The Austin Tuthill Family House: A Historic Survey & Landmark Designation

The Greater Westhampton Historical Museum is pleased to celebrate the recent official designation of the Austin Tuthill Family House at 149 South Country Road in Remsenburg as a Southampton Town Historic Landmark. This recognition, formally enacted by the Town Board on October 28, 2025, secures the preservation of a home deeply ingrained into our local community’s history. The designation affirms the home’s profound historical, architectural, and cultural significance, ensuring that this tangible link to our past remains for future generations.

From a historic survey by William Heine and the Museum’s own Stephanie O. Davis, the landmark’s primary significance stems from its remarkable association with five generations of the Tuthill family, one of the pioneering families that settled the Remsenburg and Speonk area. Historical research, including maps dating back to 1858, consistently identifies the property with the Tuthill name. The house itself is believed to have been constructed around 1820, initially occupied by Joseph Tuthill and later passed to his son, Austin Tuthill, for whom the house is now named. The property remained in continuous Tuthill family ownership until 1978 and represents over 150 years of stewardship by an original settling family, embodying the agricultural and residential development of the hamlet.

Among the notable residents of the home was Willis Byron Tuthill, a grandson of Austin Tuthill, who became a seminal figure in local journalism and community life. Willis Tuthill served as a correspondent for major newspapers including The Brooklyn Eagle, The New York Tribune, and The Riverhead News-Review. In 1930, he became the editor of The Westhampton Press, a publication that evolved into The Hampton Chronicle and later part of The Express News Group. His popular column, “Reminiscences,” chronicled the area’s history and captivated readers, including renowned local author and neighbor P.G. Wodehouse. Beyond his writing, Willis Tuthill was a charter member of the Remsenburg Association, an Elder of the Presbyterian Church, and a key member of the committee responsible for installing the community’s War Memorial in 1948 (Davis & Heine, 2023). Architecturally, the dwelling is a distinctive side-gable Colonial Revival-style house that retains much of its historic building fabric. While the core structure dates to approximately 1820 and features original windows and hand-hewn timber framing fastened with wood pegs, the home evolved through additions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These additions included wall dormers and porches that contributed to its Colonial Revival character. As noted in the designation findings, the exterior appearance has remained relatively unchanged for at least the last fifty years. A historic shed, also dating to the early 19th century and constructed with a similar hand-hewn frame, remains on the property (Davis & Heine, 2023).

The path to landmark status began with a detailed application by the property owner and a thorough review process led by the town’s Landmarks and Historic Districts Board. Their investigation confirmed that the property meets multiple designation criteria, not only for its association with historic personages and local history, but also for its architectural value as a representation of a period and style. A 2020-2021 rehabilitation of the home carefully preserved its historic integrity by repairing original features, including windows, siding, and interior moldings, while updating it for continued residential use (Davis & Heine, 2023).

The Greater Westhampton Historical Museum recognizes the Austin Tuthill Family House as more than a structure; it is a repository of community memory. It tells the story of settlement, familial continuity, and the civic contributions of individuals like Willis Tuthill, who dedicated themselves to documenting and serving our region. This landmark designation protects a vital piece of our shared heritage. We commend the Town Board, the Landmarks and Historic Districts Board, and the current property owner for their roles in honoring and preserving this irreplaceable asset at the heart of Remsenburg’s historic landscape.The Greater Westhampton Historical Museum invites you to delve deeper into our region’s rich past with our ongoing Winter Lecture Series, held in partnership with the Westhampton Free Library:

Southampton Under Siege on February 8 features Executive Director Sarah Kautz and expands upon the Southampton History Museum’s 2016 exhibition to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Historic Schoolhouses of Long Island on March 8 features author Zachary N. Studenroth, who will guide us through Long Island’s unique educational architecture from Pre-Revolutionary to octagonal structures based on his newly released book on the topic.

To sign up for these free lectures and for more information, please visit the Westhampton Free Library’s Events Page online at westhamptonlibrary.net. Sign up is available for non-Library pass members up to one week prior to the lecture. You can also discover more about our local area and the museum’s ongoing work at whbhistorical.org.