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128-562: Setauket / s ə ˈ t ɔː k ɪ t / is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven , Suffolk County , New York , United States, on the North Shore of Long Island . As of the 2010 United States census , the CDP population, which at the time included East Setauket as well, was 15,477. Setauket was founded in 1655, the first settlement in what would become

256-649: A New England –style village green with a mill pond and park, a small post office, the Caroline Church built in 1729, and the Setauket Presbyterian Church , established in 1660. The Emma S. Clark Library , also on the village green, is often considered one of the most comprehensive on Long Island. This section is the historical center of the original settlement and forms the core of the Old Setauket historic district. The mill pond

384-556: A Quaker meeting at "Setawket" in the spring of 1747. In the American Revolutionary War , the 1777 Battle of Setauket was fought on the village green. At the time, Loyalists controlled Setauket and had fortified the Presbyterian church for use as their stronghold. A Patriot force led by General Samuel Holden Parsons sailed across Long Island Sound from Fairfield, Connecticut , proposing to attack

512-678: A county seat , which is the location of county government. Nineteen counties operate under county charters, while 38 operate under the general provisions of the County Law. Although all counties have a certain latitude to govern themselves, "charter counties" are afforded greater home rule powers. The charter counties are Albany , Broome , Chautauqua , Chemung , Dutchess , Erie , Herkimer , Monroe , Nassau , Oneida , Onondaga , Orange , Putnam , Rensselaer , Rockland , Schenectady , Suffolk , Tompkins , Ulster , and Westchester . Sixteen counties are governed through an assembly with

640-560: A municipality is defined as a borough, city, town, or village is determined not by population or land area, but rather on the form of government selected by the residents and approved by the New York State Legislature. Each type of local government is granted specific home rule powers by the New York State Constitution. There are still occasional changes as a village becomes a city, or

768-637: A Long Island resident; Captain Nathan Woodhull, Abraham Woodhull's uncle, who served as a Loyalist militia officer but provided information to Abraham; Nathaniel Ruggles, a schoolmaster and physician born in 1713; Joshua Davis, a Brewster deputy and occasional substitute; and William T. Robinson, a merchant. Hercules Mulligan was recruited to spy for the Continental Army in New York City by Alexander Hamilton . Born in 1740, he

896-477: A box hidden in a field that Roe rented from Woodhull. Woodhull would evaluate and comment on it and pass it to Brewster, who would occasionally add an intelligence note of his own, take it across Long Island Sound, and pass it to Tallmadge. Tallmadge would usually add a cover letter with comments and sent and received messages by a relay of dragoons acting as couriers. Hawkins was bold at first but later became increasingly anxious about British patrols. His role

1024-407: A broad area between Old Field and the harbors of Stony Brook and Port Jefferson, including suburban developments East of Stony Brook University . As such, they comprise all of Setauket and East Setauket, as well as Strong's Neck , Poquott , Western Port Jefferson Station , and South Setauket . The Setaukets, Old Field, and Stony Brook combine to form the "Three Village" area, a region served by

1152-468: A code book to increase their vocabulary. By July 1779, he had completed pocket dictionaries with lists of verbs, nouns, people, and places with their corresponding code numbers. The dictionaries were given to Washington, Woodhull, Townsend, and Tallmadge himself to ensure that they did not get into enemy hands. With the use of the codes, the letters were very complex and required much effort to write and comprehend. The code book helped Washington make sure that

1280-506: A county administrator, who acts on behalf of the legislature, the legislature must maintain ultimate control over the actions of the administrator. Many, but not all, charter counties have an elected executive who is independent of the legislature; the exact form of government is defined in the County Charter. In New York, each city is a highly autonomous incorporated area that, with the exceptions of New York City and Geneva ,

1408-497: A great-grandson of Richard "Bull" Smith . She would publish her findings in The Smithtown News beginning in 1959 in a series called News of Long Ago . A letter by Loyalist soldier Nehemiah Marks was uncovered by Mark Sternberg in 2015 which identifies brothers Nathaniel and Phillip Roe as supporters of the spy ring, with Nathaniel providing intelligence and Phillip material aid. The letter also provides evidence that

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1536-521: A handful of businesses in small strip malls . The concept is to create a more walkable downtown area that may attract business from students and long-term residents alike. In May 2014, a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) bicycle path known as the Greenway Trail opened connecting Setauket and Port Jefferson Station. Plans are being made to further expand the bicycle route to Wading River by converting defunct railroad tracks. The Greek Orthodox Monastery of

1664-642: A land-use classification for private land under its Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan (APLUDP). The APLUDP extends the boundaries for its classification of hamlets "well beyond established settlements" to allow for growth. In New York, a village is an incorporated area. About 85% of villages fall within a single town. Villages in the State of New York are classified by the Census Bureau as incorporated places . Like all municipal corporations, villages have clearly defined legal boundaries. A village

1792-484: A major role in the Culper Spy ring was Agent 355 . Agent 355 was best known for providing the intelligence that led to the capture of the treasonous Benedict Arnold. While some sources make note of Agent 355 as an intelligence gatherer, others believe the code number simply referred to Anna Strong , or was a misunderstanding of a cryptic reference in one of Abraham Woodhull's letters. Other women were informants for

1920-417: A mayor and (usually) four trustees. The board is responsible for approving mayoral appointments, managing village finances and property, and approving a budget. The mayor, who is generally the chief executive of the village, may vote in all business before the board and must vote to break a tie. The mayor generally does not possess veto power, unless this is provided for by local law. Administrative duties of

2048-498: A quantity of white handkerchiefs to indicate which of the six hiding places he was in. Woodhull used her signals to meet Brewster or to drop messages at one of the meeting places. The historian Richard Welch writes that the tradition of the clothesline signal is unverifiable, but it is known that the British suspected a Setauket woman who fit Anna's profile of Patriot activities. Brewster occasionally would add his own report to

2176-487: A secure line of communication . Since Scott lost three out of five agents sent into New York City in early September, Washington decided that Tallmadge's method should be used. He opened discussions on setting up an embedded network with Woodhull and Brewster. Scott resigned on October 29, and Tallmadge replaced him as intelligence chief. Woodhull traveled to New York City every few weeks to gather intelligence. His married sister, Mary Underhill, lived there and gave him

2304-494: A sizeable proportion of Setauket's housing stock continues to be pre-war. Extant historical homes include the 1709 Thompson House and the 1830 Sherwood-Jayne Museum . The Frank Melville Memorial Park was established in 1937 and preserves much of the land around the Setauket Mill Pond. The Setaukets were also influenced by the philanthropy of Ward Melville , owner of what would become CVS Corporation , throughout

2432-610: A society column in a Loyalist newspaper and owned an interest in a coffeehouse with the newspaper's owner, James Rivington , who also was a secret member of the Culper Ring. Once Townsend began his intelligence activities in New York City, Woodhull operated almost exclusively from Setauket and revised the communications network. Townsend would pass intelligence to a courier (initially Hawkins, later Hawkins and Roe, and exclusively Roe after September 1779), who would take it to Setauket and pass it to Woodhull, usually by dead drop in

2560-536: A spy network on Staten Island , which worked with an established network known as the Mersereau Ring . The British victory at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, led to the capture of Philadelphia on September 26, which became a new focus of intelligence gathering. Washington assigned this task to Major John Clark . Recently returned to service after being wounded before Brandywine, Clark set up

2688-518: A spy. Woodhull soon recruited his brother-in-law, Amos Underhill, to gather intelligence; the latter ran a boarding house in the city with his wife, Mary, but Underhill's reports were often too vague to be of much value. At first, Woodhull had to return to Setauket to pass messages to Caleb Brewster, which Brewster would take to Tallmadge or to receive messages from Tallmadge via Brewster. Tallmadge set up couriers in December who would take messages

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2816-531: A successful network, but poor health forced him to take up a desk job. In August, 1778, Washington accepted an offer from Lieutenant Caleb Brewster , based at Norwalk, Connecticut , to provide intelligence. His first report included details on the condition of British warships prior to the Battle of Rhode Island , and the dispatching of several regiments to Newport, Rhode Island . Washington asked General Charles Scott to handle Brewster and find additional agents, assisted by Tallmadge. Scott delegated most of

2944-520: A suitable agent. Duer recommended Nathaniel Sackett ; his army contact was Hale's former classmate, then Captain Benjamin Tallmadge . Sackett had some success, for example the discovery that the British were building flat-bottomed boats for a campaign against Philadelphia ; however, Washington felt he did not produce enough correct intelligence fast enough, and Sackett was soon paid off. Early in 1777, American Colonel Elias Dayton set up

3072-482: A surprise attack on the newly allied French forces, a scheme to counterfeit Continental currency, and the secret defection of a general in the Continental Army (afterwards known to be Benedict Arnold ). Washington later spent a night in Setauket during his 1790 tour of Long Island. During the British occupation, residents held religious services at the c.1729 Caroline Church ( Episcopal ) while occupational troops used

3200-462: A time for fear that he would also be discovered. Woodhull passed on the information concerning Townsend's dejection and concern over the arrest of "one that hath been ever serviceable to this correspondence." Arnold did not have any hard evidence against Mulligan, so he was released, but he may have spent as many as five months in prison, until February 1781. Undeterred, he continued to pick up intelligence after his release. Mulligan discovered that

3328-602: A town; 35.9% were living in a town but outside a village. Whereas cities and villages can cross county boundaries, each town in New York is completely contained within a single county. New York towns are classified by statute as being a town of the first class or a town of the second class . Additionally, a town of the first class can further be classified as a suburban town upon meeting certain criteria. Originally, towns of different classes possessed different powers. Since 1964, all towns, regardless of classification, have had

3456-481: A uniform statewide Village Law (twelve villages still operate under charters issued by the state legislature prior to a revision of the State Constitution in 1874 that forbade chartering villages). Also, villages are part of a town (or towns; some villages cross town borders), with residents who pay taxes to and receive services from the town. Cities are neither part of nor subordinate to towns except for

3584-402: A valid reason to visit. He was questioned at a British checkpoint on October 31, 1778, which increased his anxiety about the dangerous mission, but he returned to Setauket with valuable information about the British supply fleet. He provided a precise report on November 23 with the identity of British units and the numbers of troops and dispositions in New York City, which proved his worth as

3712-510: A village becomes a city, the Legislature requires clear evidence, usually in the form of a locally drafted charter, that the community in question seeks to incorporate as a city. The forms of government cities can have are council–manager, strong mayor–council, weak mayor–council or commission. Forty-six cities, the majority, use the mayor–council form. The City of New York is a special case. The state legislature reorganized government in

3840-403: A village dissolves (stops existing), each of which requires legislative action. New York also has various corporate entities that provide local services and have their own administrative structures (governments), such as school and fire districts. These are not found in all counties. Almost every piece of land in the state is part of a city or town, which is part of one county. The exceptions are

3968-494: A village or town but will perform some of the functions of the other form. Villages remain part of the towns in which they are located; village residents pay both town and village taxes, and vote in both town and village elections. Towns can contain several hamlets and communities. If the United States Postal Service (USPS) has a post office in a hamlet it often will use the name of that hamlet, as will

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4096-423: Is Sherrill, New York , with just 3,071 inhabitants in 2010. The smallest city by area is Mechanicville, New York , which covers 0.91 sq mi (2.4 km ) (of which 0.08 sq mi (0.2 km ) is water). Some places containing the word "city" in their name are not cities. Examples include Johnson City , Garden City , and New City . Several cities, such as Albany, are divided into wards for

4224-408: Is a municipality that provides services to the residents, services that may or may not include garbage collection, management of cemeteries, street and highway maintenance, street lighting, and building codes. Some villages provide their own police and other municipal services. Villages have less autonomy than cities. While cities are not subject to a town's jurisdiction, villages legally remain part of

4352-608: Is additionally within the public Frank Melville Memorial Park . New York State Route 25A is the main east–west road, connecting Port Jefferson and Stony Brook . Setauket is accessible from the Long Island Expressway via Exit 62 and Nicolls Road . Almost all of the commercial establishments in the Setaukets is concentrated along Route 25A. Additional commercial zones exist in neighboring East Setauket along Belle Meade Road (formerly called Terminal Road after

4480-425: Is adjacent to the CDP. The name "Setauket" is derived from the historic Algonquian -speaking Setalcott Indians, who had lived in the area prior to its colonial period. In 1655, a handful of land-speculating colonists orchestrated the purchase of the Setauket area from the local natives. The region's first European settlers were English migrants from New England . This was the first settlement in what later became

4608-585: Is bordered to the north and west by the village of Old Field , to the northwest/southwest by Stony Brook , to the south by Stony Brook University , to the southeast by East Setauket , to the east by the village of Poquott , and to the northeast by Port Jefferson Harbor. According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km) are land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km), or 23.2%, are water. Setauket has

4736-402: Is commonplace to change boundaries and define new CDPs for each census. The Census Bureau formerly referred to CDPs as "unincorporated places" from 1950 through the 1970 decennial censuses. The term CDP was first used for the 1980 census , and minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the 2000 census . Though the term "hamlet" is not defined under New York law, many people in

4864-456: Is contained within one county. Cities in New York are classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as incorporated places. They provide almost all services to their residents and have the highest degree of home rule and taxing jurisdiction over their residents. The main difference between a city and a village is that cities are organized and governed according to their charters , which can differ widely among cities, while most villages are subject to

4992-558: Is in three towns and two counties. Five towns are coterminous with their single village and have a coterminous town-village form of government. Despite their names, Greenwich Village , the East Village , and Queens Village are not villages, but neighborhoods of the City of New York . A borough is one of the five major administrative divisions of the consolidated City of New York . Boroughs do not currently exist elsewhere in

5120-647: Is the primary administrative division of New York. There are sixty-two counties in the state. Five of the counties are boroughs of the City of New York and do not have functioning county governments. While originally created as subdivisions of the state meant to carry out state functions, counties are now considered municipal corporations with the power and fiscal capacity to provide an array of local government services. Such services generally include law enforcement and public safety, social and health services (such as Medicaid ), and education (special needs and community colleges). Every county outside of New York City has

5248-425: Is then voted upon by the qualified voters living in the proposed village only. Some villages have fewer than 500 residents, having incorporated before the present population requirement or fallen below the old 500-resident threshold after incorporation. A village may also be dissolved, returning all government control to the town level. The process of dissolution can be initiated by the village board itself, or upon

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5376-406: Is water. The town of Webb ( Herkimer County ) has the greatest land area, at 451 sq mi (1,170 km ). The smallest town, Green Island ( Albany County ), covers 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km ). The town of Hempstead ( Nassau County ) has about 760,000 people (2010 census), making it more populous than any city in the state except New York City . Red House ( Cattaraugus County ),

5504-464: The British evacuation of New York in 1783. The information supplied by the spy ring included details of a surprise attack on the newly arrived French forces under Lieutenant General Rochambeau at Newport, Rhode Island , before they had recovered from their arduous sea voyage, as well as a British plan to counterfeit American currency on the actual paper used for Continental dollars , which prompted

5632-534: The Continental Congress to retire the bills. The ring also informed Washington that Tryon's raid of July 1779 was intended to divide his forces and allow Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton to attack them piecemeal. In 1780, the Culper Ring discovered a high-ranking American officer, subsequently identified as Benedict Arnold , was plotting with British Major John André to turn over the vitally important American fort at West Point, New York on

5760-535: The Culper Ring . The Three Village Central School District serves the Setauket community. Hamlet (New York) See also: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York . The state is divided into boroughs , counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs,

5888-540: The Culper spy ring and the Battle of Setauket . Many of Setauket's early structures are intact and now form the Old Setauket Historic District. The Setaukets remain a mostly residential area, while bordering the more commercial enclaves of Port Jefferson and Stony Brook . The handful of businesses within the community largely cater to the over 25,000 students of Stony Brook University , which

6016-682: The Hudson River and surrender its garrison to the British forces. Prior to British Major General William Howe 's move from Staten Island , George Washington had received information of varying utility from individual spies working independently and without significant direction, such as Lawrence Mascoll. After evacuating the Continental Army from Brooklyn Heights, Washington asked William Heath and George Clinton to set up "a channel of information" on Long Island, but he did not yet try to establish permanent agents behind enemy lines. Instead, he sought volunteers for espionage missions. Among them

6144-592: The Martha E. Wallace of 1902, was a schooner .) A likeness of the Adorna has pride of place today above the main entrance of Setauket's elementary school. Better known is the famous, or infamous, schooner yacht Wanderer built at Setauket in 1857 by William J. Rowland at the direction of captain Thomas B. Hawkins who would later command her. The Wanderer was sold to new owners after her first cruise, and they tried to have

6272-768: The Three Village Central School District . As of the census of 2000, there were 15,931 people, 5,521 households, and 4,289 families residing in the Setauket-East Setauket CDP. The population density was 1,882.3 inhabitants per square mile (726.8/km). There were 5,632 housing units at an average density of 665.4 per square mile (256.9/km). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.76% White , 1.27% African American , 0.17% Native American , 8.80% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.61% from other races , and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.43% of

6400-439: The United States Census Bureau as "a statistical entity defined for each decennial census according to Census Bureau guidelines, comprising a densely settled concentration of population" that is not part of a city or a village "but is locally identified by a name." CDPs may cross town and county borders. CDPs are defined collaboratively by state and local officials and the Census Bureau. They are defined for each census, and it

6528-419: The town of Brookhaven. Prior to the 2020 census , the community was part of the Setauket-East Setauket CDP. The area was split in 2020 into two separate CDPs: Setauket and East Setauket despite many in the community still considering it one locality. Setauket was founded as an agricultural community in the mid-17th century, and was a regional center of activity during the American Revolutionary War noted for

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6656-685: The town of Brookhaven , and both the hamlet and town use the 1655 date as their origin. During the 17th century, Setauket was synonymous with the colonial town of Brookhaven. During the 1660s the settlement was temporarily renamed "Ashford". This change was facilitated by Captain John Scott , a professional mercenary hired to clear out the Native American Indians . He was an early settler of Setauket and an important leader in Long Island's early history who briefly served under

6784-432: The "Home Rule" article) of the state constitution establish the rights and responsibilities of the municipal governments. The New York State Constitution provides for democratically elected legislative bodies for counties, cities, towns and villages. These legislative bodies are granted the power to enact local laws as needed in order to provide services to their citizens and fulfill their various obligations. The county

6912-516: The 55 miles (89 km) between New York and Setauket, initially Jonas Hawkins then mainly Austin Roe beginning in the early summer. The courier's task was to get the letters to Brewster, who would pick up messages at one of six secluded coves near Setauket and take them across Long Island Sound with his rotating whaleboat crews to Tallmadge at Fairfield, Connecticut. Tallmadge would then take them to Washington's headquarters. The time-consuming task

7040-500: The British and Loyalists planned to capture several prominent Patriot leaders, including Washington and governor of New Jersey William Livingston . Mulligan had received the information from his brother Hugh, who worked as a contractor for the British Army through the firm Kortright and Company. The British arrested Mulligan on suspicion of espionage after Benedict Arnold defected in New York. Townsend ceased his activities for

7168-463: The British planned to ambush Washington while he was on his way to a meeting with Rochambeau on March 5, 1781. Mulligan and Cato remained under suspicion and could not communicate directly with Washington's headquarters, so Mulligan gave the information to Townsend, who sent it to Washington via the Culper Ring. The message arrived in time for Washington to avoid the trap and travel to the meeting by another route. Alexander Rose writes that "John Cork"

7296-587: The Culper Ring operated in Drowned Meadow beyond Setauket and Oyster Bay, as previously believed. The letter is housed in the William L. Clements library at the University of Michigan, where it was discovered by Sternberg, a former resident of Port Jefferson researching the Culper Ring. In 2022, Sternberg would discover that Selah Strong, husband of Anna "Nancy" Smith Strong, was an active member of

7424-423: The Culper Ring spies had more support and operated in greater secrecy than previous Continental spies, perhaps with Nathan Hale in mind. Tallmadge, Woodhull, and Townsend were given code names and code numbers, along with Washington, Brewster, Roe, and Rivington. Washington's code number was 711. The general public was unaware of the Culper Ring's existence until the 1930s. Robert Townsend's identity as "Culper Jr."

7552-435: The Culper Ring, such as Robert Townsend's sister Sarah (Sally) Townsend and Abraham Woodhull's sister Mary Underhill, who provided important information about Major John Andre and his alias of John Anderson, according to some sources. The members of the ring gathered information from a variety of sources, including persons other than unwitting British officers. Some of those informants or associates included Joseph Lawrence,

7680-599: The Culper Ring. In his Fall 2022 article in New York Archives magazine entitled, Selah Strong: Records Reveal an Overlooked Hero of the Culper Spy Ring , he clarifies myths surrounding Selah Strong, including the length of his imprisonment and clarifying that he never fled to Connecticut upon release, as well as where he and his family lived during the Revolutionary War. Sternberg also quotes

7808-611: The Culper messages. In a January 1779 report received by Washington in early February, Brewster sent some information about naval matters and boat building at New York City and warned that Loyalists were outfitting privateers for operations on Long Island Sound. That was delivered with a message from Woodhull that precisely described the British regiments and commanders at the northern tip of Manhattan, totaling about 8,500 men. Woodhull also reported on British boatbuilding, confirming Brewster's report. Tallmadge and Washington thought that

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7936-688: The Holy Cross, headquarters of the Jerusalem Patriarchate in America , is located in Setauket. Setauket is located in the northwest part of the town of Brookhaven at 40°56′47″N 73°6′41″W  /  40.94639°N 73.11139°W  / 40.94639; -73.11139 . It is on the North Shore of Long Island and includes parts of two tidal inlets: Setauket Harbor and Conscience Bay, both of which are arms of Port Jefferson Harbor leading to Long Island Sound . The Setauket CDP

8064-464: The Loyalists. Three hours of gunfire ensued before Parsons withdrew and returned to Connecticut, with minimal casualties for either side. During the gunfight, Parsons' men took cover behind "Patriots' Rock", which remains near the village green with a commemorative plaque. Because of this rock's massive size, it provided more than sufficient cover for the soldiers. Some of the bullets were embedded into

8192-586: The Setauket Presbyterian Church. The pulpit of the Presbyterian church was destroyed, and a number of gravestones from the surrounding cemetery were moved as part of the fortifications. Services resumed after the war until lightning hit the church in 1812. The Presbyterian church was rebuilt in 1812. The village green continues to be owned by both churches. The 19th century brought industry to East Setauket . Shipbuilding, which had begun as early as 1662, prospered as new shipyards populated

8320-426: The Setaukets began functioning as a summer resort town. Into the mid-20th century, relatively wealthy families started settling in the non-industrialized sections of the Setauket waterfront. In the post-World War II era, Setauket experienced a population boom, as the remaining agricultural lots were filled in with residential developments. The Old Setauket Historic District was established to counteract this change, and

8448-525: The State of New York have been granted broad home rule powers enabling them to provide services to their residents and to regulate the quality of life within their jurisdictions. They do so while adhering to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New York . Articles VIII (titled "Local Finances") and IX (titled "Local Government", but commonly referred to as

8576-474: The Three Village area. Melville founded Stony Brook University , the campus of which abuts the Setaukets on their western side. A minority of the university's students and faculty now live in the Setaukets. Melville also created a New England -style village district in neighbouring Stony Brook , being the closest commercial hub to Setauket's western areas and complementing the role of Port Jefferson to

8704-542: The U.S. Census Bureau as minor civil divisions . Like New Jersey and southern New England , all of New York is incorporated; all residents who do not live in a city or on an Indian reservation live in a town. Towns provide or arrange for the primary functions of local government. While some provide most municipal services for all town residents and selected services for residents of villages, some provide little more than road maintenance. There were 933 towns in New York. As of 2000 , 45.8% of state residents were living in

8832-451: The area in the 1890s in an effort to consolidate. Other cities, villages, and towns were annexed to become the " City of Greater New York ", (an unofficial term, the new city retained the name of New York), a process basically completed in 1898. At the time of consolidation, Queens County was split. Its western towns joined the city, leaving three towns that were never part of the consolidation plan as part of Queens County but not part of

8960-495: The area of the proposed village must have at least 1,500 inhabitants and not be part of an existing city or village. Additionally, the proposed village can be no more than 5 square miles (13 km ) in area unless its boundaries are to be coterminous with a school, fire, improvement or other district, or the entire town. The process of incorporation begins with a petition by either 20% of residents or owners of 50% of assessed real property. If deemed legally sufficient, incorporation

9088-400: The average family size was 3.26. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP

9216-506: The boats might be planned for transport for an attack against Connecticut from Major General William Tryon , who had conducted a raid during the winter. Woodhull became increasingly anxious about being discovered and did little in May and June 1779. John Wolsey was a Long Island privateer who was captured by the British. To secure parole, he told British officers on June 5 that Woodhull was up to something dubious. Colonel John Graves Simcoe ,

9344-427: The cities of New York and Albany city charters, which were recognized by the first State Constitution in 1777. All other cities have been established by act of the state legislature and have been granted a charter. Cities have been granted the power to revise their charters or adopt new ones. There are no minimum population or area requirements in order to become a city. While there is no defined process for how and when

9472-565: The city of Geneva ; New York City ; and ten Indian reservations . As of 2009 , New York has 62 counties (including New York City's five boroughs ), which are subdivided into 933 towns and 61 cities (including Geneva in both Ontario and Seneca counties, but excluding New York City and Sherrill ). In total, the state has more than 3,400 active local governments and more than 4,200 taxing jurisdictions. Counties and incorporated municipal governments (also known as "general purpose units of local government"; i.e., cities, towns and villages) in

9600-478: The city of Sherrill , which for some purposes is treated as if it were a village of the town of Vernon . Some cities are completely surrounded by a town, typically of the same name. There are sixty-two cities in the state. As of 2000 , 54.1% of state residents were living in a city; 42.2% were living in New York City; 11.9% were living in one of the other 61 cities. In 1686, the English colonial governor granted

9728-456: The command of Colonel Banastre Tarleton attacked Tallmadge's camp and captured his horse and some papers, including the letter mentioning Higday. They were trying to capture Tallmadge himself because they knew that he was head of Washington's intelligence operation. The second letter confirmed that the agent C______ was operating in New York City and that Tallmadge was the chief intelligence officer for Washington. Higday escaped execution but

9856-590: The commander of the Queen's Rangers , came to Setauket to look for Woodhull, but he was away, in New York City. Simcoe's men attacked and beat Woodhull's father, Judge Richard Woodhull. Abraham Woodhull escaped arrest because Loyalist militia officer Colonel Benjamin Floyd vouched for him. Floyd was married to a member of the Woodhull family. Woodhull reported that he could not continue to operate in New York City after

9984-610: The consolidated city. Each borough individually elects a borough president and used to elect two at-large city council members, in addition to those elected based on each borough's population. The borough presidents once wielded considerable power as members of the New York City Board of Estimate , but the position is now largely ceremonial and advisory. Boroughs function as counties for certain purposes, but have no county government. The five New York City district attorneys , however, are still elected by county (for example,

10112-614: The county also publish maps that conflict both in the number of hamlets and their boundaries. Nevertheless, all land not within a village is administered by the town. Most of the rest of New York's hamlets, however, have less well-defined boundaries, and most towns have areas that are not considered to be a part of any hamlet. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) puts hamlet names on rectangular green signs with white lettering at roadside locations of its choosing. The NYSDOT and local governments also provide community identification signs on some scenic byways to be placed at

10240-595: The county boundaries—each have a Borough Board made up of the Borough President, the borough's district council members, and the chairpersons of the borough's community boards. A mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer. The most populous and largest city in the state is New York City , with a population of over 8.5 million inhabitants and comprising just over 300 sq mi (777.00 km ) of land (468.87 sq mi (1,214.368 km ) total area, which includes water). The least populous city

10368-407: The deposition of Robert Brush from his 1835 pension application. Brush was a member of Caleb Brewster's whaleboat crew and his deposition describes Selah's role in the ring: [Brewster and his crew] usually started and landed on the island during the night and taking their boat up in the woods, they lay under it if the weather was inclement and it was safe to do so or concealed themselves somewhere in

10496-580: The district attorney for Brooklyn is called the Kings County District Attorney). Culper Ring While Tallmadge was the spies' direct contact, Washington often directed their operations. The ring was tasked to provide Washington information on British Army operations in New York City , the British headquarters. Its members operated mostly in New York City, Long Island , and Connecticut between late October 1778 and

10624-426: The east. East Setauket is home to Renaissance Technologies , one of America's most profitable hedge funds, which was founded by Stony Brook University mathematics professor James Harris Simons . In 2012, local politicians formed a planning committee for the section of New York State Route 25A bordering Stony Brook University, shared between Setauket and Stony Brook. Much of this corridor is currently underused, with

10752-712: The executive branch. All town justices were originally part of a town's board. Today, justices belong to a separate judicial branch known as Town Court or Justice Court, part of New York's Justice Court system. A town may contain one or more villages. Many towns have no villages. Five towns are coterminous with their single village and share the same name: Green Island in Albany County ; East Rochester in Monroe County ; and Scarsdale , Harrison , and Mount Kisco in Westchester County . A sixth,

10880-644: The fact to Brewster. He remembers many times to have seen Strong pass the place of their concealment, as it were to fodder his cattle or [to] see to some work on his farm and by a shake of his head as he passed intimate to them that it was unsafe to hold any conversation or for them to stay there. For his work, Mark Sternberg would be recognized as a 2022 Person of the Year by TBR News Media . Women were not considered threats to military commanders, allowing them to spy uninterrupted. Women who were cooks and maids were recruited to spy on soldiers. A prominent woman who played

11008-408: The first months of the ring's operations, they were forced to rely on crude tactics to conceal their information before a complex web of codes and invisible ink were accessible, and so they relied on a small number of codes for memory. Woodhull used the codes 10 (New York), 30 and 40 (Post Riders), and 20 (Setauket) in his first letter of correspondence. Tallmadge realized the significance of creating

11136-675: The five boroughs of New York City, have the same boundaries as their respective counties.) They are municipal corporations , chartered (created) by the New York State Legislature , as under the New York State Constitution the only body that can create governmental units is the state. All of them have their own governments, sometimes with no paid employees, that provide local services. Centers of population that are not incorporated and have no government or local services are designated hamlets . Whether

11264-444: The formation of the Culper Ring. Historian Stephen Knott says that Mulligan cooperated with the Culper Ring but mostly operated as a lone agent. Alexander Rose states that Mulligan gave Townsend information which Townsend added to his reports. Mulligan's slave Cato was his "faithful accomplice" in his intelligence activities. In January 1779, Cato delivered a message from Mulligan to George Washington's aide Alexander Hamilton that

11392-403: The handwriting was a match. Other evidence later corroborated Townsend's identity. James Rivington was confirmed by scholars to be a member of the ring only in the 1950s. In the 1950s, local Smithtown historian, Virginia Eckels Malone, would discover that "S.G.", the codename for a spy who joined the Culper Ring in 1781 to replace Culper Jr., was George Smith, originally of Nissequogue and

11520-433: The identity of all of the operatives. Townsend was recruited by Woodhull, who was especially insistent that his identity not be revealed, although Austin Roe and Jonas Hawkins needed to know him. Among the techniques that the Culper Ring used to relay information were coded messages published in newspapers and invisible ink , called a sympathetic stain , to write between the lines of what appeared to be typical letters. In

11648-465: The least populous, has 38 permanent residents (2010 census). The use of "town" in a community's name is irrespective of municipal status. Elizabethtown , Germantown and Stephentown are towns. Cooperstown , home of the Baseball Hall of Fame , is a village, Jamestown and Middletown are cities, and Levittown is an unincorporated hamlet. A census-designated place (CDP) is defined by

11776-593: The limits. Based on the ZIP Code, the United States Postal Service (USPS) identifies the correct location for mail delivery. The New York State Gazetteer , published by the New York State Department of Health in 1995, includes a list of hamlets in the state. The criteria used for inclusion in the Gazetteer are not stated. The Adirondack Park Agency also uses the term "hamlet", though as

11904-516: The local fire department or elementary school. Businesses may also use the name of a hamlet as part of their name. The United States Census Bureau will, with consideration from the town, designate a census-designated place (CDP) that may use the name of one or more hamlets, though boundaries may differ from what is used by the ZIP code, local fire department, etc. Towns in New York may be further subdivided into wards, although as of 2017 , only fifteen of

12032-473: The mayor include enforcing laws and supervising employees. A village may also have a full-time village manager who performs these administrative duties instead of the mayor. In 2007, sixty-seven villages had such a manager. Some villages have their own village justice, while others utilize the justice of the town or towns in which they are located. While most villages are subject to a uniform statewide Village Law, twelve villages operate under charters issued by

12160-620: The mid-19th century; the New York City Council is currently elected from special districts, which are allowed to cross borough lines. New York City has a unique system of divisions, some of which possess governmental power, see Divisions unique to New York City . In New York, a town is a municipal corporation, and is the major division of each county (excluding the five boroughs that comprise New York City ), very similar to townships in other states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Towns in New York are classified by

12288-553: The neighborhood. Their usual places of landing were Setauket, Stony Brook, a place called the Old Man’s, and Crab Meadow (seldom however at the latter place being too near the British). At the place called “Old Man’s,” Capt. Selah Strong lived and from him they received such assistance and information as they needed when it was safe for him to do so, but if it was unsafe to do so or for them to remain there, Strong by some sign communicated

12416-401: The new Borough of Queens. (A small portion of the Town of Hempstead was itself annexed, also.) The next year (1899), the three eastern towns of Queens County separated to become Nassau County . The city today consists of the entire area of five counties (named New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, and Richmond). While these counties have no county government, boroughs—with boundaries coterminous with

12544-533: The oil terminal) and on Nesconset Highway. Numerous medical and professional offices are located on Belle Meade Road, along with other businesses that service them. A few additional shops and factories were established before modern zoning rules went into effect, a handful of which are located on Gnarled Hollow Road and Comsewogue Road in East Setauket. The remainder of Setauket is predominantly residential woodland. "The Setaukets" or simply "Setauket" refers to

12672-405: The population. There were 5,589 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and

12800-480: The power of a board of supervisors , composed of the supervisors of its constituent towns and cities. In most of these counties, each supervisor's vote is weighted in accordance with the town's population in order to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court mandate of " one person, one vote ". Other counties have legislative districts of equal population, which may cross municipal borders; these counties may also have an elected County Executive. Most counties in New York do not use

12928-527: The purposes of municipal representation. Each ward elects one member to the city's legislative body, and the wards are redistricted roughly every ten years. These divisions can go by other names by city; in Buffalo they are known as districts . These divisions can either be numbered or named. New York City was divided into wards at various times in its history between 1683 and 1938, although they were gradually replaced by Assembly and Senate districts starting in

13056-749: The roadside boundaries of hamlets, as decided by the sign provider. Many towns have special zoning or planning districts and planning strategies for their hamlets, and many places welcome signs at the gateways to the hamlets. Some hamlets are former villages that have dissolved their incorporation ( Old Forge in Herkimer County ; Rosendale , in Ulster County ; and Andes in Delaware County , for example). Notwithstanding hamlets are not cities or towns, many of them are called out in formal addresses for those residents residing within

13184-450: The same legal powers as were once available only to suburban towns. Even so, towns of different classifications continue to have organizational differences and certain conditions that must be met before a town's classification changes. The town board serves as the legislative branch. The board is composed of one elected town supervisor (or chief executive officer in suburban towns) and a specific number of elected council persons; towns of

13312-575: The second class generally have two but may have four council persons, whereas towns of the first class generally have four but can have two or six. The supervisor presides over the board, voting on all matters but not possessing veto or tie-breaking power. Certain towns operate under a town manager form of government, creating an executive branch in the town government, as permitted by legislation enacted in 1976. As such, some supervisors have additional authority or executive powers, whereas some towns have town managers or chief executive officers who serve as

13440-417: The section of Setauket Harbor known as Dyers Neck. These supplemented larger operations in neighboring Port Jefferson. Among the vessels built at Setauket were the Adorna in 1870 by David Brewster Bayles, which was the largest square-rigged sailing ship built on Long Island outside of Brooklyn . (At that time Brooklyn was considered part of Long Island, and the largest sailing vessel built at Port Jefferson,

13568-641: The state legislature prior to 1874. Before a revision to the State Constitution in that year, villages were formed by the state legislature through granting of charters. Many villages reincorporated, dumping their charters in favor of the Village Law. The villages that retain their charters are Alexander , Carthage , Catskill , Cooperstown , Deposit , Fredonia , Ilion , Mohawk , Ossining , Owego , Port Chester , and Waterford . These villages must still comply with those aspects of Village Law that are not inconsistent with their charters. To be incorporated,

13696-580: The state use the term hamlet to refer to a community within a town that is not incorporated as a village but is identified by a name, i.e. an unincorporated community . A hamlet often has a name corresponding to the name of a local school district , post office , or fire district. Because a hamlet has no government of its own, it depends upon the town or towns that contain it for municipal services and government. Because they do not have governments, hamlets have no clear boundaries . Suffolk County publishes maps that give hamlet boundaries, but towns within

13824-423: The state's 932 towns used this system. In towns operating under the ward system, citizens vote for councilmen who represent a specific area (ward) of the town, as opposed to the at-large councilmen elected in the majority of the state's towns. Towns vary in size and population. The largest town by area is Brookhaven ( Suffolk County ), which covers 531.5 sq mi (1,377 km ), but more than half of that

13952-478: The state. Each of the five boroughs of the city is coextensive with a county of the state of New York. Under New York State's General Municipal Law , a borough results when the towns, villages and cities in a county merge with the county itself. This occurred in 1898 when New York City merged with surrounding counties, cities and towns to form its present configuration. The five boroughs are: The boroughs were originally intended to retain some local governance in

14080-508: The submission of a proper petition to the board. The village board must produce a "dissolution plan" that settles specific matters, such as the village's debts, its employees and property, and the financial impact dissolution would have on village and non-village town residents. This plan is voted upon by village voters only. About 15% of villages cross other municipal boundaries. More than 70 villages are located in two or more towns. Seven villages are in two counties. The village of Saranac Lake

14208-405: The term "Board of Supervisors." 34 counties have a County Legislature, six counties have a Board of Legislators, and one county has a Board of Representatives. The five counties, or boroughs, of New York City are governed by a 51-member City Council. In non-charter counties, the legislative body exercises executive power as well. Although the legislature can delegate certain functions and duties to

14336-504: The title of "President of Long Island". A crafty land speculator , Scott claimed at one point to own a third of the island, including the Setauket area. Despite the questionable nature of many of his claims, John Scott had enough power and support to rename Setauket for his ancestral homeland in England, Ashford, Kent , and to construct a stately home named Egerton. John Woolman , a well known preacher and journalist, noted having attended

14464-503: The town of Palm Tree in Orange County was incorporated in 2019 and is coterminous with the village of Kiryas Joel , having acquired land from the town of Monroe . When such an entity is formed, officials from either unit of government may serve in both village and town governments simultaneously. A referendum is held to decide whether residents prefer a village-style or town-style government, which will then function primarily as

14592-419: The town or towns in which they are located. Village residents pay both town and village taxes, and vote in town and village elections. Those services not provided by the village are provided by the town or towns containing the village. As of the 2000 census, 9.9% of the state's population was living in one of the 556 villages in New York. The legislature of a village is the board of trustees, composed of

14720-592: The vessel secretly converted into a slaver at Port Jefferson in 1858, largely employing outsiders. Suspicious residents alerted authorities, and the vessel was captured by the USRC Harriet Lane off Port Jefferson as it attempted a hasty departure. Sadly, authorities in New York returned the vessel to its owners, and she later completed what is considered the last successful American slaving voyage to Africa. She did so without Captain Hawkins, who quit before

14848-784: The vessel was released. What is less well known is that the Wanderer later served in the Union Navy during the Civil War as the USS Wanderer and captured two small blockade runners . From 1876 until 1904, East Setauket also ran a rubber factory for the Long Island Rubber Company. By the early 20th century, nearly all industrial activity within the Setaukets had ceased. Following the 1873 completion of railroad service from New York City to Port Jefferson ,

14976-492: The visit from Simcoe in June because of suspicion, but Woodhull had a new agent lined up and would go to New York to finalize arrangements with him. In late June, Washington sent a letter to Tallmadge in which he identified George Higday as a possible operative to relieve Woodhull in New York City. The British had intercepted a June 13 letter from Washington that referred to "C_____" and Tallmadge. On July 2, British cavalry under

15104-527: The walls of the extant Caroline Church of Brookhaven. From 1778 to 1781, the Culper Spy Ring passed information about British troop movements gathered in New York City to George Washington . The spy ring consisted primarily of Setauket residents, including its leader Benjamin Tallmadge and key agent Abraham Woodhull . The Culper ring was highly successful and alerted Washington to such plots as

15232-568: The work to Tallmadge, and Washington asked him to recruit reliable intelligence agents in New York City. As a contact for Brewster, Tallmadge recommended a mutual childhood friend, Abraham Woodhull of Setauket on Long Island . Washington may have suggested the alias "Samuel Culper" after Culpeper County, Virginia , where he had worked as a surveyor in his youth. Tallmadge and Scott had different approaches. Scott preferred single-mission agents, who returned to base after each completion, Tallmadge favored embedding agents and establishing

15360-457: Was $ 200,690 and the median income for a family was $ 225,160 in 2022. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 69,400. About 0.9% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 0.3% of those age 65 or over. Setauket is the principal setting of the AMC television drama Turn: Washington's Spies , which premiered in 2014 and tells the story of

15488-470: Was Captain Nathan Hale , who went to New York City under a false identity but was quickly captured by the British and executed on September 22, 1776. This made Washington realize that a more discreet and well-organized espionage system would be necessary in order to infiltrate British operations. He decided that civilians would attract less attention than soldiers, and he asked William Duer to recommend

15616-403: Was a code name for an unidentified informant. Harry Thayer Mahoney writes that John Corke of Groton, New York posed as a Tory and was able to travel back and forth to New York City because he was "exceedingly intimate at British headquarters." Corke wrote intelligence reports to Tallmadge in invisible ink or reported verbally to him. Mahoney states that Washington and Tallmadge considered Corke

15744-630: Was a friend of Townsend's father and an active member of the Sons of Liberty . He had taken in the orphaned Hamilton when Hamilton arrived in New York in 1773 to attend King's College , and he had later helped Hamilton obtain a commission in the army. He was married to Elizabeth Sanders, daughter of a Royal Navy admiral, and he also had a fashionable clothing business near Robert Townsend's establishment. These things gave him access to officers who would openly talk to him about military matters. Mulligan began his activities in late 1776 or early 1777, well before

15872-493: Was beginning to doubt Hawkins' reliability and to regret the destroyed messages. Hawkins finally stopped his courier services for the spy ring in September 1779, as Townsend refused to deal with him any longer. Woodhull acted as courier on September 11 so that he could explain to Townsend the loss of the earlier letters, and Roe became the sole permanent courier for the ring. Secrecy was so strict that Washington did not know

16000-554: Was discovered in 1929 upon examination of old letters written by Townsend in the Townsend family home. The historian Morton Pennypacker reviewed the letters and noticed that the handwriting in letters from the trunk, written by Robert Townsend, was similar to handwriting in letters written by "Samuel Culper Jr.", in Washington's collection. Pennypacker would then approach Questioned Document Examiner, Albert S. Osborn , to confirm

16128-451: Was of no use as a spy to Washington or to Clinton, who tried to recruit him as a double agent . In June 1779, Woodhull engaged Robert Townsend to gather intelligence in New York City by using the alias "Samuel Culper Jr." Townsend was involved in business there, and his presence would arouse less suspicion than Woodhull's visits. He had access to British officers through several channels, including his own tailoring business. He also wrote

16256-403: Was reduced between April and July, when Tallmadge assigned a code number in his code directory to Roe but not to Hawkins. Woodhull wrote in a coded message on August 15 that Hawkins had had to destroy a letter from Culper Jr. or be captured. He also wrote that Hawkins insisted his next meeting with Townsend be in an out-of-the-way location. Townsend did not like taking the additional risk and

16384-564: Was replaced in January 1779 by the assignment of express riders to take the messages from Tallmadge to Washington. Local tradition claims that Anna Strong , a resident of Setauket and a friend and neighbor of Abraham Woodhull, helped pass along messages from the spy ring by posting prearranged signals to indicate when one of the spies was ready to submit intelligence. If she hung a black petticoat on her clothesline, it meant that Brewster had arrived in town in his whaleboat. Also, she would hang

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