East Marion, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids East Marion, New York
Hamlet and census-designated place
The Blue Inn, one of many Bed & Breakfasts along NY 25 in East Marion.
East Marion, New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Suffolk
Town	Southold
Area
• Total	3.68 sq mi (9.53 km2)
• Land	2.24 sq mi (5.80 km2)
• Water	1.44 sq mi (3.74 km2)
Elevation	33 ft (10 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,048
• Density	468.28/sq mi (180.77/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	11939
Area code(s)	631
FIPS code	36-22447
GNIS feature ID	0949163

East Marion is a small community in New York State. It's known as a "hamlet" and a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's a small area with a name, but it's part of a larger town called Southold. East Marion is located in Suffolk County, New York. In 2020, about 1,048 people lived here.

A Look Back in Time

How East Marion Began

The first people to live in this area were Native Americans called the Orient Focus People. They lived here around 1000 BC. They disappeared long before another group, the Corchaugs, arrived around 900 AD. The Corchaugs called the area Poquatuc.

In 1661, six English families settled here. The Corchaugs were still present at that time. The new settlers named the area Oysterponds. This was because they found many shellfish, like oysters, which they gathered and sold. Farming was the main job, but ships also started trading from the safe harbor.

The American Revolution

During the American Revolutionary War, British soldiers arrived in 1776. Many families left their homes and went to Connecticut. The British soldiers, also known as Redcoats, often took things from the farms that were left empty.

Later, Benedict Arnold, who switched sides to the British, led attacks on Connecticut from Oysterponds. The British came back during the War of 1812. They tried to stop American ships from sailing to New York City, but their plan didn't work very well. In 1814, an American naval leader named Commodore Stephen Decatur brought his ships near Trumans Beach. However, he never fought the British there.

After the war, farming and fishing became popular again. This brought good times to Oysterponds. By 1840, more than 30 schooner ships were sailing from the harbor. They carried fish and farm products to other places.

A New Name for the Town

The areas we now know as Orient and East Marion used to be called Oysterponds Lower Neck and Oysterponds Upper Neck. In 1836, the two communities decided to become separate and chose new names.

Orient was named because it was the easternmost point on the North Fork of Long Island. East Marion was named after General Francis Marion, a hero of the Revolutionary War. He was known as the "Swamp Fox." The word "East" was added to the name because there was already a town called Marion in another part of New York State.

Famous Visitors and Unique Homes

By 1870, the tip of the North Fork became a popular place for vacations. The Orient Point Inn, which opened in 1796, hosted many famous people. These included President Grover Cleveland, poet Walt Whitman, speaker Daniel Webster, actress Sarah Bernhardt, and author James Fenimore Cooper. Cooper even wrote a book called "Sea Lions" that was set in Orient. The inn closed in the 1960s and was later taken down.

There was also a unique family in Orient called the Tuthills. Three sisters, Cynthia, Lucretia, and Asenath, were very small in size and excellent at sewing. In the mid-1800s, their brother Rufus built them a house with smaller rooms and doors. This house still stands today on Village Lane. Their nephew, Addison, was also small and shy. He turned down an invitation from P. T. Barnum to join his famous circus.

What East Marion is Known For Today

Today, many people know Orient for its ferries that travel to New London. It's also famous for Orient Beach State Park. Regular ferry service to Connecticut started in the 1930s. The park was created in 1929 when the community gave most of the 4-mile-long beach peninsula to the state.

East Marion is a quiet country hamlet. It has many bays and inlets, places where wildlife is protected, and miles of rolling farmlands. You can find several bed and breakfasts along NY 25 in East Marion. These are located between Greenport and Orient Point.

Geography

East Marion is a small area. It covers about 6.1 square kilometers (2.4 square miles) in total. Most of this area, about 5.8 square kilometers (2.2 square miles), is land. The rest, about 0.3 square kilometers (0.1 square miles), is water.

Population Information

Who Lives in East Marion

In the year 2000, there were 756 people living in East Marion. These people lived in 329 households, and 222 of these were families.

Most people living here were White (about 95%). A smaller number were African American, Native American, or Asian. About 3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 22% of households had children under 18 living with them. More than half (55.9%) were married couples. About 29% of all households were single individuals. Many people aged 65 or older lived alone (16.7%). The average household had 2.30 people, and the average family had 2.79 people.

The population included people of all ages. About 18.5% were under 18 years old. About 30% were 65 years or older. The average age was 49 years old. For every 100 females, there were about 97 males.

Schools

• Oysterponds Union Free School District

See also

In Spanish: East Marion para niños