The Village of Southampton, which was settled as Southampton Town in 1640 and incorporated in 1894, began with a small group of English Puritans who set sail from Lynn, Massachusetts and landed at what is now known as Conscience Point. It was to become the first permanent English settlement in the State of New York and was named after the British Earl of Southampton.
The early settlers established their "plantation" at the head of Old Town Pond, where it is believed they constructed their first homes. The Native American Shinnecock tribe sold additional land to the settlers adjoining their original grant of "eight miles square" and also shared their knowledge of planting corn and fertilizing with fish, growing crops, trapping game, and digging clams and scallops from the nearby bays. During the 18th and 19th centuries, fishing, farming (especially Long Island Potatoes and our local sweet corn) and duck-raising were the predominant industries.