HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompletion Report- Western Sect 1985-1986
TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
Western Section
Completion Report
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LONG ISLAND ANTIQUITIES
Setauket, Long Island
Project Director
Barbara Van Liew
Research Assistants
Linda L. Harvey
Rosemary Skye Noritt
John E. Remsen, Jr.
COMPLETION REPORT
Town of Southold Survey
1985-1986
Western Section
Survey Methodology
After preliminary research in former studies,
publications, old atlases and maps, collections of
photographs, National Register lists, Historic
American Building Survey, Town landmark list, and
SPLIA sources files, and after consultation with
Town Historian, local libraries, local historians,
and residents, an infield windshield survey was
Conducted with project director and research assis-
tant making a visual examination of every older
structure in the subject area.
Decisions were made at this time as to which
structures would be inventoried, each was given a
code number, and a brief analysis was made stating
the reason for the
the New York State
criteria.
structures significance following
Historic Resources Survey Manual
At the same time consideration was given to
groups of buildings that might be suitable for de-
signation as historic districts. A value judgment
of the visual impact of the negative intrusions was
included.
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Survey Methodology continued:
New York State inventory forms were then prepared
and arranged in folders in geographical sequence. Xer-
oxes of New York State inventory forms that were already
on file in Albany were incorporated into the folders
in the same geographical sequence.
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S~smmar~ Description of Historic Resources Inventor~
The comprehensive inventory, Town of Southold,
year I, 1985-1986, involved 338 new forms and covered
the hamlets of Laurel, Mattituck, New Suffolk, and
Cutchogue-which comprise the western section of the
Town. This area is bounded by the Town of Riverhead
on the west, by the Long Island Sound on the north,
by the hamlet of Peconic on the east, and by Peconic
Bay on the south.
The area is bisected from west to east by the
Long Island Rail Road, by historic Main Road, and by
County Road 48. Historic Sound Avenue parallels
Main Road in the western half and Oregon Road parallels
CR 48 in the eastern half.
Bluffs along the Long Island Sound shore front
are part of the Harbor Hill Moraine. South of the
bluffs is the fertile farmland for which the area is
famous. The bluffs are interrupted by a major estuary
- ~attituck Creek - which extends inland almost to Main
Road. The southern shoreline is comprised of a series
of necks which are separated by creeks and wetland
areas.
Two large inland bodies of fresh water - Laurel
Lake and Mar~tooka Lake - were formed by glacial action.
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Summary Description of Historic Resources
Tnventory continued:
The area is agricultural with medium-density
residential development mainly along the shore
fronts. There is commercial development in the
heart of Nattituck and along Nain Road in Nattituck
and Cutchog~e.
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Ce
Summary Statement of Significance
The settlement of ~,~ttituck commenced soon
after the purchase of the territory from the Indians
in 16¢9. Likewise the hamlet of Cutchogue was
commenced shortly after the first settlement of the
town. "The Old House" in Cutchogue - a National
Landmark - survives from this first period (CU~19).
Both settlements were on the site of an Indian
village. The Indian site, ~ort Corcha~, is the
most important Indian site on Long Island~dU-g~3.
These hamlets are also significant for their
fine farms, the wetlands of the numerous creeks,
and for the many old houses that still survive.
The majority of these are along Sound Avenue, Nain
Road, and Oregon Road.
Until recently Main Road was noteworthy for
the large number of typical 18th-century Cape Cod-
style houses that lined this historic highway
(c~lled a "double Cape Cod" locally). The survey
team found nine of this important house-type re?
maining in the subject area. These are the McCarthy/
Kuester house (LL-5), Horton-Husing house (~-48A),
Wells/Howell house (~-51~), Wickham Farm House (CU-18),
Honeymoon Cottage (CU-29), ~oore house (CU-~7), David
Tuthill house (CU-71), Hurricane Hall (CU-87), and
Sadie ^cker house (NS-18).
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Summar~ Statement of Significance continued:
Three early Federal houses are of unusual
architectural interest. Because of their similarity
they appear to have been built or designed by the
same person. These are the Young/Nolte house (DL-11)
on Main Road in Laurel, the Wells/Fleet/Kendrick
house (CU-67) on New Suffolk Lane, and the Case/Capt.
Henry Green house (CU-56) on ~,~in Road - the last two
in Cutchogue.
The Mattituck Octagon House (MK-51B) is the
most significant landmark from the mid-19th century.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
it is the best "Orson Fowler Octagon" on Long Island.
There are still a few of the flat-roofed two-
story houses that were popular in the 1850's. The
finest of these is the Robinson house on Oregon Road
(OR-C) which remains unaltered. Many of the houses
built in the 1850's have paired round-topped windows
under the eaves. This vernacular expression seems
to be a local characteristic.
At New Suffolk the site of the turn-of-the-century
submarine base is of national significance (NS-43).
Main Road today is a valuable historical continuum,
reflecting the shifting styles, ideas, and social and
economic movements which are the unique personality of
the area. Among the interesting commercial structures
the historic North Fork Bank & Trust Co. building in
Cutchogue is the most outstanding (~-28).
Recommendations
All the structures for which forms have been
prepared are worthy of protection from inappropriate
alterations. It is suggested that many of these might
be given landmark status by the Town of Southold.
On each form the significant architectural de-
tails have been described. In the paragraph entitled
"Integrity" inappropriate alterations have been noted
so that they can be removed if the owner so desires.
Pike Street in Nattituck (M~-25 - ~-30), Nain
Road in Cutchogue (CU-12A - CU-~5), and the hamlet of
New Suffolk are suitable for district landmark desig-
nation by the Town of Southold.
It is suggested that an historic site marker
might be placed at the site of the Henry Pike Wind-
mill which stood on the elevated ground east of
Naratooka ~ake. The windmill was mentioned by the
Rev. C. E. Craven in his work A Histor~ of Mattituck
on pages 237 and 238. Craven believed that it was
erected before 1710 and reported that it wes mentioned
in Henry Pike's will in 1780. A map of Nattituck that
w~ prepared by an occupying British Major Holland in
1778 indicates the location of the windmill northeast
of Lake Marratooka.
The Indian Fort Corchaug site should be preserved
with acquisition of the property by a governmental body
or by a conservation organization such as the Nature
Conservancy.
List of ~tructures Worthy of ~urther Research
Young/Nolte house (~L-11), find builder
or architect.
Brick Water Tower (M~-17), possibly once
had a windmill on the top.
Wells/Howell house (~-51E), research
Revolutionary War period.
Case/Capt. Henry Green house (CU-56),
find builder or architect.
Robinson house (OR-4), find builder or
architect.
Research to find oldest barn in subject
area.
Bridge Lane wooden bridge over L.I.R.R.
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