SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — His obituary described him as one of the most respected residents of the Hamptons.
But the important legacy of former slave Pyrrhus Concer was lost in the last century. As CBS2’s Jennifer McLogan reported Thursday, it took a scandal to ignite a community.
It is now an empty field, sparking community outrage. As curator Dr. Georgette Grier-Key explained, the structure at 51 Pond Lane in Southampton had been the homestead of Concer.
“Our local Black history has been something that has been ignored,” said state Assemblyman Fred Thiele, a Democrat who represents the East End.
“To be able to restore his fairly humble house here in Southampton Village, one of the wealthiest places in the world. A lot of the wealth here is old money, really was on the backs of exploitation and slavery,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said … [more]
