See, they had plantations up North too ..... Last week, on my day trip to Roy Rogers, I saw a small sign for the William Floyd Estate. Now, just to let you know EVERYTHING in Shirley and Mastic, NY is named after Floyd. Even the high school, but no one really knows who he was - at least no one around here - but they can tell you how many home runs Derek Jeter hit this year. The sense of history often gets lost in time.
So, for those of you who unfamiliar with Floyd, here is a short history lesson... William Floyd, not to be confused with the former FSU and SF 49'ers fullback, was a Revolutionary War General, businessman-planter, and one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. Yes, on eof the guys who signed it was from Long Guyland! His 613 acre estate sits in what is now Mastic Beach, New York, and it is a bit reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project . It does stretch all the way to the Great South Bay and Fire Island. To have such a well-preserved country setting in the middle of such a populated area is pretty amazing.
Floyd did abandon the plantation twice - during the war, when England occupied Long Island, and in 1803, when he built another home in Upstate New York, leaving the home to his son. But, the family stayed there until the National Park Service took over the place in 1965, except for the family cemetary, where descendants of Floyd are still buried, the most recent being in February, 2008.
Though it's not a place where you would plan an entire day on being there, it is a great place to spend a couple hours touring the home and property. There are plenty of people on hand to give you a tour, and to answer any questions you might have. It's also only about 10 minutes from Sunrise Highway, so if you're looking for a different spot to visit on the way to the Hamptons or Fire Island, check it out. Oh yeah - it's free....Here's a link to the Estate's website.
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2 comments:
Some one else has been assigned the job in Riverhead.
That sucks... So that means you're never coming to Long Island, eh?
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