such as the early Custom House and Minard Lafever's Whalers' Church." "The work to protect this architecture - and the economic and ecological balance it embodies - in the face of booming real estate development is at the heart of Longmire's account. Interviews with residents, both new and old, chart the evolving character of the village, exploring how it has struggled to retain its identity while learning to sustain itself on tourism. Anchoring this story are Longmire's own color photographs of Sag Harbor today and archival photographs and maps that reveal the many layers to the community's sense of place." "Keeping Time in Sag Harbor is an intimate portrait of a special place that is changing fast, despite almost all of the town being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through Longmire's images and words, we appreciate why Sag Harbor is both a unique American village and an example of what is happening to communities across the United States, from Santa Fe to South Beach." --Book Jacket.