The picturesque village of Quogue, located just east of Westhampton Beach, has an appearance and history to rival that of any small New England town. As the story goes, Puritans from Massachusetts, who settled in Southampton in 1640 (a scant 20 years after their legendary landing at Plymouth Rock) needed land on which to graze their cattle. The area in present-day Quogue was prized for its salty meadow grass and so, in 1651, the settlers purchased it from the Shinnecock Indians, paying with the currency of the day, an exceptionally well-crafted wampum - a belt of white beads fashioned by hand from the North Atlantic whelk shell. A few years later, settlers began building homes on the land, and thus, what would become modern-day Quogue was born.

"The village of Quogue is a well-known seat of social importance," noted the New York Times 1902. "Quogue clings tenaciously to the tradition that Daniel Webster and [former New York Governor] DeWitt Clinton used to spend there summers there." Quogue thrives on tradition, and prides itself for having remained "virtually unchanged for almost 100 years," wrote the Times, 60 years later. "Quogue, always a popular resort with the best of accommodations, lies on the slopes rising toward the Shinnecock Hills, with ocean bathing at its doors, and extensive views of undulating country," observed the author of a passenger brochure published by the Long Island Railroad in 1912. Adding a touch of whimsy, he adds that there is a "spirit of freedom in the air that makes one instinctively desire to run over the springy grass of the moorlands."  Today, many noted VIPs make Quogue their home, but they do so quietly, actively blending into the ciommunity.

Walking along its Quogue Street, pedestrians pass traditional estate homes with white picket fences and towering oak and maple trees that provide much-needed shade from the summer sun. That said, you may find your Currier & Ives reminisces jarred back into the 21st century by the revving engine of the latest sports car. However, as every local knows, the smart money has it that the offending driver will in all likelihood be rewarded for his haste with a ticket - Quogue being home to an efficient Police Department known for keeping the atmosphere tranquil.