Robins Island facts for kids
Robins Island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Peconic Bay |
| Coordinates | 40°58′2″N 72°27′36″W / 40.96722°N 72.46000°W |
| Area | 0.680 sq mi (1.76 km2) |
| Administration | |
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United States
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| State | New York |
| County | Suffolk County, New York |
| Town | Southold |
Robins Island is a beautiful 435-acre island. It is located in Peconic Bay, near the eastern end of Long Island. You can find it off the coast of New Suffolk, New York.
This island is privately owned. This means it is not open to the public. It is part of the Town of Southold in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Robins Island has a long and interesting history. It was first part of a large land grant in 1636. King Charles I gave this land to William Alexander. This gift included all of Long Island and other nearby islands.
Early Owners
William Alexander had an agent named James Farret. In 1637, Farret chose Robins Island and Shelter Island for himself. Farret then sold these islands to Stephen Goodyear in 1641. Goodyear was one of the people who started the New Haven Colony.
Later, in 1651, Nathaniel Sylvester and his partners bought the island.
The Wickham Family and the American Revolution
In 1715, a man named Parker Wickham bought Robins Island. His family owned it for many years. During the American Revolution, Parker Wickham was a Loyalist. This meant he supported the British King. Because of this, in 1779, the state took his land. Wickham was also told to leave the state.
The island was then sold in 1784. The buyers were Caleb Brewster and Benjamin Tallmadge. These men were part of the Culper Spy Ring. This was a secret group of spies during the American Revolutionary War. They later sold the island to Ezra L'Hommedieu.
Changing Hands
After Ezra L'Hommedieu passed away, the island was sold again. Benjamin Horton and James Reeve bought it. By 1851, Wooster and Goodale owned the island. Then, Ira B. Tuthill bought parts of it. By 1857, he owned the whole island.
Ira B. Tuthill sold the island in 1873. It was bought by George E Horne for James Wilson. But in 1878, Ira B. Tuthill bought it back. He then sold it to Abraham Ingraham in 1881 for $22,000. Ingraham was from New York. He used the island for hunting birds like quail.
Modern Times and Conservation
In 1979, two German investors bought the island for $1.3 million. They planned to sell it to developers. Robert M. Tuthill was the island's caretaker. He worked to protect the island from wildfires. He also made sure only invited guests visited.
In 1989, Suffolk County wanted to buy Robins Island. They planned to make it a nature preserve. The price was $9.2 million. However, this plan did not happen. There were legal problems. Another developer wanted to buy the island for $15.3 million. They planned to build luxury homes. But this deal also fell apart. An environmental study was needed first.
Today, Robins Island is owned by Louis Bacon. He is a financier from Wall Street. He bought the island in 1993 for $11 million.
Nature on Robins Island
Louis Bacon has worked hard to restore the island. He has spent a lot of money on it. He even brought in full-grown oak trees. These trees replaced ones that were cut down long ago. Some plants that were not native to the island were removed. New, native plants were put in their place. Hunters also helped reduce the number of deer. There were too many deer on the island.
Robins Island is now home to a very healthy turtle population. It has the best turtle population in New York State. This includes the Eastern mud turtle.
Louis Bacon is known for hosting special hunting events on the island. These are called "driven pheasant" hunts. Wealthy guests come for these events.
There are three main houses on the island. There are also smaller cottages for visitors. The island also has homes for caretakers. Plus, there are several barns and other buildings.
Island Geography
Robins Island is located between Little Peconic Bay and Great Peconic Bay. You can reach the island by a private boat. There is a road that goes along the whole island.
In 1997, a special agreement was made. This agreement is called a conservation easement. It helps protect the island. It makes it very unlikely that new buildings will be built there. Even so, satellite pictures from 2009 show seven buildings. There are also several small outbuildings on the island.
