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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Suffolk County, New York.
Official Website
History
Suffolk County was part of the Connecticut Colony before becoming an original county of the Province of New York, one of twelve created in 1683. From 1664 until 1683 it had been the East Riding of Yorkshire. Its boundaries were essentially the same as at present, with only minor changes in the boundary with its western neighbor, which was originally Queens County but has been Nassau County since the separation of Nassau from Queens in 1899.
According to the Suffolk County website, the county is the leading agricultural county in the state of New York, saying that: "The weather is temperate, clean water is abundant, and the soil is so good that Suffolk is the leading agricultural county in New York State. That Suffolk is still number one in farming, even with the development that has taken place, is a tribute to thoughtful planning, along with the excellent soil, favorable weather conditions, and the work of the dedicated farmers in this region."
Fire Island Lighthouse was an important landmark for many trans-Atlantic ships coming into New York Harbor in the early 20th century. For many European immigrants, the Fire Island Light was their first sight of land upon arrival in America.
The Fire Island Inlet span of the Robert Moses Causeway connects to Robert Moses State Park on the western tip of Fire Island.
The Great South Bay Bridge, the first causeway bridge, had only one northbound and one southbound lane, was opened to traffic in April 1954. The span of 2 miles across Great South Bay to Captree Island features a main span of 600 feet, with a clearance for boats of 60 feet.
After crossing the State Boat Channel over its 665-foot-long bascule bridge, the causeway meets the Ocean Parkway at a cloverleaf interchange. This interchange provides access to Captree State Park, Gilgo State Park and Jones Beach State Park.
The Fire Island Inlet Bridge continues the two-lane road, one lane in each direction, across Fire Island Inlet to its terminus at Robert Moses State Park and The Fire Island Lighthouse. Robert Moses Causeway opened in 1964.
Suffolk County has the most lighthouses of any United States county, with 15 of its original 26 lighthouses still standing. Of these 15, eight are in Southold township alone, giving it more lighthouses than any other township in the United States.
At various times, there have been proposals for a division of Suffolk County into two counties. The western portion would be called Suffolk County, while the eastern portion of the current Suffolk County would comprise a new county to be called Peconic County. Peconic County would consist of the five easternmost towns of Suffolk County: East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold, plus the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.
The proposed Peconic County flag showed the two forks at the east end of Long Island separated by Peconic Bay. The star on the north represents Southold. The stars on the South Fork represent Southampton and East Hampton. Riverhead is at the fork mouth and Shelter Island is between the forks.
The secessionist movement has not been active since 1998.
The End of the Hamptons: Scenes from the Class Struggle in America's Paradise, by Corey Dolgon (New York University Press, 2005[53]%29 examined the class roots of the secessionist movement in the Hamptons. In his review, Howard Zinn wrote that the book "[t]akes us beyond the much-romanticized beaches of Long Island to the rich entrepreneurs and their McMansions, the Latino workers, and the stubborn indigenous residents refusing to disappear. The book is important because it is in so many ways a microcosm of the nation." The book won the Association for Humanist Sociology's 2005 Book Prize and the American Sociological Association's Marxist Section Book Award in 2007.
Towns
- Babylon
- Brookhaven
- East Hampton
- Huntington
- Islip
- Riverhead (County Seat)
- Shelter Island
- Smithtown
- Southampton
- Southold
Villages
Amityville | Asharoken | Belle Terre | Bellport | Brightwaters | Dering Harbor | Greenport | Head of the Harbor | Huntington Bay | Islandia | Lake Grove | Lindenhurst | Lloyd Harbor | Nissequogue | North Haven | Northport | Ocean Beach | Oldfield | Patchogue | Poquott | Port Jefferson | Quogue | Sag Harbor | Sagaponack | Saltaire | Shoreham | Village of the Branch | West Hampton Dunes | Westhampton Beach
List of Municipalities on Long Island
Gardiner's Island
Gardiners Island is an island off eastern Suffolk County. The Island is 6 miles long, and 3 miles (5 km) wide and has 27 miles of coastline. The same family has owned the Island for nearly 400 years; one of the largest privately owned islands in America or the world. In addition, it is the only American real estate still intact as part of an original royal grant from the English Crown.
Robins Island
Robins Island is an Island in the Peconic Bay between the North and South folks of eastern Suffolk County. It is within the jurisdiction of Town of Southold in Suffolk County, New York. The Island is 435 acres and presently undeveloped. The island is privately owned and not accessible to the public.
Indian Reservations
- Shinnecock Reservation
- Poospatuck Reservation
Links
Suffolk County & The American Revolution - DAR
USS Suffolk County LST-1173
Suffolk County Historic Markers
Amagansett Nat'l Wildlife Ref.
Conscience Point Nat'l Wildlife Ref.
Elizabeth A. Morton Nat'l Wildlife Ref.