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In the Beginning...
Originally the Air Force personnel and their families were housed throughout this the Westhampton
Beach community while stationed at Gabreski Airport.
Congress decided it was cost-effective to build and house rather than rent. So
the government took over the land, now known as Hampton West Estates, and
built military housing in the late '50s and early '60s. During the peak period, trailers were placed on the extreme
southern portion of the neighborhood. As the need declined the housing was abandoned. After which followed intense
community discussion as to what to do with houses and property. The government decided to sell to the highest bidder,
A. G. Proctor. He made some improvements to the houses such as replacing the cesspools and repairing the roofs.
He begin advertising at the market prices in 1976. When sales slowed he conducted a public auction in July of 1978.
All the units sold.
Our streets are named after WW II Air Force generals: Arnold, Bolling,
Cooke, Edwards, Ent, Hamilton, McCord, Patrick, and Stewart. Our houses
are numbered unusually revealing a circular pattern (explaining apparent
lack of sequence). Houses were assigned by rank. The majors and colonels
were housed in the unattached units, the captains were signed to attached
ranches, and the lieutenants attached two story duplexes.
During the first winter, after the auction, the Town of Southampton said they
were not responsible for maintaining the streets (not deeded over to Town yet)
and snow prevented access to the outside world. Also, in those early days, water was free because there were no
meters. Suffolk County Water Authority was quick to put in meters and begin billing. The houses are very well built.
Government specifications were more strict then town or county regulations.
However, original electric wires were of poor quality and initially we suffered
poor service. The various contractors did quality work on the houses.
Some Recent History
In August of 1995 a wild fire surrounded Hampton West Estates. It was reported nationally
as two thousand local volunteer firemen were called in to help. We were evacuated for two days. Although it may
be hard to believe, not one of out homes was damaged. Bravo to our local volunteer firemen!
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