Our History

The Hildreths voyage began in 1635 when Richard and Thomas left England to escape religious persecution and set sail for America. The brothers landed in Lynn, Massachusetts where they found the rocky soil detrimental to raising livestock. Seeking better grazing lands, they worked their way to the East End of Long Island, where they befriended the Shinnecock Nation and from them learned Native American survival skills. In return, the armed settlers offered them protection against other warring tribes.

The Colonial period brought more hard times, and the Hildreths were forced to raise cattle for the newly formed Southern States, where disease had decimated the herds.

With diligence, they survived and as the decades passed, and more people immigrated to America, the population on the East End continued to grow. Naturally, they needed supplies for our founding families’ day-to-day subsistence.

So, in 1842 Lewis Hildreth opened Hildreth’s first general store, still at its original location on Main Street in Southampton. In those days, merchandise came by ship to Sag Harbor and carted by horse & wagon to Southampton. Until 1870 when the railroad was finally linked to the East End, this was the only form of transporting goods.

As a perspective, 1842 was when our tenth President, John Tyler, occupied The White House. Anesthesia was first used in medical operations, the first Child Labor Laws were implemented, we recognized Hawaii’s independence from England, the US/Canadian border was defined and Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd. Hildreth’s new store was stocked with bread and crackers by the barrel, wheels of cheese, salt, flour, fruits & vegetables, sugar, coffee, and tea. Housewares and Dry Goods were sold as they are to this day. The invention of the telegraph in 1844 made ordering faster and easier. Fabrics became popular with the development of the washing machine in 1858. In 1876 the telephone was invented, eventually changing forever the way we communicate.

As the decades passed, butter churns, spittoons, buggy whips, scrimshaw, buffalo robes and whaling harpoons began to fade into memory as America approached the Twentieth Century.

In 1870, Lewis Hildreth contracted smallpox on a buying trip to New York and died shortly afterwards. His widow Amanda and their two sons Edgar (age 18) and Henry (age 15) took over the store, and it became E. A. & H. Hildreth’s.

By the early 1900s, Southampton was becoming a haven for wealthy New Yorkers, business increased, and the store expanded to double its original size. In 1914, Leon Pelletreau Hildreth took over the operations of the store. The son of Henry H. Hildreth and Mary Jagger, he married Eunice Raynor in 1913, and they had two children, Henry Halsey Hildreth II and Eunice Hildreth.

America found leisure time at home with the advent of television in the 1940s, and Leon steered Hildreth’s away from being a general store, catering to the increasing demand for home furnishings. Although Leon’s son took over as company President in 1960, the formidable Leon remained active in the store until 1972. Leon’s son married Mary Ann Burnett in 1953, and they had two children, Henry Halsey Hildreth III and Abbie Hildreth Patrikis.

With our original location since 1842 on Main Street in Southampton, Hildreth’s is by far the largest source for interior and exterior home furnishings in the Hamptons.

I’m honored to represent the thirteenth generation of Hildreths in America. Along with my wife, Colleen, and our dedicated employees, we continue to offer a selection of merchandise from around the world. Stop in at Hildreth's Home Goods, the Hamptons' Original Source For Home Goods. Always bringing our best to you since 1842.

All the best!

 The Hildreth Family