Dan's Papers - September 5, 2008

Sometimes you do well by doing good. And that's especially true if you're Ralph Lauren. The fashion designer has been shaking hands with East Hampton consumers for over 20 years, and is now finally giving the town a leg-up by underwriting the East Hampton Historical Society's restoration of the Mulford Farm on James Lane.

With four stores in East Hampton - the Polo Country Store, Ralph Lauren Kids, Double RL and RL Rugby, three of which are visible if you stand in front of the movie theater on Main Street - there's no denying Lauren's retail aura. But it's also not his first time coming face-to-face with East Hampton's historical past - the Double RL at 57 Main Street is located in a historic barn (formerly Espo's Surf Shop), and during the renovation of Ralph Lauren Kids at 45 Main Street, a 300-year-old timber frame of one of the earliest houses in East Hampton was discovered. At the time, the Historical Society and the village urged Ralph Lauren contractors to retain the historical significance, and you can see the relic today, preserved in the store, and adorned with lobster and Scotty-Dog prints, of course.

East Hampton was officially settled in 1648, when Puritan families migrated east from Southampton and purchased land from the governors of the New Haven and Connecticut colonies, who had originally purchased 31,000 acres of land from the Montaukett tribe. And it wasn't long after this settlement, in 1680, that the Mulford Farm was founded. The farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered one of America's most significant, intact English Colonial farmsteads. Many have said that the historic "row" of Mulford Farm, Home Sweet Home, the Clinton Academy, the Osborne-Jackson House, Town House and others is more "English than England," and perhaps that's because East Hampton has paid great attention to the restoration and preservation of these landmarks.

The house represents the "family home," and gives visitors an indication of what life was like back when farming was a way of life. The survival of the house and other 16th, 17th and 18th-century structures is extraordinary, considering the elements (saltwater air, sun, hurricanes and other storms).

It's no bolt from the blue that Lauren would add to his efforts by launching a line of East Hampton Historical Society t-shirts, hats and other merchandise for men, women and kids, with all proceeds going to the Historical Society. The products feature a whale, which was selected as the collection's trademark logo to represent the whaling industry, a vital component of East Hampton's economy during colonial times. The shirts retail for $30 for kids and $49.50 for adults, and the caps cost $35. And since the announcement of this collection in June by the Ralph Lauren Corporation, the line of hats and t-shirts has been selling very well, and attendance at East Hampton Historical Society sites has increased. No one is really sure if this is a result of the slowing economy ("free entry" venues and events may be becoming a magnetic pull to foot traffic), Lauren's comprehensive advertising campaign (which was great PR, drawing attention to the sites), or both.

Richard Barons, director of the Historical Society, explained that a major drive to fund restoration to one of the barns and one of the roofs had been in the works for some time. But where else but in the Hamptons would a large, international retailer help preserve some old house and barn? When it comes down to preserving the character and history of the town, we're holding on together - polo ponies and all.