Looking Back: Sag Harbor, Beginnings of a Harbor About to Celebrate Itself

When Southampton (1640) and East Hampton (1648) were founded, Sag Harbor was still an Indian village named Wegwagonock.

The Town of Southampton has a recorded document of purchasing Wegwagonock from the Indians Back in 1664, often referring to it as; the Harbor at Sagg. The first official mention of "Sag Harbor" as an entity was in a 1707 document of the Town of East Hampton, therefore the accepted date of the founding of Sag Harbor is 1707 making 2012 Sag Harbor’s 305 anniversary. This weekend there are many splendid events planned around Sag Harbor Fest.

The whaling tradition of Sag Harbor dates back to the first granting of to the original three families of Sag Harbor; James Howell, James Foster and Nathaniel Fordham, the right to build the first whaling dock right on the wharf in Sag Harbor. The second whaling wharf would not be built until 1770 granted to immigrants from other areas. But it is recorded that James Howell and Nathaniel Fordham Jr. were granted the first legal permission to construct the first “Try House,” to process whale’s right in the harbor. This was granted back in 1761. From there on in the town began to grow until by the early 1800’s the three homes of 1710 grew to over 100 buildings in town. Also in 1800 there were four working windmills in operation in the town.

Sag Harbor was actually bombed by the British Fleet in the War of 1812, after being occupied by the British as was most of the south fork during the American Revolution. Huge fires destroyed the town three times in the 1800’s, but the money from whaling brought the town back to life quickly and with vigor. Sag Harbor also has a history concerning slavery. At 1800 Sag Harbor actually had around 9 slaves, brought in to help process the difficult tedious labor of boiling blubber. But the 1840’s many freed slaves were employed in the whaling trade and thus set up the groundwork for a Sag Harbor sanctuary of the infamous “underground railroad,” that was centered around the worshipers of the legendary St. David AME Zion Church. The voices and spirits of those who hid, toiled, and suffered are forever remembered.

John Wallace Burke a Sag Harbor resident put together a group of 23 East Enders that left Sag Harbor to fight in the Civil War. They left the town on Nov. 20, 1861 to join the Union forces. He actually witnessed the historic battle between the first two iron clad warships the Monitor, and the Merrimack.

There so many historical homes, churches, and buildings throughout Sag Harbor. Stephen Longmire’s book, “Keeping Time in Sag Harbor,” is worth a look and read. This masterpiece history brings the reader through the 300 years of Sag Harbor’s history with dazzling color and black and white photo’s of existing historical sites, juxtaposed with historical photos of what Sag Harbor once looked like. Also included are journal’s and other literary writings of the Sag Harbor residents living through the vivid history the photos portray. This book is now available at local book shops as well as stocked in the Sag Harbor, East Hampton, South Hampton and Bridgehampton public libraries.

In the past Sag Harbor was the home of many events; from the sounds of the winds whipping through an Indian village, the smells of blubber boiling, the sounds of British troops marching, and later the cannon of British Warships blasting. Sag Harbor then experienced huge fires and the hiding of slaves the Patriotic fever of the Civil War. After that the sudden demise of the whale trade, followed by the immigration of watchmakers from eastern Europe. Then two world wars and many other national police actions. Yet on a Saturday morning is there anything more charming then strolling down Main Street passed the American Hotel to the historical wharf to view the harbor?  305 years and going strong. Congratulations!