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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOfficial ProgramSUMMK ;./ $OUTM®LD 0¥ 1640 -1965 THE TOWN OF SOUTHOLD, NEW YORK SOUTHOLD TODAY GREETINGS! We of Southold Town have much to be thankf.~l for as we celebrate the 325th Anniversary of the founding of our Town, and it is proper that we reflect on its interesting beginning and development ia order that we may appreciate and enjoy our area the more. Much will be said about its historic past, but I feel we should a~so pause . . . and give thought to the needs of the future. It is a challenge to ail of us in Southold Town to plan and work toward a growing community which will satisfy the hopes and dreams of our residents, and steadily build a worth- while record of which we can be proud, when we take a special look at our accomplishments at the time of our 350th anniversary. Southold is an important part of the fastest growing county in the country and is experiencing a steady growth. In order to insure well-balanced growth the Town has contracted for a master plan for future development. This includes a complete economic base study by Cornell University which will give us a thorough knowledge of the sources of our income, whether agriculture, ~ishing, t~urism or other, and of which ones will be increasingly important in the years before us. Another portion of the master plan deals with the availabil- ity of potable water which is being done by competent hydrology engineers. As it applies to land utilization, it will allow for land to be reserved for public recreation, municipal purposes, school expansion, conservation of wet lands a~d other important uses. I hope that through the application of proper planning Southold's growth will be such as to insure for all our people as pleasant a place to live in as it is today. LESTER M. ALBERTSON [1] MUSEUMS Southold r'::ARN VILLAGE HOUSE Orient C~tchOg~'e [2] PROGRAM OF EVENTS Open All Summer SOUTHOLD HISTORICAL SOCIETY Museum and Gallery Old Pine Neck Barn: Carriages and Farm Equipment Out-Buildings: Exhibits Main Street, Southold OPEN: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday 3:00-5:00 P. M. May 30 to September 19 CUTCHOGUE-NEW SUFFOLK COUNCIL Old School House Library: Exhibits Old Barn HISTORICAL Village Green, Cutchogue OPEN: Daily 2:00-5:00 P. M. May 30 to September 6 OYSTERPONDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Village House: Museum Old School House: Exhibits Hallock House: Nautical Museum Village Lane, Orient OPEN: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 2:00-5:00 P. M. June 26 to October 15 OLD FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Exhibit of old records and colonial antiques; links of old church to Southwold, England Main Street, Southold OPEN: Fridays 2:00-5:00 P. M. July 2 to August 27 Guides by prior arrange- ment CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY OF CUTCHOGUE The Old House, A National Historic Monument Village Green, Cutchogue OPEN: Daily 2:00-5:00 P. M. May 30 to September 6 L. I. CHAPTER N. Y. STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Museum of Indian Artifacts Bay View Road, Southold OPEN: Thursday and Sunday 2:00 - 4:00 P. M. July I to August 29 CUSTER INSTITUTE Observatory Bay View Road, Southold OPEN: Fridays 8:30-10:30 P. M. July 2 to August 27 WEBB HOUSE Museum: Period Furnishings Village Lane, Orient OPEN: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 2:00-5:00 P. M. July I to October 15 WHITAKER HISTORICAL COLLECTION Main Street, Part of the local history collection of Southold Free Library. Available for research purposes during regular Library hours. Southold [3] PROGRAM OF EVENTS MAY Sunday, May 30 Southold Historical Society, Main Street, Southold 3:00 P.M. Opening of Museum and dedication of new Art Gallery JUNE Sunday, June 13 Mattituck Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Mattituck 3:00 P.M. Special 250th Anniversary Service Speaker: Dr. Lawrence W. McMaster, Secretary to General Council of Board of National Missions Saturday, June 19 Mattituck Lions Club, Mattituck H. S. Grounds, Mattituck Starts 12:00 Noon Annual Strawberry Festival Sunday, June 20 L.I. Chapter N. ¥. State Archaeological Society, 2:30 P.M. Bay View Road, Southold Special Lecture by Edward D. Patterson, Curator County Museum of Natural History of Nassau Saturday, June 26 Oysterponds Historical Society, Village Lane, Orient 2:00 P.M. Formal Opening of Museum Sunday, June 27 Old First Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Southold 11:00 A.M. Special 325th Anniversary Service Keynote Address: Dr. Alexander Mackie, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Conwell School of Theology 12:15 P.M. Reception, Christian Education Building Sunday, June 27 Southold Historical Society, Main Street, Southold 3:00 P.M. Unveiling of Leo Roon's bronze head of first president, Ann Hallock Cuttle-Bell JULY Saturday, July 3 Southold Historical Society, Main Street, Southold 3:00 P.M. Flagpole Raising and Dedication Ceremony Saturday, July 3 Southold Fire Department, Main Street, Southold Starts 7:00 P.M. Annual Block Dance Sunday, July 4 Greenport Celebration Committee Naval Vessel in Greenport Harbor and Maritime Displays Monday, July 5 Greenport Celebration Committee 10:30 A.M. Grand Boat Parade from Greenport Harbor to Founders' Landing, Southold [4] PROGRAM OF EVENTS Thursday, July 8 8'(~P M Saturday, July 10 t000A M.-500PM Annual Parade and ?tfaz~ar Vfilago Green~ Cutchogm, Flea Market Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday July 13, I4, 15 Start~ t0 00 A M ~aturday~ July 17 6 00P, M. l,awn Pxcrnc and "Whatever" Sk~;w Sunday~ July 18 tt00A M Sla~:lal Celebrahon Serve. ce Speakm. Bt~N~p Lloyd W.~cke 7 30P, M A ~rvice of Meth~d~t Memory Saturday, July 24 830P, M Cmtvr Ivc, t{tute, Bay View Road, ~mth~ld Charle~ Elmer Memorial I,~-ture Sl~aker: Kenneth Craven, D~r~wt,~r, Resc;~rch ami Developm~t, W~ndham C~dlege Wedne~,day, July 28 t'00 P. M Southold th~tor~¢a! ~c~ety Gen Wayne' Inn. Bay V~-.. w R-ad, S~mfl~id Lunch~.m and H~t,a'ical Pag~'a~t of C,~slume, 1640-I965 :$450 ali mcimave Thur;day, Friday, Saturday July 2~, ~?l, $I 7:00 P. M, Ammal Block Par~y Frlday~ Saturday July 30~ 3t gtSP M. !'i.~_y h, ,u.%e, Mattel uck July 31 200PM Town D(,~,k, Matt.quc'k lnl,q, Maltituck A Tribute to the Amer~.can Ind{an, including Indian Dances authentic [51 PROGRAM OF EVENTS JULY -- continued S~mthold Methodist Church. Main Stre~L S~mthvid An Evening of American Folk a~ Contvm~,~arv M~:w 8 ISPM. ~ur~d~v, Friday. Satu~d~.y August 5~ ti. 7 ? ~q~ P M August 7 30 P M AUGUST N~rth F~rk Player~ N~rth I%~k Special Anniver~ry Prodt~ "I~d~t~ In Retir~nnenf~ Playhou*e~ Mattltuck {;r~n[~rt Fire Delmrtment, Ohl Gr*}undi, Greenport Annual Block Party Ma!t~tuck Preabyterian Church. Mum Oht Fa~In,n~d Country Fair and Barbi~zue Strt"eL Ma'~tituck 2 30 P M. 7 (U~ P M 2 9OP:M Sunday, August 22 l'L~lurday. Augmt 28 5 00-7'30 P. M. Tuesday. W~-fm-> day. Thursday. August 31 September I. 2 Vtinday, S*'ptember 5 Vdlage Green. Cutchogue t~,xi~t',d~,m of Old Wdham Wickham }tou~ C~unlrv Squar~~ t)anc~' on the Green 325th Anniversary Committee. Mum Street. Grand Parade -- Marehe~% Band~ and Float~ Pre.~entation of Trophle~ l Alternate Parade Date in case of rain) Cutch,~gue Fire Department, New Suff~dk Ave. Cutch-gue Annual Chicken Barbecue AUGUST - SEf~i'EMBER Mattituck Yacht Club. Great Pccontc Bay, International Champion.~hips Comet Ciasa Yacht Racing Asac<'iation Mathtac k South{,ld Yacht Club, ~mth.ld tlar*~r, South*rid Annual Regatta Competition for the "Anniw'rsary Cup" [61 OLD TIMES From 1830 OLD MII.L BLACKSMITH SHOP FIRST SETTI.EMENT HOME of Barnabas }torton ~ '~ pOT-BELLIeD STOVE M I LESTONE One of 24 [ 7] erected 1756 THIS WAS SOUTHOLD By MARY HALDANE CtlAPMAN, Town Historian ~' F man has been on earth only the wink of an eye in time, then the Town of Soutbold has existed the barest flicker. Three hundred and twenty-five years may seem a great span to many; it is an incomprehensible figure to those with no feeling of history. To these a conception of the cave man is as clear as of the white men who first settled the small area of Long Island that forms our township. This northeastern fork at that time was known as "Yennicot" by the Indians. Dr. Dixon Fox once said, "The past, of course exists, whether we are interested in it or not, whether we know of it or not .... the beritage of men's dreams in times past, of men's work and men's achievements, is but another name for the world we live in". It was Maeterlinck, in his "The Power of the Dead" who declared, "It is they (our ancestors) that have nmde us what we are, and we exist only through them!" Wipe out all the works of our forefathers, deposit us amidst the forests of Yennicot with only a few aborigines, wolves mid other wild beasts abounding, and we perhaps could imagine the importance of the long line of men who came before us here. \Vho were these men of 1640 who came and saw and conquered? They were Englishmen searching for a new life. Their motives in coming were undoubtedly mixed; civil anti religious freedom; dire need; dreams of a land of hope and glory. With some it was perhaps the desire for adventure or wealth. From many parts of England, sailing from different ports and in many vessels they arrived in Massachusetts over a period ranging roughly from 1630 to 1660. Dissatisfied there, or still in search of the promised land, the Reverend John Youngs, who had been in Salem, went to New Haveu and there, with the sanction of Governor Eaton, organized his church. Eaton, acting for James Farrett, the Earl of Stirling's agent, granted the pastor and his small band a small piece of land across the waters of the sound. Records from the to~vn's beginning until 1651 have been missing many years. The only sources we have for that shadowy period are the New Haven and Southampton records plus allusions in our existing records after that time. However, we do know that in 1638 a fexv men seeking the precious turpentine came to the piuey woods of Hashamo- mack. At least one house, that of Robert Jackson, was erected there before Mr. Youngs and his fol- lowers planted their church and town a few miles west. We know, too, from writings of explorers such as Bartholomew Gosnold and Adrian Block that the island was covered with forests and marsh- es, teeming with wildlife and abundant with fruits. On this particular peninsula bounded north by the "north sea" (Sound) and many bays and creeks on the south, the waters yielded quantities of fish and shellfish. There were a few cleared meadows or Indian fields. What the Indians who had lived here for a thousand years or more, and their successors the white men, did not kno~v was that their God had worked in mysterious ways to create Long Island for them. Four huge glaciers had come from the north in turn, stopped here, deposited soil and rock and retreated. The last to visit probably receded ouiy ten thousand years ago. After the first glacier a tremendous lifting of the land took place. Marine currents contribut- ed, as tbey still do, in both the de- position and the erosiou of land, changing the shape and size of the terrain. More of the island lms been eroded into the sea than now remains. The glaciers melting noxv, it is said, are raising the North Atlantic sea level about a quarter of an inch a 3'ear on our shores. \Vhat then is the future of Long Island? "Wet", the wag will say. To cheer ns is the thought that such a plight is remote. Southolders today can be fairly certain that their grandchildren to several generations will be able to sail around and not over Shelter Island, view tile shore of Connect/cut from a Sound bluff, and maybe even walk between the Sound and Mill Creek on dry land with a low tide. No one knows exactly who were the men who came with Mr. Youngs that first year or arrived very soon afterwards. There is no controverting that the town was settled. The street was laid out, lots were granted for homes and tnore people moved in and multiplied. It seems to have been the custom of all eastern Long Island settlers to have their dwellings close together in the European manner. [81 Frobably this was for both defense and sociability. The time and trouble in getting back and forth to church and town meeting also had to be consider- ed. All travel away from the short village street had to be by boat or by foot. Before the highways were laid out the thick woods prevented wagons from passing. In early years the church and the town were one. To live in the town and vote a man had to be a member of the church. Laws governing the community were strict and well enforced, yet to some extent they were more liberal than those of their neighbors in Connecticut and Masschusetts. When Jeremiah Vail was lured from East Hampton because the town needed a new blacksmith he balked at joining the church. From that time on one could be a freeman (voter) nnder a half-way covenant. Little has come down to us regarding the Cot- chang Indians who preceded us in Southold. As one of the twelve or thirteen groups of the island's natives they were of Algonkian stock. It has been estimated that altogether there were only 6S00 Indians on the entire island at tbe coming' of the Dutch to the west end. The Corehaug, not numer- ous, lived in scattered villages along the north fork. Our records mention them but seldom. From this lack it would seem that affairs between them and the settlers were peaceable if not friendly. This does not follow the pattern in New England nor at Southampton, where there were many squabbles and an occasional murder. The Dutch had their own problems in New Amsterdam. A fexv massacres brought the renowned Captain John Underhill from Stamford to help the Dutch subdue the tribes whom they used so badly. In 1654 Underhill was living in Southold, where he married a xvoman from Flushing as his second xvlfe. A few years later found him at Locust Valley xvhere he spent the remainder of his days. Fences were a necessity in those early days. Very early a "general fence" ran from the north sea to a point on Stirling Creek, behind which were kept the cattle and swine of many men. There these rambled and fed as they wished, safely bordered on three sides by waters of the Sound, Plum Gut and Gardiner's and Peconic Bays. Earumrks were used to differentiate the owners. Each man had to record his mark with the town clerk. Many pages are given to depositions against .[ohn Budd for alledgedly taking hogs not his. The fences, when intact, kept the corn and other tasty crops in the [91 mother village from being ravaged. Later, as hlghxvays were laid out to the eastern and western areas and travel by horse and wagon became common, gates were provided where- ever the road crossed a fence. Woe to the man who left one unlatched! Ever)' year several fence viewers were elected at town meetings. They ~-- had to see that all fences were kept underrepair. These men were as important to the economy and to the general well-being of the town as the constable and overseers of highways and of the poor. All of these officers were also chosen at town meetings. Every male adult had to attend town meeting or be fined. This may have been one reason that town meeting days were festive occasions. The men all had to go. so why not have some fun too? The sketchy records taken on those days and the often almost illegible handwriting would seem to attest that even the clerk had a bit too much of that common beverage, rum. The years went by and trade with New England and the Barbadoes increased. Flax became the most important crop. The poor were farmed out to whom- ever would take them, expenses being paid by the town. Orphans, no matter how young, were inden- tured until the age of twenty-one. At this time the master agreed to give them the clothes they were wearing, one good suit for the sahbath and, in some instances, a Bible. There is a case on our books of a one year old infant being indentured. The town promised to pay for its support until the age of six, at which time he would be able to work for his master. The houses reflected the character and culture of the people. Most were story and a half with frames of heavy hand-hewn oak timbers covered by hand- rived clapboard siding. Roofs were steeply pitched against rain, snow and wind. Only a few windows were used as glass had to be imported. The chimney was placed centrally to thus serve several fireplaces. Furnishings were scarce. Comforts belonged only to the well-to-do. Only a few homes of the earliest era remain in Southold today. Many of the oldest con- tain frames or wings built in the seventeenth cen- tury. The Old House at Cutchogue has been called one of the finest examples of English domestic origin in the country. This two story and attic house, built in 1649 at the end of the village street in Southold, was moved a few years later to Cut- chogue. It was restored in 1940 in time for the Tercentenary celebration and is now a museum. Every early inhabitant had his share of each of the kinds of land needed to maintain life. A share of the "Old Field" headed the list. This was a fertile plain on the bay about a mile east of the village. Here in an allocated area each man grew the grains and vegetables for his table. He also had a woodlot near the north sea. From this be cut the timber for his buildings and the wood for his fire- places. Without the latter he and his family would soon starve or freeze. He had salt meadow, too. This was needed as fodder for his live stock. His share of this was either at Calves Neck, south of the ¥illage street or at Cutchogue or Oysterponds Lower Neck (Orient). As the town increased in population there was much juggling, buying and selling. The closer to home one could have all ones lots the more convenient in time and effort. The first boundaries of the town were frmn Mill Creek to the Fresh Meadows at Cutchogue. Soon this area was not big enough to meet the needs of an exploding population. More lands were pur- chased from the Indians. In 1649 land west of the old line, including present day Mattituck and Riverhead. came under town coutrol. Still later, presumably in 1654, the eastern lands were extend- ed to "the utmost poynt of land agst Plum Gutt". There is a 1661 record of the division of lands in all the new purchases. The Occabauk (Riverhead) dividend reached from the canoe place at Mattituck to the Wading River. Igew Haven Colony, under whose jurisdiction lived Southold, Stamford and a few other towns, merged with Connecticut in 1662. This did not please our eastern towns, but the connection was for only two years. Then Governor Nicholls of New York asserted the Duke of York's claim to all the island. This displeased Southold and her neighbors even more, especially when petty taxes and tyran- nies were imposed. There was no close relationship with New York as there had always been with New England, ~vhere ties of blood and trade lay. In 1676 the town was forced to obtain a patent from the then governor, Edmund Andross. In this the bound- aries of Southold. from the Wading RiYer to and including Plum Island, are specifically stated. During ~he French and Indian War many local men went off to battle. The period after this and until the Revolution was a trying one. Although a religious movement, "The Great Awakening", was stirring in almost every corner of the colonies there was greater and greater political unrest. The first hint of war with England brought an especial anxiety to the people of Long Island. This was one of the most vulnerable areas of America, and perhaps the most important to both ~ ~ (' - sides. Militia companies ~,' were formed. War came. The battle of Long Island was fought and lost. A great evacuation to Connecticut began. Few today realize the the suffering that took place on the island in those years of war. There were some loyalist families, it is true, but in the main the people were xvholeheartedly for the rebel cause. To continue in their homes with the hated British occupying the land and taking the best of their livestock and harvests would be intol- erable. To give service to the enemy would be near- ly impossible, for these were the opposite of a servile people. It has been estimated that one half of the population of the island became refugees to Connecticut. The same held true for Southold. Mather, in his monumental work on the subject, lists many local families who gathered as much of their movable possessions as they could and were ferried to "the main". Many of the men, once over there, joined the rebel army. Those who remained on the island had to swear allegiance to the king and give lip service to the occupying forces while they watched the havoc wreaked by the demands of those soldiers. It was to a vastly different Southold that the emigrees returned after 1783. Even men who had been prosperous before the war xvere forced to sell or mortgage their properties. Farms were overgrown. Houses and outbuildings needed repairs and money was worse than scarce. It was a time to try men's souls. "Gumption" is an old fashioned word but nothing better expresses that certain quality our forefathers had aplenty. They looked about for new fields of endeavor. Soon a new prosperity restored Southold to its former state of well being, and even beyond. Menhaden, porpoises and whales became the gold of the new generations. To search for these, after the off-shore fishing bad depleted the supply, many boats were needed. Shipbuilding and the outfitting of ships became the thriving industries of the east end. Cold Spring' Harbor, Northport, Sag Harbor and almost every village in the town of Southold rang to the tune of adze, hammer and saw. Until the Civil War Greenport, which as lhe Stifling of old had blossomed into a good sized hamlet, with the coming of ship building, became a whaling port of some prominence. [10] The railroad came to the eastern villagas as far lng farms. This help came from Poland and Lithu- as Greenport in 1844. This brought an influx of new an/a, fron/'it/st before the turn of the century until people and new blood. Fishing, farming and ship- the first World War. Poor peasants in their home- ping kept them all busy. Then the Civil War lands, here they worked hard, saved their money, brought its period of belt tightening when many built up the Roman Catholic churches and finally of the young men went off to serve the union. Here bought themselves homes and farms. Today every and there were individuals who sympathized with one of our hamlets has its percentage of Polish the south. Little East Marion, the Oysterponds names. Intermarriage with this group came slowly Upper Neck or Rocky Point of old, supposedly but is happening more and more. had a great number of "secesh" families. In this Emigrations took place too. As the settlement they reflected the founding fathers spirit of inde- grew and the founders multiplied, which they did pendence, at an astonishing rate, the r(arrow confines In 1730 Southold had lost Shelter Island, long the Southold prove too small. Some young men of the domain of the Sylvesters, when it became a town second generation and many of the third left and in its own right. Riverhead left the town in 1792. settled at Capt May, Morristown and Elizabeth, Very early the two Gull islands and Fisher's had New Jersey and in Orange County, New York. come under our wing. Thus the new bounds stretch- Today cemeteries there attest to the kinship with ed from just two or three miles off the Connecticut Southold, many of the names being alike in both shore at Stonington to a line running north and given and surname. Many of the living citizens in south beyond the hamlet of Franklinville, today's those areas have names with quite a familiar ring. Laurel. That small place, incidentally, was famous Would that the missing town records be found! for many years for its academy of learning. Aside from the light that would undoubtedly be Other changes have come. Slavery is gone and thrown on both the settlers and the events of that forgotten. Few seem to know that our Southold time, many other mysteries might be solved. Who ancestors had slaves. The wealthiest had as many came with Reverend Youngs in 16407 What was as half a dozen; many a family had one or two. the exact date? How did they live that first winter? In 1808 under the law of New York all slaves under There was hardly time to erect any but the crudest 65 xvere to be freed. Our records note many manu- homes. Were the "old sellers" at lower Oyster- missions. We know little of what became of most ponds storage bins for the Indians or, roofed, did of the newly freed people, they serve as shelters for the Norse many years Southold's partial geographic estrangement great- before? Or were they only temporary dwellings for ly contributed to the cause of its unique quality, men from Southold while they hunted or gathered the "alikeness" of its people in character and in fruit? Who built the "tobacco barns" mentioned name. A roster of men who lived here in the first very early before anyone was supposed to have quarter century (until 1665) contains many of the permanent homes down there in Oysterponds? How surnames found here today. The proportion is much deeper was the town creek and Southold Bay? amazing..4, few of the names died out through lack Historians have stated that they were deep enough of sons; some moved away and succeeded in pro- to admit very large craft. Hoxv large were the trees ducing a long male line. Many have descendants in of those virgin forests ? Modern man and his machin- female lines only. There is little doubt but that this cry have changed the face of much of our land. small township leads the country in the age and Would our forefathers recognize it? thickness of its blood. Fifty-three men were living here, by 1654. Let us The amount of intermarriage must have been pay tribute to the memory of those hardy pioneers and their families. eugenically correct, for the people are hardy and long-lived. There was a large transfusion with the immigration of many families from 1730 until 1800. At first predominantly English with some Welsh, Scots, Dutch and French Hugenot stock, some of t~ the old families married the Irish and German newcomers. With the Irish, Roman Catholicism was minor role in the religions society. Then came the latest and most "different" immigration. Many more hands were needed to work the larger and flourish- [11] SOUTHOLD AND THE SEA By BILLIE CLARKE ~"Summer of History" is being made con- stantly, before and after the season along the only salt water section of the Empire State, especially along Southold's 53 miles of Sound shore front, and 62 miles of inland water and tidal creeks. In a graphic way this island is often referred to as a giant whale in shape, 120 miles long, with its head at the west end and the two flukes of its tail making up Orient and Montauk. At the center run- ning east to west, is what geologists have termed the backbone. This includes plateaus up to 100 feet high in descending patterns, which are the outwash of our glacial plains. In fact, our north shore granite boulders indicate primitive formation. Fossils, min- eral production and the very general curvature of each shore denote that marine currents literally cut this island away from the mainland, now twelve miles north of us. Whether fact or "romantic fiction" the original thirteen Englishmen with their families, cattle, tools and a few possessions must have come from New Haven across the "north sea" by sloop or oared barge. With early records lost, these first settlers could well have come ashore at what is now known as Founders' Landing in Southold. These settlers were surely inspired by the many tools and ways of the Indians that they found here. Such items as a shell fish hook, a stone sinker for fish nets and a hoe made from a large clam shell, were successful aids in maintaining one's livelihood. Long Island Indians were believed to have in- vented the money, or wampun, used eventually all over the spreading settlements where trade de- manded a medium of exchange. In the summer the men gathered clam shells or quahog Or conch or periwinkle which their women first fashioned into a bar or octagonal strip. This was rounded, sawed and drilled to become a bead, then polished by rubbing on a large stone. These beads were often strung on hemp or sinew into many strings and then woven into a patterned belt. The black, or dark blue was the most valuable and considered to be their gold, while the white wampum was treated as their silver. Conscious of their closeness to the water and its effect on their daily life, these Indians often spoke of their homeland here as Sewan-hacky (land of the shells) or Meht-anew-ack (earshell country). Varied types of stone anchors found near these shores, indicate the passing of Dutch, Portugese, Spanish and English vessels in these waters prior to the arca's settlement. Before the pioneers arrived, the Indians had built huts similar to wigwams on the beaches for lookouts for whales, which they then probably went out to catch in their hand-hewn narrow canoes. Some settlers, initiated in the art of boat building, continued to carry on this important and necessary skill. Before roads were built, small boats were the only means of communication and transport between communities. Locally built xvhaling boats were later found useful during the Revolutionary War. Of particular note are the epl- ~.~ sodes when patriotic "whale-boat men" ~)~.~q. made many raids on the British from across the Sound. Once, crossing our land and dragging their boats, they crossed the bay and marauded Sag Harbor, returning safely. A site marker is located at Town Beach on the North Road telling of an outstandingly sue- _~_.,_ . cessful raid like this made by 170 men. Night traffic on the Sound during 1776, carrying Southold settlers fleeing from the occupying British, is well recorded in old manifests. Later notes of these families' safe return were made with gratification. During this period Col. George Washington, after crossing the Sound with his six horses and men en route to Virginia, stopped at Southold. With the abundance of firewood and fish and the need for agricultural produce, ~vharfs and ware- house docks sprang up. Very early Town Creek was busy with long boats and vessels of cargo making their way to this area where lived ship builders, mariners and captains. A roadside marker on Youngs Avenue beside the To~vn Creek marks this site. l~iuch produce, flax, horses and grain went to New York City's markets via boat. Necessarily, tide water mills located at headwaters on streams emptying into the Bay or Sound were constructed for grinding grains. The earliest in the vicinity [12] were in Hashamomack. It is interest- ing to note that the windmill is on the coat-of-arms of the City of New York. The traveler in these parts today is most happy to catch sight of a wind- mill. It recalls the days of corn-meal hasty pudding, with everything in the batter ground between stones. We owe, indirectly perhaps, thanks to those of our Puritan ancestors who lived in Hol- land, for their experiences with the windmill. The Sylvester Manor mill on Shelter Island (re- placing an earlier one) was built in Southold by Nathaniel Dominy. It was then moved to the Shelter Island manor by barge and ox team in 1795. The mill on Gardiner's Island was painted white and served as a landmark for sailing craft. The Red Mill of Riverhead built by Isaac Sxvezey, became a storehouse when the nearby pond went dry. Other mills were at Mill Creek, Mill Hill, Hog Neck (now Bay View) and Town Harbor. At the intersection of the North Road, Peconic Lane and Mill Road in Peconic, stands a roadside marker indicating the old mill cartway to Goldsmith Inlet MiI1 which stood at the inlet near the Sound. This type mill was reputed to be one of Nexv York's largest. Of course, xvith the tilling of the land came the mill, ami with the mill came the boat, and with the boat came the next romantic structure, the light- house. We still have the lighthouse and will prob- ably always need it, although the lighthouse keeper in most instances bas been replaced by an imper- sonal timing device. Horton's Point Light, on the Sound bluffs at Southold, is believed to have been commissioned by George Washington while he was president. In 1939 the Lighthouse Service became part of the U. S. Coast Guard lighthouse system on the Sound. In and around this North Fork area are situated the following lighthouses: North Dumping, built in 1848; Race Rock, 1878; Little Gull Island, 90 feet high and built in 1806; Plum Island; Orient Point, 64 feet high: Old Field Point; Lloyd Har- bor; Sand's Point; Horton's Point, 1857 and Strat- ford Shoals beacon that is in the middle of the Sound. The last old Life Saving Station, one of many strung out along the shores for rescued seafarers from the many shipwrecks and other coastal trade disasters, is now the house at the north end Sunset Lane in Orient. This is a reminder of our famous shipping days. Southold Wharf, built around 1856 and later named Founders' Landing, was a busy spot with steamers calling on their way to New England, and also stopping at Greenport and Sag Harbor. The last New York to New London run ~vas - -. made by the Shinnecock in the 1930's. · ---'-- ------ Other boats were the W. W. Coit, the S. S. Shelter Island and the S. S. Montauk. Along with the increase in trade, the flow of money and the glamour of the steamboat came the excitement of more gracious living. Orient still boasts houses with woodwork most beautifully carved in the Greek manner by a highly skilled local carpenter named Amon Tabor, xvho used themes of fish and shellfish and often built kitchens with scuppers, like a ship. The purest of ice, cut from local lakes and ponds, fed by running brooks and springs, was delivered by horse and wagon. Advertisements proclaimed that natural ice made from pure water gave off more cold air, thus keeping the refrigerator at a lower temperature. Greenport's Inns competed on even terms with the more notable, exclusive and fantastic hotels on the South Shore. Almost surrounded by ~vater as it is, fishermen and yachtsmen were naturally at- tracted. Facilities for building, repairing and out- fitting boats of all kinds were adjacent. The oldest of Greenport's more famous hostelries were the Clarke House and the Booth House. Other well known Inns were the Greenport House, Wyandank, Peconic House and the Burr House. A sea captain built the Clarke House which entertained many noted persons in its time. The old register bears the signatures of John Quincy Adams, General Winfield Scott, Fenimore Cooper, Walt Whitman, General Stewart L. 'Woodford, Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, Admiral Thomas Hutchins, Admiral George Dewey, Captain Andrew Sharp and Captain C. H. McClellan. For 93 years a legend over the mantel read "Shall I not take my peace in Mine Inn". Early marine activity resulted in the building, in 1672, of the Orient Point Inn, on what is now the end of Route 25. Some of its original stone cellar floor and heavy beams still serve its occu- pants. British troops were garrisoned here during the Revolution, and fmnous visitors included Daniel Webster, Washington Irving, President Grover Cleveland. James Fenimore Cooper lived bere while he wrote of Orient in "The Sea Lions". [13] NAUTICAL 1841 . T HOLLAND SUBMARINE 1900 z~o 4R~OR [ 14] Probably the majority of those who lost their also has a high oll content. This fish is a member lives in our early times died at sea. So testifies the of the herring: iamily. It is a migratory surface fish, old bur/al grounds where many of the stones are collecting in schools. About ten bunker boats leave inscribed in memory of sons and brothers lost on Greenport at a time and are usually gone five days. the long fishing and whaling voyages of the time. The boat loads of netted fish are unloaded at far- Perhaps as a her/rage from these early pioneers, toties which extract the oil and produce dried and to our good /ortune, we still carry on the meal. As long ago as 1878 statistics show that traditions of faming and fishing. These are our there were 56 factories; 279 sailing vessels; 64 leading industries today. Revenue from area steamers and 3,337 men employed in this business. waters comes from clams, scallops and oysters, The local Chambers of Commerce proclaim that now as yesterday. When Indian refuse pits are by our bottom fishing for flounder, porgies, blacks chance uncovered, the contents testify to the great and sea bass is unequaled anywhere. The taking fishing skills of the early habitants, of Peconic Bay weakfish on light tackle is legend- New Suffolk, as well as Greenport, participated ary. Plum Gut and the Fishers Island Race are in equipping and manning many whaling vessels known to be the only spots in the entire world, in the middle 19th century. At that time two kinds beside the distant Azores, where the tackle-smash- of whale were of commercial importance: the "fin- ing bluefish regularly exceed fifteen pounds. Light back" with a pointed shallow head and the "right" tackle enthusiasts are enjoying the recent advent with a deep arched head. The latter yielded more of the striper along the Sound shore. oil and had the best bone. Porpoises were also With the end of whaling and the coming of caught in great numbers in a large seine. From these blubber was recovered and leather was made steam the sea horizon has drastically changed. Today there are some 180,000 registered boats in the late 18th century. New Suffolk was the scene, from 1899 to 1904, anchored off Long Island, and every year it in- of the development and testing of the USS Holland, creases by about 30,000. About 150 of the largest the first practical submarine to be purchased and sailing yachts cruise these waters during a season. commissioned by the lJ. S. Navy. A submerged Just as the sea has determined the very shape of run with Clara Barton on board was one of its this island, so it has impinged upon the life of special bizarre accomplishments. A scale model of everyone who ever lived here. It brought the early this historic vessel, made by Floyd D. Houston, pioneers and helped feed them after they arrived. may be seen in the Whitaker Historical Collection As a means of communication and transportation in the Southold Free Library. it was at one time a necessity to all, the life work The Peconlc Bay scallop is widely proclaimed as and support of many and a matter of life or death the best of all scallops. As such it commands a to some. Today travel on these waters has become premium price in the market place. The first area principally a matter of sport or recreation. So, too, on Pecouic Bay to open scallop beds was New with fishing, although /ts commercial importance Suffolk. has not decreased and may even increase as our When the early settlers first saw the Indians population grows. putting fish on their fields they probably thought The sea is said to have been the original source it was to placate some heathen gods. Ho~vever, of all life. Down the millenia, and including the they soon discovered the fertilizing value of the last 325 years, it has not failed to support the body, idea and up until very recent times fish have been inspire the mind and exalt the soul of all those netted in the bays and spread on the fields/or this who have been fortunate enough to live in Southold purpose. Iqow fish for fertilizer is a big industry, Town, an area so generously endowed xvlth ready menhaden being the most sought variety since it access to its waters. [ 15] SOME HISTORIC SITES AND LANDMARKS LAUREL This is the first communi~ of Southold Town when approaching on Route 25 from the west. Formerly called Frnnklinville, the Academy of that name founded about 1831, was located here. Laurcl fronts on Great' Peconic Bay and includes Laurel Lake. MATTITUCK Mattituck is just east of Laurel and extends from Sound to Bay. In includes the only Long Island harbor on the Sound east of Port Jefferson. Among its many points of interest ere: . Presbyterian Church org~uiTed in 1715, on Main Stxeet. Site of old Grist M/Il on Mattituck Inlet, erected about 1820. North Fork Theater, occupying a former church on Sound Avenue. Octagon House, on Main Street, built in 1856 and long housing a general store. Wolf Pit Lake, on North Road, where marauding wolves were trapped. CUTCHOGUE The original name of this town, just east of Mattltuclg was Corchaug. It includes Little Hog Neck, where once all .the community hogs were fenced in and allowed to run wild (all distinctively ear-marked by their owners). It is now the fine residental section of Nassau Point. Many of the points of historic interest are described in "On and Around the Village Green" published by the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council. Some of them are: The Village Green, where are located the Old House, dating from 1649 and now a National Historic Monument; the School House built in 1847; the Public Library, now housed in a former church; and the old William Wickham House. The Fleet-Goldsmith-Kendrick House, on Hew Suffolk Road is included in the Library of Congress' Historic American Building Survey. [ 16] NEW SUFFOLK Robins New Suffolk is on a pen~n.~tla in Great Peconic Bay and includes privately oWned Island_ At one time a regular schedule of boats te New York City terminated here. A marker at the end of Main Street indicates the site of the Holland Torpedo Boat Station where, in 1900, the first submarine purchased by the U. S. Navy was tested. PECONIC Between Goldsmith Inlet on the Sound, the site of a long used Grist 1VIill blown doWn in the storm of 1898, and Indian Neck on Little Peconic Bay are included many acres where the famous Long Island potatoes grow. Many of the old houses along the Main Road date from pre-Revolutionary times. For detailed description see "Guide to Historic Markers" published by the Southold Hister- teal Society. Some of them are: Samuel Corwin House, pre-Revo, lutionary Lieut. Moses Case House, about 1747 The Old Castle, about 1724 Cot. Benjamin Case House, pre-1815 (Cutchogue's first post office) SOUTHOLD Founders' Landing in Southold, named for Southwold, East Suffolk, England, is where the first settlers arrived in 1640. Historic Site Markers and many old houses are described and located in "Guide to Historic Markers" published by the Southold Historical Society. Some of them are: Old First Church, founded in 1640; present building Southold ToWn Burying Ground and "God's Acre", adjoins the church. built in 1803. On Main Street. as the oldest part is called, llistorical Museum including "Turn-of-the-Century" House; eighteenth century Old Pine Neck Barn; Buttery and Tool House, all containing many rare exhibits of old furnish- ings, clothing, toys, carriages, tools, farm equipment, etc. [17] GREENPORT Formerly called Stifling, this was in 1844 the rail head of the first Long Island Rail Road and the main raft-steamboat route between New York and Boston. Always geared to the sea Greenport has witnessed the building of many ships in its yards, from whaling ships to submarine chasers. Its streets are still lined with fine examples of old whaling captains' homes with their widows walks. The old blacksmith shop behind Mitchell's Restaurant and the many docks for cruisers and sail boats are favorite motifs for artists. The ferry for SheIter Island and the South Shore leaves from its slip by the Raft Road Station. EAST MARION This small village between Greenport and Orient extends from Rocky Point on the Sound to Marion Lake and Orient Harbor. Its earlier names were Oysterponds Upper Neck and Rocky Point. It is believed it was presently named after General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary War fame. Its Post Office on the Main Road is possibly the first built in the United States as a Veteran's Memorial. The Baptist Church is at the head of Marion Lake and is opposite one of the many beautiful doorways found in the neighborhood that were designed and built by Amon Tabor. ORIENT Fomerly called Oysterponds this village extends from the East Marion causeway to Orient Point. On Village Lane are several pre-Revolutionary houses, also: Village House, Old School House and Hallock House, a marine museum, all owned by the Oysterponds Historical Society. The Orange Webb House built about 1740, is across the street. The Old Mu/ford House on the main road to Orient Point dates from 1666 and is one of the oldest in Southold Town. At Orient Point is the entrance to Orient Beach State Park. The s~,mmer ferry to New London and the Government ferry to the Iff. S. Department of Agriculture Station on Plum Island both leave from Orient Point. FISHERS ISLAND This most remote part of Southold Town can only be reached by airplane, private boat or ferry from Mew London. Beside being an ideal vacation spot there are many points of interest, such as: Old Brick Quarry The Old Brick House The Old Vffinthrop House, near East Point [15] OLD HOMES DOOKWAY Fleet_Goldsmith-Iicndrlck House THE OLD CASTLE Peconic DOoRW-Ay "The Old Castle" DllqlN G goOl~ yqebb House LIVING ROoM Webb ~OUse ~o~.A~o~O ~xot~,e~omo [ 19 ] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The 325th Anniversary Committee w~hes to acknowledge with grateful appreciation the generous support of the following organizations and individuals who have cont~buted to the success of this "Summer of History". PATRONS Arcade Department Store Averette Service Station Miss Mildred Bainbridge Mr. Earle W. Baker Mr. and Mrs. William M. Beebe Blaschaek Rest Home Mr. Clement W. Booth George Braun Oyster Co., Inc. Broadwater Cove Association A. Halsey Brown, Inc. Burt's Coal, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Richard il. Cron Mr. Louis M. Demarest Eastern L. I. Broadcasters, Inc. Mr. Fred BI. Faulkner Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Fisher Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Fleet Fleet Lumber, Inc. Mr. Edward W. Fox Goldin Furniture Co. Goldsmith & Tutb/ll W. T. Grant Company The Great A & P Tea Co., Inc. Greenport Fire Department Greenport-Southold Chamber of Commerce Griswold-Terry-Glover Post No. 803 S. B. Horton Co., Inc. Island Broadcasting System, Inc. (WRIV) Island's End Golf & Country Club, Inc. The Kimogener Point Co. Mr. Floyd F. King, Jr. Mr. and 1VIrs. Irving Latham 1Vir. W. Harry Lister Little Yankee Shop L. I. Cablevision Corp. R. A. McCallum, Inc. Mc/Vfaun-Price Agency Mitchell's Restaurant Mr. and Mrs. John W. Montgomery Mr. and Mrs. Arthur S. Moore Mr. Edward Nidds The North Fork Bank and Trust Company Oyster Ponds Chemical Co. Mr. B. Aborn Peckman Ralph T. Preston, Inc. S. T. Preston & Son, Inc. Mr. Frederic P. Rich Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Richmond Richter Home Improvement Co. iVir. Theodore Rob/off Salon de Goubeaud South Ferry, Inc. Southold Dodge Southold Hardware Southold Liquor Store Southold-Peconic Civic Association, Inc. Southotd Rebecca Lodge, No. 208 Southold Savings Bank Southold Town Republican Club Southold Town Republican County Comm. Mr. and Mrs. I. P. Terry Mrs. Eugenia L. Teves Mr. and Mrs. Preston Tuthill ULrich Marine Vail Bros., Inc. Valley National Bank of L. I. C. F. Van Duzer Gas Service, Inc. Otto Van Tuyl and Son V. F. W. Post No. 9205 The Wedgwood Shop Woodhollow Properties, Inc. [20] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DONORS In Memory of Ann Hallock Currie-Bell Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Jerome A. Appelquest Mrs. Madolin F. Barteau Miss W~n~ed Billard Dr. and Mrs. William C. Brons Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Brickey Mrs. Miriam Carver Mr. and Mrs. Harry G. Csse Mrs. Helen Case Mrs. Ruth B. Case Billie Clarke Gallery Cutchogue Chamber of Commerce Mr. William J. Dalton Mrs. S~anley W. England Mr. Arthur H. Fagan Mrs. Elizabeth Fensch-Olsen Mr. Paul E. J. Gerhold Mr. and Mrs. Corwin C. Grathwohl Greenport Theatre Mr. Melvin D. Greer 1~. Bernard Greiner Mr. Michael M. Hamway Mr. C. Hem, Jr. Mr. Gilbert V. Horton Hulse's Service Station Mr. and Mrs. Frank James Mr. and Mrs. Sven B. Jensen Mr. Mortimer DeMott Kelly Mm. Clarence H. Ketcham Mr. J. T. Kirkup Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Elein Mr. W. B. Lockwood lVir. Wal~er Luce tV[r. and M_rs. Howard C. 1VJCiller iVf_r. William Miller 1Vir. and iVfrs. Charles W. Morgan i~r. Paul G. O'Dea lVirs. Clara Onody Peconic 'Lodge l~lo. 349, F. & A. ]~. 1Vir. John Pelkofsky 1Virs. I. H. Reeve In Memory of Norman F. Reeve Claus H. Robohm, M.D. 1Vir. and iVirs. P. M. Rom Mr. Walter F. Rowland Seafood Barge lVIr. and Mrs. John C. Seifer~h Russell P. Silleck Agency Mr. Irving Stevens Burnett F. Tuthill Van's Hardware 1VIr. and Mrs. John H. Wehlau lVirs. Alice B. Wells Elizabeth F. Whelan Ann Wiegand