Manor St. George facts for kids
Manor St. George was a very large piece of land bought by William "Tangier" Smith in the 1600s. It was located on Long Island, in central Suffolk County, New York. The original land was about 64,000 acres, which is a huge area!
Today, parts of this historic land are still preserved:
- The main house and 127 acres are called the Manor of St. George and are in Shirley.
- Another house and 35 acres are called the Longwood Estate and are in Ridge.
- Another 35 acres became part of the William Floyd Estate.
The Museum Manor of St. George is a private trust that helps share the history of the Smith family, going back to 1683. The Longwood Estate is cared for by the Town of Brookhaven. The William Floyd Estate is looked after by the National Park Service. Even the town of Manorville gets its name from Manor St. George!
Manor St. George originally stretched from the Carmans River in the west to the edge of Southampton Town in the east. It went from the Atlantic Ocean in the south up to where New York State Route 25 is today.
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History of Manor St. George
Colonial Times in New York
The official document, called a "patent," for Manor St. George was given to Col. William "Tangier" Smith in 1693. This was a special recognition because Col. Smith had been the mayor of Tangier in Africa. More land was added to the patent in 1697.
Col. Smith already had a home in Setauket, New York. He managed his new large land from there at first. When Col. Smith passed away in 1705, his son Major William Henry Smith inherited Manor St. George. Major Smith then built the main manor house on a place called Mastic Neck.
Around 1718, about 4,000 acres of the estate were bought by Richard Floyd. He gave this land to his son Nicoll. In 1755, the Floyd Estate was given to Nicoll's son, William Floyd. William Floyd later became famous for signing the Declaration of Independence.
When Major William Henry Smith died in 1743, his son Judge William Smith inherited Manor St. George.
The American Revolution
During the American Revolution, British soldiers took over the manor house on Mastic Neck. They even built a fort there. In 1780, an American soldier named Major Benjamin Tallmadge led a surprise attack. He landed his troops at Cedar Beach and marched them to the manor.
The attack started early in the morning, around 4 a.m. The Americans, led by Major Tallmadge, captured the fort very quickly. Seven British soldiers were killed, but only one American was hurt. Major Tallmadge's march was about 20 miles long. This journey is now remembered as the Tallmadge Trail. An American soldier named Sgt. Elijah Churchill earned the first "Medal of Merit" (which later became the Purple Heart) during this raid.
After the Revolution
After the Revolutionary War ended, the Smith family returned to the Manor. Judge Smith had a house built for his son, Gen. John Smith, in an area called Longswamp. However, Gen. Smith decided to stay at Manor St. George. So, Longswamp was given to Judge Smith's seventh son, William, in 1790.
On July 8, 1817, Longswamp was passed down to William Smith's son, William Sydney Smith. He changed the name of the area to Longwood. Over the years, both Manor St. George and Longwood were divided many times. Parts were sold, and other parts were given to the children of the Smith family.
In 1955, Eugenie Annie Tangier Smith set up a special trust for Manor St. George. In the same year, the Longwood Estate was given to Elbert "Burt" Clayton Smith. Burt Smith donated many acres of the estate for important community uses. He gave 51 acres for Longwood High School. He also gave land to the Middle Island Presbyterian Church and for a greenbelt area.
When Burt Smith died in 1967, real estate developers bought Longwood. It was almost destroyed. But after a developer proposed a huge building project, many people spoke out. Because of this public support, the house and 35 acres were given to Brookhaven Town in 1974 to be saved.
Current Uses
The Museum Manor of St. George is open to the public for free. You can visit it from May 1 to October 30. The Longwood Estate is now used as a public park and also has a museum.
