Old Orchard Cottage Circa 1925

When we bought the cottage in 2007, the former owners handed down a photo album with pictures of the cottage dating back to the year it was built in 1925. There have only been three families who owned it in all that time, including ourselves. Looking through this photo album is like stepping in a time machine — so much is the same and yet so different.

Though there have been many changes to the cottage in the last 90 years — the addition to the back that the previous owners added, doubling its size, and the changes that we've made since we bought it — when you look at it from the front it looks much the same. Its older self even appears a bit bigger in black and white, though that could be due to the two little guys standing next to it. One of them is likely the William Michael Spitzenberg, Jr. whose birth in 1919 and baptism are documented in the photo album as well. It appears the Spitzenberg family spent several summers in Southampton and Jamesport before settling in Greenport to build their summer home.

I'm told that our cottage and three others next to it were the original "display homes" for this "campground" when it was first built. That's ours to the right. And that wood pile that was once across the street is now a couple of stately homes, much grander than our little summer house.

I love this photo of our beach. It looks much the same, though there was seemingly more seaweed back then, unless it was purposefully gathered up for this photo op. I do love the umbrella and the ukulele. And aren't the ladies' "bathing costumes" wonderful?

Here's our beach today.

We're heading there now. Have a wonderful weekend!