Weekend ceremony will mark 350th anniversary of Quogue Purchase

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John Ogden purchased the land encompassing what is now Quogue Village from Chief Wydanch of the Montauk Tribe on May 12, 1659. VERA CHINESE

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It has been 350 years since land speculator John Ogden bought several hundred acres in western Southampton Town from Chief Wyandanch of the Montauk tribe for 400 British pounds.

Often referred to as the Quogue Purchase, the transaction transferred ownership of a large swath of land that, using modern boundaries, runs to Quiogue to the west, Flanders to the north, the Shinnecock Canal in Hampton Bays to the east, and the ocean to the south. It would be another 269 years before Quogue Village was officially incorporated as a village, in 1928.

To recognize and celebrate that historic purchase, Quogue Village officials are planning a jam-packed weekend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 17 to 19. Quogue Village Ordinance Inspector Chris Osborne is in charge of organizing the 350th anniversary celebration that both he and Mayor George Motz have been planning since January.

“It’s very exciting,” Mr. Osborne said this week. “There is only one 350th anniversary, and it was entrusted to us to do it justice. Hopefully, we have.”

The celebration will kick off Friday evening with a free concert on the Quogue Village Green featuring Vivian and the Merry Makers, a local pop and Caribbean music band. The music will begin at 5:30 p.m. and is expected to continue until around 9 p.m. Concert attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets so they can relax and enjoy the music.

Following the concert, Quogue residents and visitors can expect to share a few “oohs!” and “ahs!” while watching fireworks that will fill the sky over Quantuck Bay. The pyrotechnics display will be orchestrated by Fireworks by Grucci.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, American history aficionados can watch as Revolutionary War reenactors with the 3rd New York Regiment camp out and perform a ceremonial march through the village. They will be making a stop at Quogue’s Lamb Avenue cemetery at around 11:45 a.m. to honor Josiah Howell, a Revolutionary War veteran who was part of the 3rd Regiment.

Mr. Howell’s legacy lives on today, as current Quogue Village Board member Kimberley Payne, who also posed as Quogue founding father John Ogden during a reenactment ceremony held earlier this year, is his direct descendent.

Those who would like to purchase works created by local artists can do so during a two-day art show that runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday on the Village Green. Up for grabs as part of a raffle will be a painting created by Quogue School students that depicts life in the village. More than 90 students assisted with a painting that captures life in the village, such as police officers and firefighters in front of their respective headquarters, and children playing near the elementary school.

The centerpiece of the weekend-long celebration will be a parade that starts at noon on Saturday. Marchers will gather on Shinnecock Road before heading north to Quogue Street and turning west onto Jessup Avenue. The parade will conclude just north of the village pond on Jessup Avenue, in front of the future home of the Quogue Historical Society.

The parade will be led by grand marshal Carl Cardo, the longest-serving board member in Quogue’s history. A lifelong village resident, Mr. Cardo served on the Village Board from 1964 until 1995. He also ran a landscaping business in Quogue for many years and served in the Quogue Fire Department for more than 50 years. He is the father of current Deputy Mayor Randy Cardo.

“It’s the week of his 80th birthday,” Mayor Motz said on Monday, referring to the senior Mr. Cardo. “It is certainly an honor [to have him serve as grand marshal].”

CBS news anchor Maurice DuBois, who has a home in Quogue, will serve as the parade’s official master of ceremonies.

Mr. Motz explained that members of the Jessup family, whose historical homestead is known as the Weathervane and sits on the corner of Jessup Avenue and Quogue Street, will be among the many marchers in Saturday’s parade. “We will have a chance to really have a fun time,” the mayor said.

Starting at 8 p.m. Saturday, residents are encouraged to dress down for an old-fashioned barn dance that will be held indoors at the Quogue Village Theater inside Village Hall. There, members of the 3rd New York Regiment will host the event and perform 18th century dances. Mr. Osborne warned that audience members should to be prepared to be pulled into the spotlight as the regiment will be encouraging participation.

The festivities will culminate with the dedication of a new clock near the Village Green at noon on Sunday. The handcrafted 10-foot-tall clock, which Mr. Osborne said resembles something one might see in a quaint New England town, will be on permanent display next to the pond.