When Capt. Thomas Bell came to the old Brewster Plantation in the 1820s, he recognized its potential as an important seaport. The place, formerly known as Occumbomuck, lay with nearby Fire Place opposite an inlet on the barrier island to the south. Bell's vision never materialized; however, the area soon had admirers who made it one of the earliest summer destinations in Suffolk County. So it remains-periodically rediscovered as a summer haven by a succession of scientists, writers, artists, moguls, and intellectuals, and long-cherished by its permanent residents.

With more than two hundred...