McAlpin Farm

The Treasured History of Dune Alpin Farm

When East Hampton was founded in 1648, the founding fathers were primarily farmers and fishermen. One of the first settlers to come to East Hampton from Maidstone, Kent, England via Lynn, Massachusetts and Southampton, NY was 43 year old William Hedges. William Hedges’ first born son Stephen is listed on the 1652 Dongan Patent as the owner of the land now known as Dune Alpin. The land passed through eight generations of his family until John and George Hedges sold to George McAlpin in 1901 who then named the property the McAlpin Farm.

The McAlpin Farm was a source of joy and agrarian industry on the outskirts of the Village of East Hampton. When George McAlpin bought Dune Alpin Farm it had orchards, vegetable gardens, chicken coops, and cows. When George McAlpin passed away in December of 1922, his estate was placed in a trust for his heirs. The McAlpin family donated and installed a 200 foot tall flagpole on the Village Green to the memory of George Sr.’s life.

After graduating from the Cornell School of Agriculture, Abe Katz moved to East Hampton and rented the farm in 1933 and then in 1936 Abe and his father Israel Katz bought the farm from Blanche McAlpin. Abe Katz modified the farm’s name to Dune Alpin Farm because of the large dune and set about creating the largest dairy farm in East Hampton by the mid 1960’s. Mr. Katz’s Dune Alpin Farm spanned from Cove Hollow to Buckskill, to Green Hollow and Route 27.

Abe Katz farmed Dune Alpin until it was sold due to Abe’s Illness in May of 1972 to Frank Brill and John Strong who used it as a horse farm until selling it to Stanley Harte Jr. and Tina Fredericks who developed it into the current property of 59 private home lots and 48 cooperative units

Dune Alpin is a unique property in East Hampton. The entire community spans 135 acres. There are 10 reserved easement areas totalling 50 acres. The largest of these areas is the west field of 17.4 acres of open vistas, and the east field of another 11 acres. There are numerous other reserved areas, all with scenic easements, which immeasurably enhance the intrinsic value and beauty of Dune Alpin.

References for the history of Dune Alpin:
EH Library Long Island Historical Collection
“The History of East Hampton” by Jeannette Edwards Rattray
Ron Bush the nephew of Abe Katz