Historic Manor of St. George to Keep its Place in History

The resting place of Eugenie A.T. Smith, who decreed that the manorial house and grounds be left “now and forever” to the people.

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, in accordance with a will from 70 years past and the last wishes that the property be given to the public, the town is poised to acquire the Manor of St. George, an historic 127-acre estate overlooking Moriches Bay in Mastic.

The homestead of Col. William Tangier Smith constitutes an important chapter in the Colonial history of the United States and illuminates not only the vibrant life of the Lord of the Manor, but also the details of Brookhaven’s early beginnings. The stories spin through centuries and come to rest at the office of a local attorney who was selected by the trustees of the estate to complete the wishes of the Colonel’s last lineal descendant, Eugenie A.T. Smith, that the manorial house and grounds be left “now and forever” to the people.

“Back in 1954 when Eugenie Smith passed away, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Charles Dominy declined an offer to take over the property,” said Center Moriches attorney John Scott Prudenti, who is handling the transfer of the estate to the town. George C. Furman, a prominent Patchogue attorney, set the legal groundwork for a foundation designed to preserve the manor. “After his death, the dedication and financial brilliance of his son, George H. Furman, made sure the property was maintained and preserved all of these years, Prudenti explained.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but Mr. Furman, was very ill and wanted to make sure the future of the manor was settled,” Prudenti said, noting that he was chosen by Furman because of his family’s long history in the area. His father, John N. Prudenti, was also a noted attorney and contemporary of both Furman’s. “I’m honored to be playing a minor role in the incredible story of this great estate.”

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 in 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, whose deed described the boundary lines as “from a river, a line to the middle of Long Island—to a marked tree at the country road, at the usual going over of Peconic River,” according to a historical description provided by Furman and his wife, Judith, a fellow trustee of the estate. In all, Smith’s holdings included the entirety of Brookhaven Town, including what would become the estate of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Mrs. Furman described the time another area namesake, Walter T. Shirley, came to inquire about purchasing the estate. Peering from an upstairs window, Eugenie Smith ignored the offer. “She would have none of that,” related Furman, who became the sole trustee of the manor upon the death of her husband. “She wanted the estate to remain intact so people could always go see it and learn about this part of our nation’s history.” Mrs. Smith encouraged estate hosts to dress in period costumes and organize Revolutionary War reenactments against the Red Coats, the trustee said.

Prudenti, a real estate attorney who retired from a long career in the Suffolk District Attorney’s office, noted a peculiarity in a title report prepared for the transfer. “Usually, title reports run many pages in listing past owners and the chain of title,” he explained. “This one only needed four pages to show the direct line of ownership from Eugenie Smith all the way back to William Tangier Smith.”

The Smiths did lose control over their beloved manor on two occasions: once during a rebellion when the German-American merchant and militia captain Jacob Leisler took control over colonial New York from 1689-1691, and when the British seized it during the American War for Independence. At great personal risk, Smith opposed Leisler and regained possession after the Whig was hanged and Royal Authority was restored. During the War of 1776, the manor became Fort St. George when British troops moved in after 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. In fact, the area is known as Old Inlet for the Fire Island breach which has opened and closed during the centuries, the most recent during Hurricane Sandy.

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 set fire to 300 tons of forage the British had stored at Coram for their cavalry. At the time, the family was headed by Judge William Smith, who had served as President pro tem of the Provincial Congress. His son, General John Smith was imprisoned for a month by the British during the war and returned to build a new part of the manor house. He later became the only Suffolk County resident to serve in the U.S. Senate.

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. Also highlighting the manor’s military importance are two canons from the War of 1812 still peering from the property toward the sea. During World War I, it served as a center for recreational activities for Army soldiers stationed at Camp Upton in Yaphank and those assigned to an airfield then located south of the manor house.

Passed down through the generations, the estate contains a treasure trove of documents illuminating the early history of America. There is a letter to Smith from Gen. Nathaniel Woodhull, a Mastic patriot married to the sister of William Floyd, who advocated independence from Great Britain. Mortally wounded in battle, he was ordered to say, “God save the king,” by a British officer. Instead, he uttered, “God save us all,” and was punished for his defiance. Woodhall’s letter, addressed to William Smith, Esq, Manor of St. Georges, assures him that he will “Soon have orders to take the Sense of the County on Impowering this Congress of Choosing a new one to Establish a New form of Government.”

The Manor of St. George overlooks Moriches Bay in Mastic, an estate of great historical significance that will be acquired by Brookhaven thanks to the last wishes of Eugenie A.T. Smith, the final heir of the manor’s founder and one of the town’s original settlers, Col. William Tangier Smith.

There are also letters from Robert Yates and Robert L. Livingston who were on the committee that wrote the Declaration of Independence. Letters written from Valley Forge by Washington’s commissary-general, Abraham Skinner, relating conditions in a British prison, are also part of the manor’s history, as well as letters from Abraham Yates, a member of the Continental Congress, to Judge William Smith discussing the strategy to be employed in pushing the amendments to the Constitution. The collection also includes original deeds for the estate dated 1691 covered with wax seals and signed by local Indians.

“Some of the history of our country has not been fully written because the Tangier Smith family papers had not been accessible to the public,” George H. Furman wrote. “It will take time for this material to work its way into the history books, but ultimately, the full impact of these papers will be felt.”

As he looks to conclude the passage of the famed estate to the town, Prudenti said he would like to see the papers scanned and made available online. Military enactments that used to be conducted on the grounds should be revived, he said, and the Manor House as a museum should be promoted for its rich historical value. The site should be on both the national and state Registers of Historic Places, he noted. A director of the Mastic Park Civic Association, Ray Keenan, said the estate used to be part of the area’s Tri-Hamlet Day which featured tours of the manor along with the nearby William Floyd Estate and Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. “Our community is rich with historic and natural resources,” Keenan commented. “We should make sure they are highlighted and appreciated by the generations to come.”

A canon from the War of 1812 against Britain highlights the military past of the Manor of St. George, scene of a Revolutionary War victory by Col. Benjamin Tallmadge. From here, the Colonel burned 300 tons of Red Coat hay on his way through Coram along what is now famously called, “The Tallmadge Trail.”

The town board passed a resolution authorizing Brookhaven to accept the property and its trust account. “This 122-acres of local history is part of our national history, and I’m proud to be part of ensuring that it will remain open and available to the public for future generations,” said Councilman Daniel Panico, who represents the area. “While we have not closed just yet, we intend on closing in the coming weeks—which will be a momentous occasion.”

In a peaceful recess just off the manor house is the Smith Family cemetery whose ancient stones memorialize the lives of Eugenie Smith and various members of her family who make up the rich fabric of America’s history.