It was the scene of a battle for the founding of our country and the home of one of Brookhaven’s earliest settlers, and now the Manor of St. George, a historic 127-acre estate overlooking Bellport Bay in Shirley, is open to the public for the summer season.
Hostess Jean DeVito and other volunteers dressed in Colonial garb will greet you at the sprawling estate and take you through its rooms curated as if you were walking into the home of its original owner, Col. William Tangier Smith. Walk the spacious lawn with its panoramic water view and imagine the British warships anchored there when Redcoats occupied the land during the American Revolution; touch the canons that protected the estate during the War of 1812.
The Manor constitutes an important chapter in the Colonial history of the United States and illuminates the vibrant life of the Lord of the Manor and the details of Brookhaven’s early beginnings. At the age of 22, William Smith embarked on a meteoric career in the Royal City of Tangier, the capital city of Morocco, and was soon appointed its governor. King Charles II was impressed by the young Englishman and invested substantial resources into fortifying this geographically significant city at the entrance to the Mediterranean. The goal of establishing Tangier as a major trading asset faltered, and in 1683, the king sent 17 ships under the command of Admiral Lord Dartmouth to destroy it and, along with it, Smith’s fortune. With the fall of Tangier, Smith embarked with his family to start a new life in America.
It was by recommendation of Lord Dartmouth and another famous figure in the history of New York, Governor Thomas Dongan, that Smith was granted a Royal Patent by King William and Queen Mary for the tract encompassing tens of thousands of acres he had assembled through purchases from adjoining landowners and the Indian, John Mayhew. In all, the estate included the entirety of Brookhaven Town, including what would become the estate of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
During the War of 1776, the Manor became Fort St. George when British troops moved in after winning the Battle of Long Island. It was an ideal location for a supply base due to its proximity to an inlet to the Atlantic that existed in the barrier beach opposite Mastic and because of the coveted woodlands that surrounded the property.
The fort didn’t stay in British hands for long. In a surprise attack led by Col. Benjamin Tallmadge in 1780, it was destroyed, and the Manor was returned to the Smiths. Not losing a single man in the skirmish, Tallmadge headed back across Long Island along what is now famously known as the Tallmadge Trail and, along the way, set fire to 300 tons of forage the British had stored at Coram for their cavalry.
One of the soldiers involved in the raid was “Serjeant” Elijah Churchill of the Light Dragoons, who received the first medal that was to become the Purple Heart for his valiant service as authorized by Gen. George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental forces.
Keeping the history of the Manor alive is the Mastic Peninsula Historical Society, whose members conduct tours of the property and fill visitors in on the area's rich heritage. Residents are encouraged to pick up an application to join the historical society at the Manor's gift shop.