Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor, New York | ||
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FIPS code 36-64485 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0963216 | |
Website | sagharborny |
Sag Harbor is an
The entire business district is listed as the historic Sag Harbor Village District on the National Register of Historic Places. A major whaling and shipping port in the 19th century, by the end of this period and in the 20th century, it became a destination for wealthy people who summered there.
Sag Harbor is about three-fifths in Southampton and two-fifths in East Hampton (the Town boundary being Division Street). Its landmarks include structures associated with whaling and its early days when it was designated as the first port of entry to the new United States. It had the first United States custom house erected on Long Island.
History
Sag Harbor was settled by English colonists sometime between 1707 and 1730. Many likely migrated from New England by water, as did other settlers on eastern Long Island. The first bill of lading to use the name "Sag Harbor" was recorded in 1730.[5]
While some accounts say the village was named for the neighboring settlement of
During the American Revolutionary War, New York Patriots fled from the advancing British and Loyalist forces and departed from Sag Harbor by boat and ship for Connecticut. In 1777 American raiders under Return Jonathan Meigs attacked a British garrison at a fort on a hill in Sag Harbor, killing six and capturing 90 British soldiers in what was called Meigs Raid. The fort was dismantled after the war. The site has become known as the Old Burying Ground and is associated with the Old Whaler's Church.
Sag Harbor supplanted Northwest, another port about 5 miles (8 km) east of the village in the Town of East Hampton. International ships and the whaling industry had started in Northwest, but its port was too shallow for the developing traffic. The most valuable whale product was whale oil, which was used widely in lamps.
Sag Harbor became a major port for the whaling industry, and the processing and sale of this oil. By 1789 Sag Harbor had "had more tons of square-rigged vessels engaged in commerce than even New York City."[7] It had become an international port.
After the Second Session of Congress on July 31, 1789, Sag Harbor was declared as the first official port of entry to the United States. Its streets were filled with sailors, artisans, merchants, representatives of the many different cultures working in shipping and whaling. As the first stop for ships entering United States territory, Sag Harbor received ships bound for New York City. The United States government placed a customs house in the town, the first on Long Island, to collect duties and other fees.[8][9]
During the War of 1812, a British squadron dominated and controlled most of Long Island Sound. Several open British boats entered the harbor at night, without any advance planning; the young commanding midshipman, C. Claxton R.N., was curious about the village. He later wrote about his youthful misadventures years when serving as editor of The Naval Monitor. They landed at the wharf, but an alarm gun was fired before they could set fire to the coasting vessel docked there and they quickly retreated. Claxton and his men made it safely back to HMS Ramillies, anchored off Gardiners Island.[10]
The village of Sag Harbor is in the Towns of both Southampton and East Hampton. The dividing line is Division Street,[
The whaling industry in Sag Harbor peaked in the 1840s, but its importance had been widely recognized. Writer
Arrived at last in old Sag Harbor; and seeing what the sailors did there; and then going on to Nantucket, and seeing how they spent their wages in that place also, poor Queequeg gave it up for lost. Thought he, it's a wicked world in all meridians; I'll die a pagan.
Historic buildings from this period include the
Whaling merchant Benjamin Huntting II commissioned a grand, 1845
Lafever is also credited with designing the Old Whaler's Church and the Masonic Temple. The broken mast monument in Oakland Cemetery is the most visible of several memorials to men who died at sea.
The whaling business collapsed after 1847, as other methods were discovered to create kerosene and other fuels; the first was coal oil. The discovery of petroleum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859 sealed the end.
Many of the ships based in Sag Harbor carried erstwhile miners around South America to
Mercator Cooper sailed as crew out of Sag Harbor on November 9, 1843, on the Manhattan. He was on a voyage to Japan, and became one of the first Americans to visit Tokyo Bay. Pyrrhus Concer, an African-American sailor, also served on the ship; he was the first African-American man known to be seen by the Japanese. Cooper continued with major sailing expeditions. On January 26, 1853, he left Sag Harbor on the Levant, bound to the South Pole. He was the first person to set foot on East Antarctica.
In 1870 the
New residents continued to settle in the village. In 1896, the oldest synagogue on Long Island, Temple Adas Israel, was founded in Sag Harbor.
During
Sag Harbor was the residence of writer John Steinbeck from 1955 until his death in 1968. Steinbeck did some of his writings in a little house on the edge of his property,[17] including The Winter of Our Discontent, which was set in a fictionalized version of Sag Harbor and whose main character works at a grocery store modelled after Schiavoni's.[18] His view from the writing house overlooked the Upper Sag Harbor Cove. As recounted in his memoir, Travels with Charley, Steinbeck started an 11-week trip with his dog, Charley, from Sag Harbor across the United States.[19][20]
Steinbeck Writers' Retreat is a writer's residency program at John Steinbeck's home in Sag Harbor. It is run by the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas in Austin. Every fellow and writer-in-residence interacts with the community during their time at the residency, through readings from novels, film screenings and discussions, or read-throughs of plays.[21][22]
The Church is a nonprofit arts center in Sag Harbor was founded by artists Eric Fischl and April Gornik. It opened April 15, 2021, and has an exhibition space and artists residency program.[23]
The Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge was renamed in November 2008 as The LCpl Jordan Haerter Veterans' Memorial Bridge. It is believed to be the site of the 1995 suicide of Ray Johnson, a Pop artist. Spalding Gray, a writer and performer, attempted suicide at the bridge in September 2002 and October 2003.
Sag Harbor is the birthplace of the noted American poet George Sterling.
Writer William Demby lived in Sag Harbor during his last years, until his death on May 24, 2013.
African-American history
The
Poet and educator Olivia Ward Bush-Banks (1869-1944) was born in Sag Harbour on February 27, 1869 to parents of African and Montauk descent. Noted Author Colson Whitehead wrote the book Sag Harbor about his childhood in the area.
After the Second World War, African Americans started to settle in what became the neighborhoods of Sag Harbor Hills, Ninevah,
As of the 2010s, there is pressure from investors who, consolidating lots and planning to build larger houses than is customary, pose a threat to the character of the neighborhoods.[27] In 2016, a collective group was formed to study these impacts on the Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Subdivisions, known by the acronym SANS. They have begun a survey of the historic resources of this area, believing they may gain listing as a historic district on the State and National Register of Historic Places, through which they could establish protection for the district. On July 10, 2019 (NP ref#100004217) was listed as the Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Beach Subdivisions Historic District.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), of which 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km2), or 22.44%, is water.[28][29]
In the village of Sag Harbor, fresh drinking water was obtained from digging wells to support the town's population. “The original source of water supply was secured from four dug wells in the southern part of the village of Sag Harbor”.[30] As Sag Harbor's population has increased, the village has had to start bringing in fresh water from pipe lines.
As in many areas, the village practice of running sewage and storm water into the bays of Sag Harbor had to change. Sewage from the village of Sag Harbor is processed by the Department of Public Works, Wastewater Treatment Plant. It uses "chlorine to kill bacteria" before [sewage] enters the bay. By 2014, the village was using an ultra-violet system to kill the bacteria.[31]
Topography
The majority of Sag Harbor lies on a flat, sandy coastal plain which makes up much of southern Long Island and extends along the southern coast of the island. It is the remains of a glacial moraine. Small hills rise up from the shore at about 0.3 miles (0.48 km) inland. Knolls and hills are dominated mostly by Red and Scarlet
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 1,723 | — | |
1900 | 1,969 | — | |
1910 | 3,408 | 73.1% | |
1920 | 2,993 | −12.2% | |
1930 | 2,773 | −7.4% | |
1940 | 2,517 | −9.2% | |
1950 | 2,373 | −5.7% | |
1960 | 2,346 | −1.1% | |
1970 | 2,363 | 0.7% | |
1980 | 2,581 | 9.2% | |
1990 | 2,134 | −17.3% | |
2000 | 2,313 | 8.4% | |
2010 | 2,169 | −6.2% | |
2020 | 2,772 | 27.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[32] |
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,313 people, 1,120 households, and 583 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,345.1 inhabitants per square mile (519.3/km2). There were 1,942 housing units at an average density of 1,129.4 per square mile (436.1/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 85.78%
There were 1,120 households, of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.9% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 16.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The village's
As of 2015, the village's median household income was $100,900, and the median per capita income was $63,995. The value of owner-occupied housing was $918,500 with a margin of error of +/- $53,587.[33] Three of the special tax districts in Sag Harbor were ranked among the 20 Lowest Property Tax Districts on Long Island and those same three districts were ranked among the 30 lowest special tax districts in all of New York State.[34]
Media
Newspapers
Long Island's first newspaper, Frothingham's Long-Island Herald, was published in Sag Harbor by David Frothingham between 1791 and 1796. His wife, Nancy Pell, ran the newspaper until 1802. Frothingham was sued and found guilty of slander by Alexander Hamilton for an article published in the Brooklyn newspaper, The Argus.[35] Unable to pay the bond, Frothingham became a seaman. He is believed to have died at sea, somewhere off the coast of Africa.[36]
According to local historian Dorothy Zaykowski, "Sag Harbor's earliest newspapers published little in the way of local news, concentrating instead on a story, sermon, and both national and international events. It is likely folks learned all the local gossip and goings on at the general store barber shop, or on the street corner."[37]
The community newspaper The Corrector was first published in 1822. According to Zaykowski, Henry Wentworth Hunt came to the village from Boston with three sons, two of whom followed him into the newspaper business. He published The Corrector weekly until 1837; then published it semi-weekly until his death in 1859. His sons Alexander and Brinley Sleight Hunt took over and published the newspaper daily. When this proved unprofitable, they reverted to weekly publication. The Corrector later was known as the Sag Harbor Corrector.
The Sag Harbor Corrector was eventually purchased in 1919 by Burton Corwin, owner of the Sag Harbor News; the merged papers became the Sag Harbor News and Corrector. This amalgamated newspaper was subsequently purchased in the late 1920s by the Gardner family, owners of The Sag Harbor Express. They made the latter the only newspaper in town.[38] The Sag Harbor Express is still the newspaper for Sag Harbor Village, the Village of North Haven, the Sag Harbor School District and the Bridgehampton School District.
Radio
WLNG has been on-the-air at 92.1 FM since April 1969. The station previously operated on 1600 AM from 1963 until 1969.
Entertainment
Since 1915, four movie theaters have operated at 90 Main Street. They were George's Theatre, The Elite, Glynne's Sag Harbor Theatre, and the Sag Harbor Theatre. The latter was known for its
Alan Alda's 1986 film Sweet Liberty was shot in Sag Harbor.[41]
In 1991, The Bay Street Theater was founded by Sybil Christopher, Emma Walton Hamilton and Stephen Hamilton. It is in a building on Long Wharf and operates year round.[42]
Sag Harbor is the home of actress Julie Andrews.[43]
Jimmy Buffett died in Sag Harbor on September 1, 2023.
Schools
The Sag Harbor Union Free School District includes both the Sag Harbor Elementary School and Pierson Middle-High School.
Stella Maris Regional School a Catholic private school, was based in Sag Harbor but closed in 2011. In May 2016, voters in Sag Harbor approved the Sag Harbor Union Free School District's purchase of the Stella Maris Regional School property from the St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church for $3.3 million.[44] The building now houses the district's pre-kindergarten program.[45]
Nature and protected areas
Cilli Farm
The Cilli Farm was a dairy farm owned and operated by Vitali and Antonina Cilli and their family in the early 1900s. The village acquired the farm to operate it as a refuge for wildlife in the area. It serves as an
The wet lands and bay shellfish have suffered episodes of Brown Tide, an algal hyperproduction. The Brown Tide has adversely affected the populations of bay scallops and mussels in the surrounding bays.[47] When the brown tide is active, the scallops and mussels populations decline.[48]
the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, an "oyster garden" under the Sag Harbor village docks. His shellfish were being grown “not for snacks,” he said, but to “help repopulate the water.” Harrison had taken up oyster gardening as a concerned environmentalist, but also as a real estate broker who had sold approximately 100 waterfront houses. Watching the inlet's water quality decline, he'd wanted to do something to help reverse that trend.
The Sag Harbor Oyster Club
The Sag Harbor Oyster Club was formalized into a 501-3c in 2020 with the mission of clean water advocacy up and down the East Coast. Fully-funded by Simon Harrison Real Estate from its inception, the effort follows on from the Conscience Point Shellfish Hatchery, an "oyster garden" under the Sag Harbor village docks funded and maintained by real estate broker and clean water advocate, Simon Harrison. The oyster farming endeavor was intended to put the shellfish to work cleaning the harbor's water.[49]
In January 2016, after learning that oysters were being raised so close to the outlet pipe of the Sag Harbor sewage water treatment plant on the village waterfront, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ordered the Sag Harbor Harbormaster to shutter the operation. New York State prohibits cultivation of shellfish in uncertified waters — where harvesting of oysters for human consumption is banned. A further danger is oysters ingesting (and filtering) polluted water, as they too become tainted. Harrison stressed his oysters were not offered for human consumption.[50]
Notable people
- Julie Andrews, actress[51]
- Jimmy Buffett, musician, singer-songwriter, and businessman
- Wendy Gaynor, entrepreneur and author
- Billy Joel, singer, song writer, pianist[52]
- Roy Scheider, actor[53]
References
- ^ "History - Sag Harbor New York". Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "Suffolk County Tax Map Range". Town of Southampton. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
Village of North Haven, Village of Quogue, Village of Southampton, Village of W. Hampton Beach, Village of Sag Harbor, Village of W. Hampton Dunes, Village of Sagaponack, Southampton Town
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Sag Harbor village, New York". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Keene, Robert (February 7, 2008). "History of Sag Harbor". Corner Bar 1 Main Street Sag Harbor New York 11963. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ "Long Island History Room". John Jermain Memorial Library, Sag Harbor, NY. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
Please see image labeled Sagg Harbor 1840.
- ^ Wick, Steve (February 23, 2008). "Sag Harbor's Heyday -- Newsday.com". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Flotteron, Nicole. "A Trip Down Memory Lane In Sag Harbor". Hamptons.com. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "The Sag Harbor History Room". John Jermain Memorial Library. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ The Naval Monitor: containing many useful hints for both the public and private conduct of the young gentlemen in, or entering, the profession, in all its branches; in the course of which, and under the remarks on gunnery, are some observations on the naval actions with America: also, a plan for improving the naval system, as far as it regards the most useful set of petty officers, the midshipmen, C. Claxton, G.B. Whittaker; Simpkin and Marshall, 1828
- ^ Eastville Historical Society.
- ^ "Result for query "Harbor"". The Princeton Text Archive. The Educational Technologies Center, Princeton University. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Melville, Herman (1851). "Chapter xii — BIOGRAPHICAL". Moby Dick. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Oliver Peterson, "Push is on to rebuild church steeple", East Hampton Press, June 13, 2007
- ^ Bleyer, Bill (February 23, 2008). "Sag Harbor — A Port Bigger Than New York". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
The business then declined rapidly as ships and crews were lured by the 1849 California gold rush and oil was discovered in Pennsylvania. The last Sag Harbor whaler was the Myra, which sailed in 1871 and wrecked three years later.
- ^ Weisburg, Henry; Donneson, Lisa; McKusick, Diana (1975). Guide to Sag Harbor Landmarks, Homes & History. Sag Harbor, New York: The John Street Press in association with the Sag Harbor Historical Society. p. 39.
- ^ Horst, Frenz. "John Steinbeck - Biographical". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ISBN 9780143039488.
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey (September 24, 2010). "At Steinbeck's Getaway As Heirs' Feud Revives". New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ^ McGrath, Charles (April 3, 2011). "A Reality Check for Steinbeck and Charley". The New York Times.
- ^ Vecsey, Taylor K. (March 31, 2023). "History Written: John Steinbeck's Sag Harbor Home Preserved". behindthehedges.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Steinbeck Writers' Retreat – Michener Center for Writers". Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Libbey, Peter (April 9, 2021). "The Church, an Arts Center in Sag Harbor, Is Opening". The New York Times. pp. C7. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ISBN 9780848818043.
- ISBN 978-0848808990.
- ^ "Mrs. Hunter J.Terry Obituary". Sag Harbor Express. November 21, 1968.
- ^ John Leland (August 25, 2016). "Investors Move Next Door, Unsettling a Black Beachside Enclave". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
As house prices in the Hamptons soar, Sag Harbor Hills and its neighbors are now luring investors looking for bargains.
- ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Sag Harbor village, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- OCLC 5547582630.
- ^ "Wastewater Treatment Plant". Village of Sag Harbor. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Census profile: Sag Harbor, NY". Census Reporter. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ "Highest, Lowest Property Tax Rates Ranked by Empire Center" (PDF). Empire Center. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ISBN 9781139490023.
- ^ Sampson, Christine (June 6, 2018). "Frothingham's 1791 Newspaper Recognized by Press Club as Long Island's First - The Sag Harbor Express". The Sag Harbor Express. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Dorothy Zaykowski, Sag Harbor – The Story of an American Beauty.
- ^ Maier, Marissa (July 9, 2009). "History of Sag Harbor's Newspapers". The Sag harbor Express. Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, Long Island, N.Y.: Bryan Boyhan. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
As the Sag Harbor Express celebrates its 150th anniversary this week,...
- ISBN 978-0997530438.
- ^ Channing, Cornelia (May 15, 2021). "A First Look at Sag Harbor's Rebuilt Cinema". Curbed. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ "Sweet Liberty – 86 – Michelle Pfeiffer".
- ^ "About". Bay Street Theater. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ Alpern, David M. (January 30, 2020). "Jewels From 'Jools'". easthamptonstar.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ Menu, Kathryn G. (May 18, 2016). "District Voters Approve Stella Maris Purchase". The Sag Harbor Express. Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, Long Island, N.Y.: Kathryn G. Menu. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
Sag Harbor School District voters on Tuesday approved...
- ^ Riley, Cailin (August 3, 2021). "Sag Harbor Ready For Full-Day Pre-K Program". Southampton Press. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ Wierzyński, Kazimierz (1966). Moja prywatna Ameryka (first ed.). London: Polska Fundacja Kulturalna. p. 125.
- ISBN 978-3-540-51961-4. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ^ Sprung, Matthew. "Algal Tides Threaten Local Waters". Hamptons Visitor Guide. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ Kotz, Steven J. (December 17, 2015). "Raising Oysters To Improve Water Quality". The Sag Harbor Express. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Kotz, Steven J. (February 10, 2016). "Oyster Operation Catches Eye of DEC Enforcement". The Sag Harbor Express. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Alpern, David M. (January 30, 2020). "Jewels From 'Jools'". easthamptonstar.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ "Billy Joel Moving Ahead With Plans to Renovate Sag Harbor Home". Heading Out. September 19, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Kehr, Dave (February 11, 2008). "Roy Scheider, Actor in 'Jaws,' Dies at 75". The New York Times.
Bibliography
- Hinkle, Annette (2017). Sag Harbor: 100 Years of Film in the Village. Bridgehampton, N.Y.: East End Press. ISBN 978-0997530438.
- Weisburg, Henry; Donneson, Lisa; McKusick, Diana (1975). Guide to Sag Harbor Landmarks, Homes & History. Sag Harbor, N.Y.: The John Street Press in association with the Sag Harbor Historical Society. OCLC 54933955.
- Zaykowski, Dorothy Ingersoll (1991). Sag Harbor: The Story of an American Beauty. Sag Harbor, N.Y.: Sag Harbor Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-8488-0899-0.
External links
- Official website
- Suffolk Historic Newspapers — Online Archives, The Corrector (1822–1911) and The Sag Harbor Express (1885–1898)
- The Sag Harbor Express
- VisitSagHarbor.com
- Village of Sag Harbor at the Wayback Machine (archived April 4, 2006)
- Village of Sag Harbor at the Wayback Machine (archived October 24, 2005)