Sagamore Hill - Oyster Bay
The Town of Oyster Bay enjoys a rich and well-documented history. The very first known European to sail past Long Island’s south shore was Giovanni de Verrazano in 1524. David deVries was the first one to record the name of Oyster Bay for the beautiful harbor around the Town’s north shore in 1639. Long Island was first claimed through the Dutch in their province of New Netherland. In 1639, they purchased in the Native Americans a tract which, on the east, included the current Town land. In 1648, Robert Williams of Hempstead bought from the Native Americans a large parcel of land, which is represented today by Hicksville and adjacent areas of Jericho, Plainview, Syosset and Woodbury.
Five years later, the Native American Chief Mohannes sold the land within the northern part of Oyster Bay, extending from New york Sound to a point near Hicksville, to New Englanders Samuel Mayo, Peter Wright and William Leverich. Several other colonists joined within this First Purchase and chosen the land.
In founding the Town, the brand new Englanders were seeking new opportunities on New york just east of the boundary established between the English and Dutch. In 1667, 3 years following the English won New Netherland, the city of Oyster Bay, inclusive of land towards the “Soth Sea” (Great South Bay), was granted a patent through the English Governor, Sir Edmund Andros. After the defeat from the American Army in the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, Oyster Bay fell under British occupation. The Revolutionary War found New york strongly Loyalist. British troops used Raynham Hall his or her headquarters, the hall being the house of patriot Samuel Townsend and currently a museum. Even though he was arrested at the start of the war for his support from the patriots, his son, Robert, remained active as an undercover agent for General Washington while using code name, “Culper, Jr.” With the aid of his sister, Sally, he reportedly secured information that led to the exposure of Benedict Arnold’s plot to defect to the British and start West Point to their control.
Following the Revolution, Oyster Bay continued primarily as an agricultural area through the nineteenth century. It didn’t come into national prominence again until the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, an Oyster Bay resident whose home, Sagamore Hill, served as the “summer White House” from 1902 to 1908. This massive Victorian mansion, with its original furnishings, was dedicated like a national shrine during the administration of President Eisenhower. It has since been completely restored and is open to the general public.
Using the creation of World Wars I and II, the Town’s primarily agricultural economy began changing to 1 of industry and business, especially in the region of aeronautics. Farmlands gave way to business complexes, factories and new housing. Today, Oyster Bay enjoys a well-balanced mixture of commercial, residential and recreational development, resulting in the Town’s slogan that “Oyster Bay is a superb place to live, work and play.”
