Custom House (Sag Harbor, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Sag Harbor Custom House
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
The Sag Harbor Customs House as seen from Garden Street in 2015.
|
|
 Location in New York
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 192 Main Street (and Garden Street), Sag Harbor, New York |
|---|---|
| Built | 1765 (or 1770) |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Part of | Sag Harbor Village District (ID94000400) |
| Designated CP | May 10, 1994 |
The Sag Harbor Custom House is a historic building in Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, New York. It was built around 1770. This house is best known as the home and office of Henry Packer Dering (1763–1822). He was one of Sag Harbor's first customs masters and postmasters. This happened after Sag Harbor became a United States Federal Port of Entry in 1789.
The Custom House has been changed many times over the years. People have worked hard to restore it. It was even moved to its current spot to save it from being torn down! Today, Preservation Long Island runs the Custom House. They use it to teach people about the history of Sag Harbor and the Dering family.
Contents
Discovering Sag Harbor's Past
Sag Harbor is a village in Suffolk County, Long Island. It is where the Sag Harbor Custom House is located. The earliest records of Sag Harbor date back to 1707. Not many people lived there until the 1730s. More people started to move there because of its naturally protected harbor.
Life in Sag Harbor was all about activities on the water. As coastal trading grew, more travelers settled in the village. Around 1761, the first wharf was built to help the whaling industry. This helped Sag Harbor's economy grow a lot. Soon after, windmills, shipyards, and warehouses opened nearby. In 1762, Sag Harbor's first ship was built. By the early 1770s, they began trading with the West Indies.
The American Revolutionary War stopped Sag Harbor's growth. After the Battle of Long Island in 1776, the British took over the area. They stayed until the war ended in 1783. During this time, the British occupied homes and set up a naval blockade. After the war, Sag Harbor slowly began to rebuild.
By the late 1780s, Sag Harbor was thriving again. Its first schoolhouse opened in 1786 or 1787. The first meeting house was built in 1791. Long Island's first printed newspaper, Frothingham's Long Island Herald, started in 1791. After the U.S. Constitution was approved, Sag Harbor became a Federal Port of Entry in 1789. It was second in importance only to New York City. The Custom House was set up that same year. The Post Office followed in 1794. Henry Packer Dering was in charge of both the Custom House and the Post Office.
Meet the Dering Family
Henry Packer Dering: First Customs Master
Henry Packer Dering (1763–1822) was Sag Harbor's first customs master. He started in 1790 after moving from his family's home on Shelter Island. Henry's father, Thomas Dering (1720–1785), was an important person. He signed the Continental Association in 1774. He also inspected trade at the Port of New London before the Revolutionary War.
Henry's mother, Mary Sylvester, inherited a large estate on Shelter Island. This made the Derings a leading family there. Thomas Dering supported the American patriots. This helped Henry Packer Dering get appointed by George Washington. He became the first customs master under the new Constitution.
Besides being customs master, Dering also became an inspector of revenue and collector for Sag Harbor in 1791. He was made postmaster in 1794. He held all three jobs until he died on April 30, 1822. His duties included weighing goods, checking ship records, and making sure mail was delivered. Dering also oversaw lighthouses like Little Gull Island, Cedar Island, and Montauk.
Henry Packer Dering married Anna Fosdick (1769–1852) in December 1793. He bought the Custom House before March 24, 1794. It was both his office and his family's home. Henry and Anna lived there with their nine children. Seven of their children lived to be adults. They expanded the house as their family grew. The Dering family also lived with the people they enslaved in the house. The family sold the Custom House on May 14, 1842, to pay off debts.
Henry Thomas Dering: Following in His Father's Footsteps
Henry Thomas Dering (1796–1854) was the oldest son of Henry Packer Dering and Anna Dering. He took over his father's role as customs master. He served from 1822 to 1829. He also served again from 1842 to 1845, and from 1846 to 1849.
The Custom House: Design and Layout
Outside the House
The Custom House is a two-story house made of wooden shingles. It sits on the corner of Garden Street and Main Street in Sag Harbor. The front of the house has five windows and a front door. They are all spaced out evenly. The house also has two chimneys in the middle, making it look very balanced. There are two lean-to structures. One is on the south side, and one is in the back. An extra building is attached to the north side of the house.
Inside the House
The first floor of the Custom House has a main staircase in the center. It is right across from the front door. A custom room and a private parlor are on either side of this central hall at the front. In the back, there is a kitchen with two pantries in a lean-to. There is also a dining room and a back staircase.
The custom room is connected to another lean-to structure. This part had its own outside entrance. It was originally used as the post office. This means the entire south side of the house was for Dering's work. The north side of the house has a wing that was once a separate building. It was later attached to the main house. It was probably used for extra work or storage. Today, this north wing is an apartment. Five bedrooms are located on the second floor.
Changes and Fixes Over Time
Henry Packer Dering's Additions
The Custom House has been changed many times since it was built around 1770. It started as a "half house" with three sections and a front door on the right. Inside, it had a side hall, a parlor, and a kitchen on the first floor. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms.
Henry Packer Dering made the house bigger for his growing family. In 1794, he added a lean-to on the south side for the post office. A year later, a two-story addition was built. This added a new front parlor, a formal dining area, and more kitchen space. It also added more bedrooms upstairs. The ceiling in the new first-floor part was also made taller. Finally, the north wing, which was once a separate building, was attached to the main house. This gave more space for work and storage.
Saving the Custom House: The Old Sagg-Harbour Committee and SPLIA
People started to care about saving the Custom House in 1944. Henry Triglar Weeks, who started the Old Sagg-Harbour Committee, noticed it. This group worked to find, save, and restore old buildings in Sag Harbor. The Custom House was going to be torn down. Weeks worked hard to save it. He asked architects like Talbot Hamlin to support its preservation.
Finally, in 1948, Weeks helped arrange for the Custom House to be given to Argonaut Enterprises. This company belonged to former Governor Charles Edison. Edison provided the land to move the house. He also gave money to build a new foundation. The house was moved from Church and Union Street to its current spot. This is at the corner of Garden Street and Main Street.
In 1955, the Old Sagg Harbour Committee became a non-profit museum. They took ownership of the Custom House. But the group found it hard to raise enough money to restore the house as they wanted. So, on May 2, 1966, the Custom House was given to The Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA). This group is now called Preservation Long Island.
From 1969 to 1972, SPLIA worked hard to restore and research the Custom House. They checked paint samples and dated wallpaper. Many parts of the inside were restored. Historian Loring McMillen suggested that the house should look like it did between 1794 and 1810. In 1972, the Custom House reopened for public tours.
The Custom House Today
Preservation Long Island owns and takes care of the Custom House. They offer tours of the house. They also have educational programs there. These programs teach about maritime trade and the important role of custom houses in early America.
