User:Hildreths

Hildreth's has the distinction of being the oldest family-owned and operated department store in America.

It all started when Richard and Thomas Hildreth emigrated from England in 1635 and settled in Lynn, Massachusetts. Five years later, Thomas left Massachusetts and settled on Long Island.

The Long Island Hildreths are direct descendents of Joseph, son of Thomas Hildreth. Joseph Hildreth V's son, Lewis Hildreth, started Hildreth's store in Southampton on October 28, 1842. All merchandise for the store came by ship to Sag Harbor, then was carted to Southampton by horse and wagon. Lewis stocked his store with biscuits and crackers by the barrel, boxes of cheese, bags of salt, flour, apples, sweet potatoes, coffee and tea. There were housewares such as pots and jars; churns for butter making and even spittoons! Cloth and sewing necessities, gum drops, mints and medicines were also available. For the men there were cigars and hardware supplies. They sold buffalo robes for keeping warm in the buggy and buggy whips were also for sale. They even sold harpoons for the whalers! The methods of payment in the early years were shillings and pence. All sales transactions were recorded in large ledgers that are available to look at in the store today.

In 1870, Lewis Hildreth contracted smallpox on a buying trip to New York, and died shortly thereafter. Lewis' widow, Amanda, and two sons, Edgar (age 18) and Henry (age 15) took over the store and renamed it E.A. & H. Hildreth. That same year, the railroad was built linking the East End to more trade and commerce, and ultimately more people. In the early 1900's, Southampton was already becoming a haven for the wealthy New Yorkers and with the increase of business, Hildreth's expanded to double its original size. There were 14 men employed by the store at the time and deliveries were made by horse and wagon.

By 1914, Leon Pelletreau Hildreth took over the management of the store. Leon was the son of Henry H. Hildreth and Mary Jagger. Leon was married to Eunice Raynor in 1913 and they had two children, Henry Halsey Hildreth II. and Eunice Hildreth. Although Leon's son, Henry, took over as president of the company in 1960, Leon remained active in the store until 1972. Henry Halsey Hildreth II married Mary Ann Burnett in 1953 and they had two children, Henry Halsey Hildreth III and Abbie Burnett Hildreth. In 1978, after graduating from Susquehanna University, Henry III joined his father at Hildreth's and was later joined by his sister Abbie. (Abbie graduated from Cazenovia College and managed the Lamp Department for a number of years. She married Peter Patrikis and later took a leave from the store to raise their two boys Stathie and James). Henry III became President of Hildreth's in 1990 and Henry II passed away in 1992.

As owner, Henry III has made numerous changes to the existing "main store". He has expanded the "Bath Shop" and opened up a children's department after closing down their out-dated "Men's Shop". Henry has turned their "Annex" from a warehouse into a two-story furniture showroom. He has built a 35,000 Sq. foot warehouse facility to store their thousands of pieces of furniture, ready for immediate delivery. He continues to upgrade the store, as you can imagine any 162-year-old building would need. The list goes on including their recent completion of a new western wing for new office space. Henry has also added a location in Bridgehampton that now houses "Hildreth's Patio and Clearance Center", as well as a "Comfort Zone" featuring beds, bedding, mattresses and recliners located directly behind the main store, and most recently "Hildreth's Home East" in East Hampton. The "Patio and Clearance Center", managed by Henry's wife Colleen, their daughters Kailey and Sayre, and newest addition Henry H Hildreth IV.

There have been many changes made at Hildreth's since 1842, but as you wander through the store admiring all the beautiful items Hildreth's has for sale today, stop and look at the old pictures on the walls, the original ledgers on display, and the building itself. There is so much history to the place that one can't help but imagine what life was like here on Main Street, Southampton over 162 years ago.