The Legacy of the Devon Colony and Community Ties

In 1908, four prominent families from Cincinnati, Ohio purchased 1000 acres in northern Amagansett and founded the Devon Colony. William Cooper Procter (Procter and Gamble) Richmond Levering (Lever Bros) Joseph Rawn and William Rowe discovered the area during a hunting trip. (As an interesting aside, the subject of our episode 35, Frank Wiborg and The Dunes, was also from Cincinnati). 90 feet above sea level, with Gardiners Bay to the north and the ocean to the south, grand stucco houses, along with some smaller residences, were built in and around Oceanview Lane, between Abrahams Landing and Cranberry Hole Roads. The colony also founded the Devon Yacht Club, still going strong 116 years later. Surrounded by large swaths of preserved land, this area has not been as impacted by extensive development, and retained much of its original appeal.