The early trustees
and the people of the Brookhaven town were active in protecting the
rights of the public in the highways. In 1701 the trustees called
upon the people to notify the town clerk of any encroachments. As a
stimulus to the surveyors of highways to exercise vigilance in the
discharge of their duties, the town meeting in 1705 voted that they
should be allowed three shillings an acre for all the land they
could find encroached upon by the inhabitants adjoining the highways.
At a meeting of the trustees in 1704 it was decided that the
residents should engage in the work of clearing the highways,
according to the orders given by Thomas Helme, one of the
commissioners of the county. for laying out highways. The people of
the town were to work according to their assessments in the county
rate, a day's work for every 50 pounds in the county rate. The
following year the town ordered that men should be sent four days a
year to clear the commons and repair the highways. In August of that
year men went out to clear the country road. One gang went east to
"Horn Tavern" and the other west on the Smithtown line. In 1707 it was
ordered that every freeholder should work two days in clearing the
commons and highways of brush and under growth.
The oldest road of
any great length opened in this town is that running from Setauket
in a south easterly direction through Coram to Fireplace (Old Town
Road). It was opened soon after the town was settled and was the
main thoroughfare of travel from the town capitol at Setauket to
the settlement at Mastic and the meadows. For many years it was used
more than any long road in the town.
Roads were also opened at an
early date from Setauket and East to Wading River and west to
Smithtown. The Old Country Road (now the Middle Country road) was
probably broken through shortly before 1700 and the roads parallel to
it on the north and south side were opened shortly after.
A road
from Old Man's (Mt. Sinai) to South was laid out in 1728 and another
from Old Man's to Wading River at the same time. Some of the roads
laid out in the late 1700's include: the Horseblock, running from
South Haven to Stony Brook on a northwesterly course. The "Sill's" road
from Bellport to Swezey's Mill in Yaphank; a road southerly from
Coram to Patchogue; another from Halsey's manor and Brookfield southwest to
Fireplace Mills; the Wading River Hollow road from Woodville
to Middle Island; a road from Yaphank to Moriches, another running on
a southeasterly course from Miller's Place to Middle Island; then following
the left bank of the Connecticut river to Mastic; the Granny Road
running from a point south of Middle Island westerly to a junction
with the Horseblock; one from Stony Brook southerly to Ronkonkoma Pond; and the
Crystal Brook Hollow road from the west part of
Old Mans to Coram in a southerly direction. The road from Coram to
Drown Meadow (Port Jefferson ) was laid out in August 1790.
"The
commissioners of highways in 1830 divided the town into 40 road
districts.
At a meeting of the trustees in march 1712, the following
highways were ordered laid out. "Laide oute at ye old man's between
Mr. Helmes Land & Richard Miller a highway four Rod wide to ye
plains.
Between John Roberson's land
and Samuel Dayton's lande to ye
old mans beach a highway laid oute tu rod wide, a swinging gate
alowed."