The first settlement in
Brookhaven town was made at Setauket in 1665,a and it wasn't long
before the early settlers explored the Island on the south side
around Mastic, and in 1657 purchased a tract of meadow land from
Unkechaug Indians. The hay from these meadows was valuable to them
for feeding to their cattle.
The oldest road in the town is the "Old Town Road," which ran across the Island
from Setauket to Fireplace or Brookhaven, and down the Gerard's Road
to South Haven.
On June 10, 1664 the
"Old Purchase" at South was made
from Tobaccos, a chief of the Unchechaug Indians, which included the
western part of South Haven, Brookhaven and Bellport. This was
purchased from the Indians for four coats and about $16 in cash, and
the deed is still among the town papers at Patchogue.
In addition to
getting hay in this part of the town, men came here from the north
side settlements to go whaling at an early date, as the oil could be
used in their lamps and whalebone was a versatile material. An
agreement was made with the Indians to pay them five pounds of
wampum for each whale washed up on the shore. The town record for May
18, 1675, contains an entry which states that Abraham Dayton and
Thomas Bearsley sold 18 barrels of whale oil, "lying on the south
side of the Island at a place called Fireplace."
Fireplace was the
name probably given to that tract of land on the west side of the
Connecticut River near the bay known as Woodhull's point, where fires
were built to guide the whaling boats at night through the inlet
from the ocean, which was about opposite this point.
The whales were
towed to the landing place known as "Zach's landing," "Indian
landing," and "Squassacks landing," along the river where they were cut
up and worked for their oil and whalebone.
One such place was
maintained by the widow of Col. William Smith near the Manor of St.
George where her whaleboat, manned by a crew of Indians, brought an
average of 20 whales a winter to be tried out. The oil and whalebone
was shipped to England.
The following items were copied from an old
notebook of the Tangier Smith family by Mr. Osborn Shaw, several years
ago.
"Jan. 24, 1706: I thank God my company killed a yearling whale, made
27 barrels oil."
"Feb. 4, 1707, Indian Harry with his boat struck a stunt
whale and could not kill it, called for my boat to help him. I had
but a third which was four barrels."
"March 17, 1707, I thank God my
company killed two yearlings in one day, one of which made 27
barrels, and the other 14 barrels."
As the little settlements on this
side of the town grew, a need was felt for a church in this
locality, as there was none between Southampton and Babylon, and it
was a long trip across the Island to the old town church in
Setauket. Services were probably held in the homes of the settlers
for many years before the first church was built.