Along with founding families and historic houses, the streets of Quogue hold a special place in the character of the Village, laid out as they are in a shape reminiscent of a seashell.
Much thought went into both the layout, and the names, of the streets. Most of Quogue’s streets had been created in the 1870s and 80s, as Quogue rose in popularity as a seaside resort. In 1911, the Ladies Committee of the Quogue Improvement Association set out to elect a street-naming committee. It was the height of the boarding house era, and the Ladies Committee was responsible for keeping the village — advertised as the “Queen of the Hamptons” by the L.I.R.R. — living up to its reputation. At the helm were Mrs. Erastus Post and Mrs. David C. Townsend.
The name-less streets had been cumbersome to communicate, to say the least. “The New Road along the Beach between Bathing Stations” became Dune Road; “Andy’s Dock West to Howell Lane” became Quaquanantuck Lane. (Though some might say Quaquanantuck offered its own challenges.) Howell lane was later changed to Quantuck Lane. The street-naming committee recommended small wood signs painted with black letters on white ground to mark the newly named streets.