Gardiners Island facts for kids
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Gardiners Bay |
| Total islands | 2 |
| Area | 5.184 sq mi (13.43 km2) |
| Administration | |
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United States
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| State | New York |
| County | Suffolk County |
<mapframe text="Gardiners Island" width=304 height=242 zoom=11 latitude=41.096667 longitude=-72.104167/> Gardiners Island is a small island in New York. It is located in Gardiners Bay. This bay is between two peninsulas at the east end of Long Island. The island is about 6 miles (9.7 km) long and 3 miles (4.8 km) wide. It has 27 miles (43 km) of coastline.
The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned the island since 1639. That's when Lion Gardiner bought it from the Montaukett chief Wyandanch. Gardiners Island is about 5.19 square miles (13.4 km2) in size. It is one of the largest privately owned islands in the United States.
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Island Geography
Gardiners Island is 5.19 square miles (13.4 km2) big. It has 3,318 acres (1,343 ha) of land. More than 1,000 acres (400 ha) are covered in very old forests. Another 1,000 acres (400 ha) are open meadows. Many buildings on the island are from the 1600s.
The island has the biggest group of white oak trees in the American Northeast. Other trees include swamp maple, wild cherry, and birch. The island is also home to New York state's largest group of ospreys. These birds usually build nests high up. But on Gardiners Island, they build nests on the ground. This is because there are no animals that hunt ospreys on the island.
Island Structures
Besides the family mansion, there is also the Gardiners Island Windmill. Other buildings include a private airstrip on the south side. There is also a carpenter's shed. Some people say this shed was built in 1639.
The shed might be the oldest wood-frame building still standing in New York state. However, some people disagree. There are no old records that prove when it was built. Only Robert David Lion Gardiner described it in a 1976 film. An older book about the island does not mention the shed.
Island History
First English Settlement
Lion Gardiner settled on the island in 1639. He moved there with his family from the Connecticut Colony. He reportedly bought the island from the local Montaukett people. He gave them "a large black dog, some powder and shot, and a few Dutch blankets." The Native Americans called the island Manchonake. Gardiner first called it Isle of Wight. This was because it reminded him of the Isle of Wight in England. The Montauketts gave Gardiner the land partly because he helped them in the Pequot War.
The island was not part of the Connecticut Colony. It was also not part of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was not even part of the Dutch colony of New Netherlands. It seemed to be under the control of Earl of Stirling, William Alexander. He had been given Long Island by the King of England in 1636. Gardiner had to get his approval for the land. The island has been owned by Gardiner's family for over 380 years.
The King's document from 1639 gave Gardiner the right to own the land forever. The island was called a proprietary colony. This meant Gardiner was like the ruler of his own small area. He was given the title of Lord of the Manor. This gave him special rights to govern the island.
In 1665, the British took over New Netherlands. They created the Province of New York. Then, Richard Nicolls, the first Governor, gave a new document to Lion Gardiner's son David.
In 1688, Governor Thomas Dongan created the East Hampton government. There was an attempt to make Gardiners Island part of East Hampton. But the Gardiner family successfully stopped this. Gardiners Island stayed independent until after the American Revolution. Then, it officially became part of East Hampton.
Gardiner started a farm on the island. He grew corn, wheat, fruit, and tobacco. He also raised animals.
Captain Kidd's Treasure
The famous privateer William Kidd visited the island in June 1699. He was sailing to Boston to face charges of piracy. With permission from the island's owner, he buried a chest, a box of gold, and two boxes of silver. He buried them in a valley near the Manor House. Kidd told Mrs. Gardiner that the gold was for the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He gave Mrs. Gardiner some gold cloth and a bag of sugar. This was to thank her for her kindness.
A story grew that Kidd threatened to kill the Gardiners if the treasure was gone. But at Kidd's trial, John Gardiner did not mention any threats. Kidd seemed to have been very polite. Kidd was tried in Boston. Governor Bellomont ordered Gardiner to bring the treasure as proof. The treasure included gold dust, silver bars, Spanish dollars, rubies, diamonds, and other valuable items. Gardiner kept one diamond. He later gave it to his daughter. A marker on the island shows where the treasure was buried.
American Revolution
The Gardiner family supported the American colonists during the American Revolution. A group of thirteen British ships sailed into Cherry Harbor. They started taking food and supplies from the manor house. They planned to turn the island into a hunting area. Among the British officers were Henry Clinton and John André. At one point, Major André and Gardiner's son Nathaniel Gardiner shared drinks on the island. Nathaniel Gardiner was a surgeon for the American army. He later cared for André before André was executed for spying.
After the revolution, the island officially became part of East Hampton town.
War of 1812
During the War of 1812, a British fleet of ships anchored in Cherry Harbor. They raided American ships in Long Island Sound. British crews would come ashore for food. They bought supplies at market prices. During one trip, Americans captured some British crew members. The British came to arrest the island's owner, John Lyon Gardiner. He was a delicate man. He pretended to be sick in bed to avoid being taken. The British did not want a sick man on their ship, so they left him alone.
The British buried several of their dead on the island during the war. Some of the British fleet that burned Washington gathered in the harbor in 1814.
During the war, enslaved people helped man Gardiner's supply boats. This made it easier for the boats to pass through British lines. After New York state ended slavery in 1827, many freed enslaved people from Gardiners Island moved to Freetown. This town is just north of East Hampton village.
Later 19th Century Events
Julia Gardiner Tyler, who became President John Tyler's second wife and First Lady in 1844, was born on the island in 1820.
Gardiners Point Island is a tiny island in Block Island Sound. It used to be home to the Gardiners Island Lighthouse and Fort Tyler. It was once connected to Gardiners Island. In 1851, the U.S. government bought 14 acres (5.7 ha) from the Gardiners for $400. Work on the lighthouse began in 1854. The lighthouse first lit up in 1855. It was a 27-foot (8.2 m) brick building. Its light was 33 feet (10 m) above sea level.
In March 1888, a big storm caused the land connecting it to Gardiners Island to break. This turned the point into a separate island. Between 1890 and 1893, the island was shrinking by about 10.75 feet (3.28 m) each year. On March 7, 1894, the lighthouse was no longer used. Soon after, it fell into the ocean. A lighted buoy was then placed nearby.
During the Spanish–American War, the War Department spent $500,000 to build Fort Tyler on the island. The fort was meant to have large guns for defense. However, records show it was never armed. The moving sands caused problems for the fort. It was abandoned in the late 1920s.
20th Century Changes
In 1938, Gardiners Point Island became a National Wildlife Refuge. This meant it was protected for wildlife. During World War II, the old Fort Tyler was used for target practice. This reduced it to its current ruined state. New York state thought about making it a park. But it is considered dangerous because of possible unexploded bombs. It is now privately owned.
A manor house built in 1774 burned down in 1947. It is thought a guest fell asleep while smoking. Many valuable old items were destroyed. The caretaker escaped by jumping from a window. Because it cost so much to keep up, the island was put up for sale in 1937. A rich relative, Sarah Diodati Gardiner, bought it for $400,000. She built a new 28-room manor house. She died in 1953, at age 90, without marrying. After her death, the island went to her nephew Robert David Lion Gardiner and niece Alexandra Gardiner Creel.
From 1955 to 1963, a company called Sperry Rand rented the island. They used it for important meetings.
Robert David Lion Gardiner and Alexandra Gardiner Creel moved to the island in 1963. Robert inherited money from his father, uncle, and Aunt Sarah.
In April 1967, the island was named a National Natural Landmark (NNL). This was because of its importance for waterfowl and shorebirds. It was also a key breeding ground for osprey.
Ownership Disputes
Sarah Diodati Gardiner had also set aside money for the island's upkeep. But this money ran out by the 1970s. When Alexandra Gardiner Creel died, her rights went to her daughter, Alexandra Creel Goelet. Robert David Lion Gardiner and Goelet had a very public disagreement over who owned the island and what to do with it.
Robert said Alexandra wanted to sell and build on the island. She said he was not paying his share of the estimated $2 million per year for upkeep and taxes. Robert said he would not mind if the government or a nature group owned the island. The case went to court in 1980. Robert was first not allowed to visit the island. But in 1992, courts ruled he could visit. However, the Goelets and Gardiner were not on the island at the same time.
Robert Gardiner claimed the title "16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner's Island." He lived in East Hampton. He married in 1961 but had no children. This meant he had no direct heir. In 1989, Gardiner tried to adopt a businessman as his son. This man was a descendant of Lion Gardiner. When Robert died in 2004, Goelet became the full owner. Shortly before he died, he said:
We have always married into wealth. We've covered all our bets. We were on both sides of the Revolution, and both sides of the Civil War. The Gardiner family always came out on top.
21st Century Agreements
In 2005, the Goelets offered to protect the island's land. In return, the Town of East Hampton promised not to change its zoning or try to buy it. The Goelets and East Hampton agreed on this protection until 2025.
Gardiners Island's National Natural Landmark status was removed in July 2006. This happened after the island's owner, Alexandra Creel Goelet, asked for it to be removed.
Island Ownership
- Poggatacut (sachem) and Aswaw, his wife, gave Manchonat to Lion Gardiner. He was followed by Wyandanch as Grand Sachem.
- Lion Gardiner, 1st Proprietor and Lord of the Manor, 1639–63
- David Gardiner
- John Gardiner
- David Gardiner
- John Lyon Gardiner I
- Joseph Gardiner jr 1992
- David Johnson Gardiner, 1825–29
- John Gardiner, 1829–61
- Samuel Buell Gardiner, 1861–82
- John Lyon Gardiner II, 1882–1910
- Lion Gardiner, 1910–?
- Joseph Gardiner sr 1969–
- Joseph Gardiner
- Sarah Diodati Gardiner 1937–53
- Alexandra Gardiner Creel and Robert David Lion Gardiner, 1953–2004
- Alexandra Creel Goelet, 2004—
Notable People from Gardiners Island
- Lewis A. Edwards (1811–1879), an American businessman and politician.
- Julia Gardiner Tyler, former First Lady of the United States. She was the wife of U.S. President John Tyler.
Images for kids
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Gardiners Island in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Isla Gardiners para niños
