Gardiners Island
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Gardiners Island is a small island, approximately 5 sq mi (13 km²) in eastern Suffolk County in the U.S. state of New York. It is located in Gardiners Bay between the two flukelike peninsulas at the eastern end of Long Island.
In 1639, the island was settled by Lion Gardiner from a grant by Charles I as the first colonial English settlement in present-day New York state. The island has been privately owned for over three hundred years by his descendants is the only real estate still intact as part of an original royal grant from the English Crown. It is currently a private game reserve. The owners reportedly pay approximately 2 million dollars annually in taxes for the island.
The original Gardiner reportedly purchased the island in 1639 for "a large black dog, some powder and shot, and a few Dutch blankets." Gardiner established a plantation on the island for growing corn, wheat, fruit, and tobacco, as well for raising livestock. The island was later the scene of wars between Native American tribes during the Pequot War and was reportedly visited by Captain Kidd. A popular legend holds that Kidd buried treasure there. The island was used as British to store provisions during the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. From 1854 to 1894, the island was the site of the Gardiners Island Lighthouse. In 1937 the island was put up for sale but was bought at the last minute by a family member.
The island is currently the subject of a family dispute regarding the ownership and inheritance of the land. The recently dead owner (Robert David Lion Gardiner, the last of his line) expressed interest in the possibility of the island becoming government property. The Nature Conservancy is also reportedly interested in acquiring conservation rights to the island. The island contains the largest stand of white oak in the northeastern United States.
See also
External links
- Gardiners Island Lighthouse (http://eastendlighthouses.org/gIsland.htm)
- Gardiners Island: What Next? (http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs310a,0,5584826.story)
- ISLAND OWNER: The heir's last goodbye (http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-ligard283945583aug28,0,6749981.story)