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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRO-9Ro-9 NEW YORK STATE HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY FORM FOr Office Use Only--Site Identifier Southotd Town Inventory of Project IdentifierHist0ric Structures Date' Oct. Your NameTown of Southold/SPLIA Phone (~16) 76K-1892 Address Southold~ L.I., N.Y. 11971 Organization (if any) Southold Town Community Development Office 1. Site Identifier(s) Robins Island 2. County S~fo]~ One of following: ® Present Owner Southold Development Corp. Address c/o Armend Lesser Esq. 175 West 9~rd St. Zip N.Y.C. 10025 24, 1985 City Township South61d Incorporated Village Unincorporated Village or Hamlet New Suffolk Site Description (check all appropriate categories): Structure/site Superstructure: complete__partial__collapsed___not evident Foundation: above below (ground level) not evident -- Structural subdivisions apparent ___Only surface traces ~s~ble Buried traces detected ~-~st construction materials (be as specific as possible): e Grounds Under cultivation Sustaining erosion Woodland Never cultivated Pr---eviously cultivated __--Floodplain ~lSOil..Drainage: excellent good fair poor Slope: flat gentle_~''mo~-~ate ~S~eep -- Distance to ne---arest water from str---ucture (approx.) 'Elevation.: Site Investigation (append additional sheets, if necessary): Surface--date(s) ~- Site Map (Submit' with form*) Collection Subsurface--date(s) Testing: shovel__coring__other no. of units __Upland Pastureland unit size (Submit plan of units with form*) Excavation: unit size no. of units (Submit plan o--~its with form*) * Submission should be 8~"xll", if feasible Investigator Daniel H. Kaolan Manuscript or published report,s) (reference fully): Present repository of materials Garvies Point, Glen Cove RO - p Page 2 Site inventory: ,~ .date constructed or occupation period b. previous owners, if known c. modifications, if known (append.additional sheets, if necessary) Site documentation (append additional sheets, if necessary): a. Historic map references 1) ~ame~%~l~Date 1873 Source Fresent location or original, if known 2) Name Date Source Present locatio~ of original, 'if known Representation in existing photography 1) Photo date Where located 2) Photo date Where located c. Primary and secondary source documentation (reference fully) d. Persons with memory of site: 1) Name Address 2) Name Address List of material remains other than those used in construction as specific as possible in identifying object and material): (be Site of brick kiln If prehistoric materials are eviderrt, check here and fill out prehistoric site form. X__ 9. Map References: 10. Map or maps showing exact location and extent oF site must accompany this form and must be identified by source and date. Keep this submission to 8½"xll'~, if feasible. USGS 7% Minute Series Quad. Name Southampton Quad For Office'Use Only--UTM Coordinates Photography (optional for environmental impact survey): Please submit a 5"x7" black and white print(s) showing the current state of the site. Provide a label for the print(s) on a separate sheet. RO -9 Robins Island is located in Suffolk County in the township of Southo]d. It is situated between Great and Little Peconic Bays. The island is approximately 1 1/2 miles long to a little over 1/2 mile wide. On August 27, 1969, Ronald Wyatt, Herbert Vitale, and Santo Vitale went so Robins Island to make a preliminary survey. On October 6, 1969, Ronald Wyatt returned to the Island with Daniel Kaplan and Walter Paddison. Wyatt showed Kaplan and Paddison the two sites discovered on the first trip, and then walked the Island's perimeter with Kaplan and Paddison.' Wyatt left the island the ~ame day. Kaplan and Paddison remained on the island until October 10, 1969 for the purpose of making a site survey. AREAS I~VESTIGATED Wya'ct, Vitale, and Vitale confined their investigation to the northwest corner o3 the island. They discovered two sites, one at Clay Pit Pond (Robins Island 'I) and l~he ether at the ~lortbwest Meadow (Robins Island 2). Kaolan and Paddison dug a few test holes in the northeast field (field nor[h of Duck Ins). The holes were about a foot deeD. Hothing was found either on the surface or in the test holes. However, Gene Smith, who lives on the island, said that point=~ had been round in this field. The ,,.Foods east of the main road were surfaced surveyed. No aboriginal matenial was found, except for a possible han~nerstone. The woods along the ,,,,,est bank were surface surveyed. In addition, a few test pits were dug, as well as a few profiles in the upper cliff bank. !1o aborigfnal material was found. Test pits were dug on Fort Hili without results. SITES DISCOVERED Location: Bank at Clay Pit Pond Material found: pottery, shell, chipped quartz, historic brick. The material, was in an eroding bank. Location: Northwest Meadow Material found: shell, occasional some oyster. The site was in grass. quartz chips. Channeled and knobbed whelk, Location: East bank, middle of island. Material found; Shell- eroding out of bank Tf~6 !)aDk was sandy, thc top was in grass. Woods started just back, of bank. Location: ?lortb Shore between wharf and sandspit. ~!acerial Found: Scaliop, calm, as well as ~ome oyster on surface - all appeared fresh. Two test pits ~!u~], One yielied oyster and ~ome scallop.Tl~e site is at the intersec-_ion of an East-West and ~:or~i~-S,'uth trail. Shell continues up the North- Sou~h trail. Location: Interzection of trails at the southwest corner of ;lorthwest Meadow. ',1~tarial~ foun$: Shell ~een on surface by, Paddison. Test pit dug by O. Kaplan add W. Paddison, bots on and off the trail. Test pits were about .7" deep, More ai~ell ~as found. ~,~o ~ ~ ~ ~, L ~',mJ RO-9 Location; Field south of Fort Hill, east end Survey methods and material found: It was decided to put test pits in the open field. Two pieces of shell were seen on the surface after this decision was made. A test pit in the area revealed nothing. There was light brown soil over yellow soil. Elven paces to the west, a second test pit - shell showing up. Dark brown soil over white sand. Seven paces to west, dark brown black s~il. Considerable shell, one chio. Five paces to the West, considerable shell. Twenty-one paces to the west - nothing. Other pits, no material. There was tall grass in the field at the time of the survey. Location: West side of south firebreak Survey methods: It test pits were dug down the ce~ter of the firebreak in an East-West line, as well as one test pit to the north of the second east from the western most piC. The latter two pits had material. A vrofile on the east bank yielded nothing. iqaterial found: 1 flake 1 bi face fragment 1 possibly worked or utilzed stone. H1. Location: ~iorth Shore of Robins Island between wharf and sandspi~ Survey methods and material found: W. Paddison excavated pieces of a dish, as wel as a part of a cup, bottles, dishes, and a spike which were partially showing on tr surface. The area is in woods on the north shore of Robins Island. H2. Location: Embankments east of Northwest Meadow. Excavation methods and !laterial found: 4 embankments forming a rectangle were fou The rectangle is open at the southeast corner . Slopes going away from the area on the north and west sides seem shallow. Test pits of about two feet were dug. A pit outside the rectangle on tile ease ~id had some iron objects (including chain, and old brush hook, and a part of a scale) OTHER I.~TERIAL Object Aa A piece of quartz with possible chipping was found in the road east of the IIortbwest Meadow and ~Iorth of Site H2. It was 37 paces to the North-South road on tile east side of the Ilorthwest I.leadow. A piece of shell was also fo Three test pits were dug, one side of the road, and two on ~he ocher. Brown soil over yellow soil. Ho material found. Water tower., At the top of the Hill in front of the barr-~ (e~evation 82') is a concrete tower which was used for the storage of water. House: Gene Smith showed Eaolan and ~adrJison the remai~ls oF a house torn do,..~] in 1933 or 19S4. W~terin? Croughs. LocaCion: wesC of trail, nortlleast corner of souChv;est trail. A shallow cement basin which, according Co Gene Smith, was formerly to water Jeer. YarioLis embankments run throu.?l tile woods. These are man-made sheep-runs, accordin.gto Gene Smith. There is a lack of streams on the island. Otherwise, one might conclude that they were old stream teds. COr. L,.iENTS Fl~o~ ~_,Ne L ,.NJ~ The survey was not conducted in the best of time RO-9 of the year, as most of the open areas were covered with vegetation. Sites in the woods probably covered by a layer of leaves. CONCLUSION In terms of the purpose of the survey, to discover aboriginal sites, as well as any historic sites, the survey may be considered successful. RO-9 N 0 ROBINS SLAND SITE -~ -'. t ' : ' '"'.' .~.' '.?'-~' ' -'.~ ',?',~7.~.'-.' . . ' ' ' · · ~ · ' '. ' Robins Island.~'or"~R~.gbb.ins'..~land;.'as it' was. often called in the ~st is a 'beautiful, 'WoOded, m~tl~ng;' hill~ .island of an estimated ~ acres. On the West and Eas't sides'it has high sand ban~s rising from lovel~ beaches. ~t has five miles of waterfront with ne~r!~ all fine white ~and ~nd ~ravel beach. There are five acres of dunes and ~ifteen ~cres of ~evel meadowland. On the Northern~4lde it slopes gradually to the beach and there are' l~rge open pasture fields. " It ts bounded ~n the W~st by ~he Great Peconic Bay and onth~'East ~y the Little Peconic Bay. On the South side is the deep, swift often· ~3u.h ~ace rough, which is bounded by the Seponic Point(Cow Neck). A sand bar extends toward the'North and the island is se.oarat~d from ~he village .of New Suffolk·by the narrower North Race, "The lslsnd has pleuey of good fresh water. There is a large~sprlng eed~ond. The~e are .excellent'claY banks where bricks were ~anufactured for many years. Long·before the American Revotntion Cutcho~ue had been supplied wlth.~xoel~ent bricks from the kllns~of Robins Island. In colonial times flax wa.s ·raised as well as many Sheep, ca~tle and horses. In recent years ~t has been used as' a private hunting 9reserve. ._.i .~ Anchanuock' means a place Fu!l of himber. Several htsu'~z'~s zpecu!ate t::a.; the Corcmhogue indians were the owners. be.noted that Poggatticut or Yoco ;Unckenchle as ?:e was .,mrlously called, the Sachem of the Manhanset~s, or ~he=t=r Island .indians and Grand Sachem of Paumanack (Ea.~t~rn Long Island) and eigh~.een· other indians signed ~he deed 'for the island Dec.7,1665. (Soutko'ld Town Records Vol..I page 225)!. £he highest' hiJls Show..an;e. ievat'~on o'S-sixty to eighty feet. name Robins. or Robblhs 'islahd is reputed to come o-9 2. from the Dutch Robben whLch means.~lace, where seals abound~ .Seals are still occasionally sighted in'the Peconic B~y in the Winter. The Dutch ?xo!orer Adrien ~looh named .~any local lands and waters when he · :a~/ed ~,...ouEh Long Island. Sound in 1629. ~othev t!~ory)'~ess likely;is that it ~as first called Robert's Island after Robert Carmaud who c].almed tt In 16!~l and that afterward the "*nmue ~'Fr%dua].ly changed to Robins Island. There is a substantial, dock to deep water at the NTrth end. ~ere is a ten room residence, an unfinished fifteen room mansion, a by George H.Peters,. in charge of Parks. There is a substantl~ was fou~3d there in D~ ?he?'e 5r~ very few o' sy~tematically superintendents house, several guest cottages and various outbuildings. 2here ts a fine stand of timber on the island lncl~ding many white oaks, black oak, red oak, locust', cedars, maple, cherry, sassafras, etc. A giant 'poison sumac has been discovered on a remo~e marshy area .mn the MW corner of the island. It measures nineteen feet high and its knarled trunk .nezsures three feet one inch In diameter. It was found in 1957 ieputy Com. of Nassau County P~blic "orks Dept. ~l herd of d~er on the island. IAn albino deer fawn ~cezber 1951 and given to the ~ronk Park Zoo. :her animals because the ~;amek~l?=~ers h.~ve ~ated ~em. Occasionally ~ f~x.;.r rat;con Z=ts · ~ver £ro~ Cutcho~ue mn the Winter. m. !~x~e:>t~onal. ly swift curr~nts which flow arou~.d Rob~s Island day ~n and .mt terry an unusua]f~]-arge volume -of water and. :f.~od material which *oruterly contributed to an excellent growth .~f scallops and Oysners. Now very few are left. Blue fish and strl~ed bass are c~mlE~ in the Races. Some weakfish, flounder, porg~, kingfish, blowffish, =to..~re still caught in the Peconlc. Bay. Robins Island is a stopping, place for shore birds such as yellowlegs, ~an~oers, etc. Many Canadlen geese, scoaters, cormorants, and many migratory ducks rest'on the ponds and marshes. ~ There are three known osprey nests that contained young th.is year. Of co~r~ pheasants and quail are co~mon. £here ts a breeding-colony of common ~erns and skim~aers on the South End S~allows ~nd kingfishers abound i~cl~ding ~he rough-wing ~nd bank · ~wa!~ows. The o'~ly existing nesting an~ breediag ~rounds of night ~er~ns h~ bee~ subeta~tiated. There are blue ~er~, gree~ ~e~o~ / ~nd sno,~ i:eron. ~ ~ew ,~srets are seen In the marsh~s. " Mmuy .:o-~'~:on woods birds such as the wood thrush, ce third, piping clover, o~rdi~o~, robi~, humming birds, etc. are seen, Infor~atlon o~ the bi~xi life has been given to me by Mr. Pa~! StoutenburE ce Cutchogue, a local teacher and naturalist. In 1636 th~ Plymouth Com.~any o'~ New England on the request-of King Char! ~rm.~ted a pa~ent to the Earl of Sterling for Long Island a~R the islands adjacent. A grant was accordingly issued and the E~rl thereupon appointe Ja~es Farrett as hit~ agent. He had the ~ower to sell or lease the lands, an.9 was also granted the privilege of selecting twelve thousand acres %* hf.s ~,~ specific ~ro~rty. As a part o? his gr~t he chose Robln.s K,~!~.~d or Anch,~ock and Shelter Island or Ma~hansack. In 1651 he ?o!,i. ~b~.~ .[si. to Steoh~n Goodyear of New Haven (Yho~psmou Vol. I ....,.'." ~'~£). ']oodyear.sold it to Nath~.niel Sylves~er ~ ~o. Farrett -f-,y .~!' ~a~'e ;old the island to a Robert Carmand ~or we Wind in ~>e '7:c~tb.onoto~ ~own Record (Vol. I pase 97) tha~ RObert Card,and rot ~, <.~ed £rom Eyonicon Sachem of Paumanack. Stephen Goodyear ~ut~equentl¥ Mot a bill of sale from Carmand. As '.,:,$ "he custom &~athanlel Sylvester also got a deed for Robins £s. ~rom ~.oEEatticut. also called Yoco Un~enchie, Grand Sachem of Manhansack ~n Dec.?,1665 for three yards of trading cloth.(Southold '£own Records Vol. I pages Z55,Z56,a57) The chain' of=ow~er~h'ip was-'~hen lost until Joseph Wlckham, a resident of Cutchogu'e:wllled ..it to' his son Joseph in 173~. In 1749 the so~ d%ed. ~.s ln,$h~ pos'sesl0n of his son Parker Wlc . It was ~oufi$oated by the 'American government on account Of his toryism by the ac~ of 0ct.22,1779. £t was subsequently oon~eyed to Francis N{coll of A!ba~y and' Major ·Benjamin Tallmad~e. Ezra L'Hommedieu of Southold bought half of It in 1791 and half in 177~. in 1~].6 his executors sold it to Cci. Benjamin ~ortQn and Janes Beeve . for $4O00.:%£ter a seasQn or two these last two o~Brs sold Shares. · or rights in the island, the transactions which were too frequent to ~ntlon. in 1851 J.H.Wooster and. Jemes F.Good~]:e appear to have been the owners. F~om 1852 to '1857 Ira B.Tuthlll a~d Jeremiah G.~thill~ purchmsed parts of'.the island and lu the later year Ira B,Tuthlll became the sole owner..In 1873 he sold l~ to George E.~orne as agent for Ja~es ~ilson cf.'New York·for $20,000. Wilson ~etained ~ossesslon for about three years when the island was sold undler a foreclosure en~ I~B.Tuthlll was th~buyer. Ira £uthill conducted a thriving br~ck business whl~e he was the owner. The bricks:he manufactured w~re used ~n ~he building of the' North Fork Bank at Cu~choEue as well .~s ~any other' fine building stl3l in good condition. The -~cord. s sh~w ~hat he ~ade over a million and a hale bricks per year hl~ "~': sold. it ,~-,, ~ich~rd £ng.ch,'.~: ,.:ay 23,1981. wife .~old to the Robbins ~sland,:]!ub Dac.9,1881. Fhe .::,bb!ns £~]~nd Club sold it to ~ow.~rd ~,ia~.sh_~!~ June 1,1917. :[-,~."~r'd >~rshal~ & w~f['~l sold to James W.Lane Iune ~',!.)17. ~i~le tn th~ osta~e of James W. Lane, deceased, Feb.20,1932- Uhi!'.. o:.m~d by ~h~ ~.e Estate It ~..r.~s leas~,d to ,~brace :~awemeyer un.-~. used as a ;~ame preserve by his daughter and hWsband J.Watson :'"ebb ,of Old Westbury. :'~500,000. He has used. it for a hunting preserve add owner or. tS, e Town Of Southold tax rolls~ est.~33.9h ~sse:sed velue .~229,660, which would make its actual.] ul!~tc~, d.o~_lars but I doubt if you could buy it is presently the acres., total · .'nyt~,tn~ rea,~ that. th~ -.eop!~ 7f the ~tate of New York. S~me ts,ikon artif~,cts have been found on the islandiin r=~ent years by c-~etakers, =to. but -oot as msny as on surroundi~E ar-as because the ~.sland has lon~ bee~ used as a private Same 9reServe and Visitors were not welcone. The Long Island Chapter .gl the Ne~ York State Ar e!~Utc~! ~o~tety has no artif~cts or 'records co~cerninE indians o~ Robins zsland. , Nin-t~eu ~udi~n~ sided the deed to Nathaniel Sylva~t~r In 1665. ~he ,-e~'~'~ so l~ttle is '~w k~o~ about the D%d[.~'~s,of Cutchogue ?ay ::"~ th.~ "act *h~t a 5rear epidemic killed off mo~t of the indians .0'~ ~'-.-'~ i.,'-;rth Fork of Long isl~md. Shelter £s!and a:l~ C;t%rd~ners rs!and '..'.'., Zor:-: Z~.~te '.,u ,a 2ark 'arid ',,rild life sanctuary · 27 ~ t.~ a ?peaulator or .~eveloper. Southold To~ Dr. Lawrence Bay Ave. Cutcnogue,N~Y.11935 'n Historian T.Waitz RO-9 R0-9 Robins Island Club R,q~ln~ IsLmd .\ ra[ilcr co'qJy 2U r~*otll CJLIJ~ IBiLISC rcpl.Jccd Ibc ruins aud it was ,travelid. It had brodd vclJlld.lJt~ heavily ~h:ldcd :llld with vicx~s hut J:ttcr t~n iii Jif5' t)l' thc members t'clt that thc huildhlg wit~ ~o they c[tjt)ycd in thc .Id cltth Iht ~ocial IC,IILIIC oJ thc }{td~ins 14and ('luh ~.~n thc tlltltLI3t tWO lO lilt'CC dLl¥ DLlllllTn iii I[Ic I,IJJ t,I c:tr]5 winter I%' laJI licn of I 2 to I 5 IllClll- I~cr~ and thci[' ptlCXln Ibc qory X%:L-l.ld in .t I~Jl 7 IH{O()K[.YN FA(;I I' 1 hc Rolm~ I.l:.ml ['ltlh. ttpOll ,tlqqying l.r ~1. wan .tx~.trdcd a special underwater grant by to them in 1887 and water Irom all points distance of 300 feet When the Robins Is did not endear themsc 1886 Long Island Tra~ "The iuhabitants of ou of tt~e application of Should they succeed business of m~y of Ot fo[ a livelihood". New Suffolk's t'cm. 300 fcct were to bc ct reserving to all and and privilege of entcrt cribed premises, in an ~fis power and author been :LCtLKd~y appropr by erecting a Dock or of thc sa[llc I~5' t[Ic gathering C[[llllb, hereby COllVCyed H[ r~ a linc dintant al all tid however that this rc~t ~lo[IsaHt[ fcct ill ICngt above dcscril~cd". At'tot twenty-five 5 loose interest in their as nlcntioncd before. formal to be relaxing. COlXlillg sop hiMic;itcd was proh,d%, thc Idgg Jtdtn .I.tc~d~ A~tt,r I Betty Wells, Robins Island. 1981 NEW YORK STATE HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY FORM For Office Use Only--Site Identifier Southold Town Inventory of Project Identifierkistoric Structures Your NameTown of Southold/SPLIA Phone Address Southold~ L.I., N.'Y. 11971 Date' Oct. 24, 1985 (~/6) ~65-18q2 ~ zip Organization (if any) Southold Town Community Development Office 1. Site Identifier(s) 2. County _~ Robins Island One of following: City Towq~ship Southold Incorporated Village Unincorporated Village or Hamlet New Suffolk e e Present Owner Southold Development Corp. Address c/o Armend Lesser Esq. 175 West 93rd St. Zip N.Y.C. 10025 Site Description (check all appropriate categories): Structure/site Superstructure: complete__partial__collapsed___not evident Foundation: above below (ground level) not evident -- Structural subdivisions a-~parent Only surface traces visible Buried traces detected ~ ~st construction materials (be as specific as possible): Grounds Under cultivation Sustaining erosion Woodland Never cultivated Previously cultivated Floodplain ~-~il Drainage: exce-~lent good fair poor Slope: flat gentle 'mo~rate 's~eep -- Distance to ne---arest wa--~er from str---ucture (a---pprox.) Elevation: Upland Pasturelar Site Investigation (append additional sheets, Surface--date(s) Site Map (Submit with form*) Collection Subsurface--date(s) Testing: shovel coring__other no. of units if necessary): unit size (Submit plan of units with form*) Excavation: unit size no. of units (Submit plan of units with form*) * Submission should be 8½"xll", if feasible Investigator Daniel H. Kallan Manuscript or published reportis) (reference fully): Present repository of materials Garvies Point, Glen Cove