Dan's Papers - June 22, 2007

It was such a different world in the mid 1600s. The embers from fires rose up into the heavens towards the glow of a sky full of stars. A full moon truly lit up terrain absent of any other form of illumination. The sounds of streams, brooks, and owls echoed through the forest. It was to this land that the settlers came, seeking new futures and new destinies.

The native Indians who inhabited the Sag Harbor region were Algonquin. They called their land Wegwagonock, meaning at the foot of the hill. Their lodges were built to protect them from cold winters. Their canoes took them swiftly to places it would have taken hours to walk. The founding fathers of Southampton (1640), and East Hampton (1648), dealt with the Indians out of curiosity and necessity. Settlers from the Sagaponack region cut a path through the forest to get to the Indian Village.

1707 is the founding date of what we now call Sag Harbor, however, there is some debate surrounding the official date. Historian Dorothy Zaykowski claims the town of Southampton made "procurement" in 1665 with the Algonquin for the Harbor at Sagg, while another historian has the Russell family living in North Haven in 1680. The Town of East Hampton documents town official William Pelletreau as being "sent to Sagg Harbor" in 1707, thus marking the ambiguous founding date.

It seems Sag Harbor was never a religious settlement, but a commercial venture for those seeking a functional deep water port, in the wake of a failed Northwest Woods settlement, which was too shallow.

It may be that Nathaniel Fordham, James Howell and James Foster all from Southampton, are the Founding Fathers of Sag Harbor. Their three homes are known to have existed in 1710, and were still the only documented homes by 1730. In 1736, large tracts of land were granted to the Mulford, Chatfield, Conklin and Stratton families. To this day, Sag Harbor is 3/5ths part of the Town of East Hampton and 2/5ths part of the Town of Southampton. It may be noted that it wasn't until 1770 that there was a New England emigration to Sag Harbor that may have caused the construction of a second wharf that year. This is the first part of a five-part chronology of the events that have resulted in what is now known as Sag Harbor. In August, Stephen Longmire's book Keeping Time in Sag Harbor, will be released for sale, (although copies are now available at local libraries to be looked at.) It celebrates the 300th anniversary of the founding of Sag Harbor.

The chronology we will present here will enhance one's understanding of subjects discussed in the book. Next week will deal with the American Revolution, The War of 1812, and their connection to Sag Harbor.