Robert David Lion Gardiner called himself “the 16th Lord of the Manor,” referring to his command over Gardiner’s Island, the 3,318-acre island in the bay off East Hampton owned by his family since 1639. Mr. Gardiner died in 2004 at the age of 93, but during a good part of his long life journalist Karl Grossman was a close observer of the quasi-feudal overlord who was completely devoted to his magnificent island with its 27 miles of coastline, forests, streams and buildings dating from the 17th century. Karl was among a privileged few to have toured the island on one of the rare occasions when Gardiner took a group onto the otherwise strictly private island. He also followed Gardiner’s three-decade feud with his niece over ownership of the island. The island and its champion have a colorful history—Captain Kidd is thought to have buried his treasure on the island—which will be colorfully told by one who knows a great deal about both. Co-Sponsored with the Rogers Memorial Library.
