A History of Suffolk County Long Island

Suffolk, Long Island was discovered by several explorers in the 1600s. These explorers included Giovanno di Varrazano and Henry Hudson. The area of Suffolk was inhabited by native Indians at the time of the discovery. The land was not settled in and divided between the Dutch and the English until the mid-1600s. The English owned Suffolk, Long Island for one hundred years until the British Army left the county in 1783. 

In the 1760s, one rider would go out every two weeks via a north shore route with the mail. Then, the rider would use the south shore on the way back to New York. In 1973, Suffolk Country had its first post office and also developed its justice system with a twice a year Court of Sessions. 

Suffolk County was a component of the Connecticut Colony before becoming one of the twelve initial counties of the Province of New York in 1683. It was the East Riding of Yorkshire from 1664 until 1683. Its limits were essentially the same as they are now, with only slight alterations in the western border with Nassau County, which was once Queens County but has become Nassau County since the separation of Nassau and Queens in 1899.

Because the British had a hold on the taxes and the prohibition of the beaver trade, revolutionary ideas began to take hold by the late 1700s. Suffolk’s primary trade was beaver fur. The motives for the outbreak of the Revolutionary War were not unique to the Suffolk settlers. One of the most essential things the settlers did to help the Patriots win the Revolutionary War was spying.

From the late 1700s through the 1830s, the most common vocations were farming, fishing, and whaling. This occurred when a group of New York industrialists set out to build a speedier railroad connection connecting New York and Boston. The Connecticut shoreline was deemed impenetrable due to its ruggedness.

A map of the area between the two cities revealed Long Island to the industry representatives. The train lines were laid, and the railroad was constructed at a low cost. Its sole purpose was to transport goods from Boston to New York. The people’s line did not start running until the early 1840s. Locals, on the other hand, detested the engines, which scared animals away and filled their homes with soot and embers.

Residents became enraged as a result of this. The railroad owners built a direct line between New York and Boston across the Connecticut shore in 1850 after ambushing train crews and other acts of violence. While this brought relief to the Suffolk residents, it was a pointless route until further railroads were completed, allowing people to travel to and from more places. It re-energized the whaling industry.

The railroads were bringing a new industrial sector to Suffolk County. However, by the Gold Rush of 1849, many of the fishermen and whalers had fled to California in search of gold.

Also learn about the H Lee Dennison Building, Suffolk County, NY

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