Village Board Honors Centenarian Camilla Jewett for Preservation Work

East Hampton Village honored Camilla "Cam" Jewett, by declaring her birthday Aug. 30, when she will turn 100, after the longtime resident and benefactress of the community.

During the regular board meeting Friday morning, Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. presented Jewett with a proclamation, recognizing the 70-year villager for work to preserve the environment and culture of the community.

"This is a special day because we are honoring a very special lady," Rickenbach said. "You...have been a Rock of Gibraltar for all of the residents...and I consider all of us to be your family."

The mayor officially declared Aug. 30 "Camilla R. Jewett Day," presenting Jewett with a plaque and framed photo of a family of swans from her beloved . Jewett served as steward of the pond, among her accomplishments as an environmental preservationist.

"I think this is one of the most beautiful villages in America," Jewett said in a speech. "It's such an honor, because I've lived here and enjoyed [the village] for…63 years in the same house. Except for the traffic, things are pretty much the same."

Jewett, born in Vermont, moved from New York City to East Hampton with her husband and newborn son 70 years ago. Jewett's husband's parents bought the old "Inkblot" property in the village in about 1912, according to an article in Vanity Fair.

The couple had originally planned to stay in a nearby house only "until [they] could find some other place," but the months turned into years and eventually decades, she said.

"I like the commotion, the Maidstone [nearby], it keeps me busy," she said. "The Main Street is very much the same as when I came to East Hampton." 

Jewett said she was grateful chains and fast food restaurants had by and large been kept out of East Hampton Village, praising the Ladies Village Improvement Society of East Hampton and similar groups for sustaining the culture of East Hampton.

"They've taken care of the buildings, and there are no 7-Elevens around," she said. "I think the village will take care of itself the way it has been."

Though Jewett knew of proclamation plans in the past she had previously thought she was too shy to speak to the crowd. Instead, Jewett spoke for about five minutes, eventually drawing an ovation.

Of Jewett, Village Administrator Larry Cantwell, said, "She cares deeply about the natural beauty of the village and she has the charm and dedication to motivate people to protect it."

Jewett donated of a 100-year-old tea set to the museum in the village. Town Crier and East Hampton historian Hugh King, who runs the museum, gave a brief local history lesson comparing today's community to the town during 1911, the year Jewett was born in Vermont.

was completed in 1911. The Mulford family still owned the and there was no yet. The village wasn't even incorporated until 1920.