Sag Harbor - A Bookmark of Time
Sag Harbor- A Bookmark in Time
From where the dinosaurs once stood this semi quincentennial is a tiny drop in the ocean of time – yet lifetimes have been lived, villages and cities and families flourished, wars fought, lives lived and lives lost. It’s hard not to feel that history in your bones when you live in a village that is etched so deeply in the journal of time. We walk in the footsteps of those who fought and dreamt and worked to create the dream we live. We feel the beauty and the grace of those dreams in our architecture, our artifacts, the stories left behind. Who can walk past the Whaling Museum, Old Whalers’ Church, the Annie Cooper Boyd House, the John Jermain Memorial Library, the American Hotel, the Captain’s homes without feeling part of our collective history. A history that can sing you to sleep at night with drum and fife and penny whistle.
But Whaling is only a piece of Sag Harbor’s story. Sag Harbor’s story belongs to so many others as well. It is the story of one of the most distinct gatherings of grit and soul than perhaps any village in the nation. This history belongs to the Shinnecock people who were the first to know these waters. It belongs to African American whalers who helped to build this village along with the immigrants from Cape Verde, the Azores, Ireland, Scandinavia, and all over the globe. The history of Sag Harbor is filled with the richness of diversity and the soul of adventure!
And here we are now, creating our own small piece of history. My hope is that we will be remembered for our stewardship of the earth and our beautiful village - for preserving the history of Sag Harbor, caring for its buildings and artifacts, and living with an awareness of the continuum of time rather than simply the moment at hand.
And on this auspicious weekend - this bookmark in time - it is wonderful to remember the part Sag Harbor has played in the unfolding of our nation's story.
They say that if you are lucky enough to live by the sea, you are lucky enough.
My morning walks down Long Wharf often leave me wondering: through all the crowds, the traffic, the waiting in lines... could I - would I - ever be able to call another place home?
So far, the answer has been a resounding, "No."
******************************************************************************
Some Gathered Facts 🐋📚
The Shinnecock were here first
Long before Europeans arrived, the area around Sag Harbor was home to the Shinnecock Indian Nation and other Algonquian-speaking peoples.
They lived from the rich natural resources of the bays, creeks, and forests:
• shellfish
• striped bass
• oysters
• clams
• deer
• wildfowl
• corn, beans, and squash
The harbor itself was already a place of travel, fishing, and trade long before it became a whaling port.
Native Americans were whalers too
Many Native American men became some of the finest whalemen in the world.
Shinnecock and Montauk men and women were prized because they were:
• expert sailors
• excellent harpooners
• fearless in small whaleboats
Some Sag Harbor whaling crews included Native Americans alongside African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Portuguese sailors, and New Englanders.
The land remembers
Many local place names preserve Native history:
• Sagaponack
• Noyac
• Shinnecock
• Montauk
These names remind us that European settlement did not begin the story—it joined one already thousands of years old.
Eastville
The Eastville Community is among the oldest continuously inhabited African American neighborhoods in the United States.
Beginning in the early 1800s, it became home to:
• free Black families,
• Native American families,
• and later immigrant families.
Unlike many communities of the time, Eastville was racially diverse.
African American sailors:
• served as crew members,
• became officers,
• earned wages,
• purchased homes,
• and established businesses.
St. David AME Zion Church
St. David AME Zion Church was organized in the 1830s and became the spiritual center of Sag Harbor's Black community.
It remains one of the village's most important historic landmarks.
Eastville Cemetery
The Eastville Community Historical Society cares for one of Long Island's oldest African American cemeteries.
Buried there are:
• whalers,
• Civil War veterans,
• ministers,
• teachers,
• community leaders,
• and families whose stories are finally receiving the recognition they deserve.
A remarkably diverse village
By the middle of the nineteenth century, it wasn't unusual to hear multiple languages on Main Street.
People from:
• Cape Verde
• Portugal
• the Azores
• Native American communities
• African American communities
• England
• Ireland
• Scandinavia
all contributed to making Sag Harbor one of America's most cosmopolitan small villages.
1. Sag Harbor was America's first official Port of Entry
In 1789, after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, Sag Harbor became the first federally designated Port of Entry in the new nation. Every international ship arriving here had to clear customs before continuing on to places like New York City. At the time, it was second only to New York City in maritime importance.
2. It was one of the greatest whaling ports in the world
By the early 1800s, Sag Harbor ships sailed to:
• the Arctic
• the Pacific
• around Cape Horn
• the Indian Ocean
Whale oil from Sag Harbor illuminated homes and cities long before electricity. Some voyages lasted three to four years.
3. Meigs Raid
One of the boldest Revolutionary War raids occurred right here.
In 1777, Return Jonathan Meigs led about 170 Connecticut troops across Long Island Sound in the middle of the night. They surprised the British garrison in Sag Harbor, captured around 90 British soldiers, and returned home with only a handful of casualties. The raid became famous throughout the colonies.
4. The British occupied Sag Harbor
For much of the Revolutionary War, British troops controlled the village. Many local Patriots escaped by boat to Connecticut, while homes were occupied by British soldiers and the harbor was blockaded.
5. Old Whalers' Church stands on sacred ground
The church sits near the site of the old Revolutionary War fort and one of the village's oldest burying grounds. Beneath and around the church lie generations of Sag Harbor families, sea captains, and veterans dating back centuries.
6. Sag Harbor welcomed the world
At the height of the whaling era, sailors from:
• Portugal
• Cape Verde
• Hawaii
• the Azores
• Native American communities
• African American communities
• New England
• Europe
all lived and worked here. For the early 1800s, Sag Harbor was an unusually international and multicultural community.
7. Sag Harbor Custom House still survives
Built around 1770, the Custom House was where ships reported their cargoes and paid customs duties. It is one of the oldest surviving custom houses in the United States and offers a remarkable glimpse into the early federal government.
8. Sag Harbor built its own ships
This wasn't just a fishing village. It had:
• shipyards
• ropewalks
• cooperages (barrel makers)
• blacksmiths
• sail makers
• chandlers
Nearly every business in town depended on the sea.
9. The village escaped much of modern redevelopment
Unlike many historic seaports, Sag Harbor still retains an extraordinary collection of 18th- and 19th-century buildings. The historic district preserves hundreds of structures from the whaling era, making it one of the more intact maritime villages in America.
10. The famous whale jawbones aren't just decoration
The enormous whale jawbones at the entrance to the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum symbolize the wealth that whaling brought to the village. Inside is New York State's largest collection of whaling artifacts.
11. The name "Sag Harbor" has Native American roots
Both Sag Harbor and nearby Sagaponack likely derive their names from "sagabon," an Algonquian word for the native groundnut (Apios americana), a nutritious tuber cultivated by the local Pequot people long before European settlement.
12. A local connection to Moby-Dick
Many historians believe the village's whaling captains and voyages helped inspire Herman Melville’s writing of Moby Dick.