Montauk Point State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

located in the hamlet of Montauk, at the eastern tip of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

in the Town of East Hampton, Suffolk County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Montauk Point is the easternmost extremity of the South Fork of Long Island, and thus also of New York State.

History

The park contains the

Montauk Point Light The Montauk Point Light, or Montauk Point Lighthouse, is a lighthouse located adjacent to Montauk Point State Park, at the easternmost point of Long Island, in the hamlet of Montauk in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York. T ...

, which was authorized by the Second Congress, under President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796 and was completed on November 5, 1796. The lighthouse and adjacent

Camp Hero Camp Hero State Park is a state park located on Montauk Point, New York. The park occupies a portion of the former Montauk Air Force Station. History Military use The site known as Camp Hero, or the Montauk Air Force Station, was originall ...

were heavily fortified with huge guns during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Those gun emplacements and concrete observation bunkers (which are also at nearby

Shadmoor State Park Shadmoor State Park is a state park located in Suffolk County, New York in the United States. Created in 2000, the park is located in Town of East Hampton on the South Fork of Long Island, east of the hamlet of Montauk. History Prior to be ...

and

Camp Hero State Park Camp Hero State Park is a state park located on Montauk Point, New York. The park occupies a portion of the former Montauk Air Force Station. History Military use The site known as Camp Hero, or the Montauk Air Force Station, was originall ...

) are still visible. The '' Amistad'', a Spanish ship taken over by slaves in 1839, was captured by the USS ''Washington'' near Montauk Point. The slaves were allowed to briefly disembark here before being re-imprisoned and taken to

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

for trial. The Amistad case was heard before the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

, where

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

successfully argued that the slaves had been kidnapped. Following the trial, the slaves were permitted to return to Africa. The case fanned the debate over the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Park description

Montauk Point State Park features picnic tables, a food concession, playground, fishing, seasonal hunting, and trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. Suffolk Transit's S94 route also serves the park seasonally connecting it with Montauk Village. The park is located at the end of New York State Route 27.

In Literature

A memory of this district is related in

Lydia Sigourney Lydia Huntley Sigourney (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865), ''née'' Lydia Howard Huntley, was an American poet, author, and publisher during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the "Sweet Singer of Hartford." She had a ...

's poe
Point''
published in her ''Scenes in my Native Land'', 1845.

Image gallery

Image:US-NY - North Fork - Montauk Point Lighthouse - Montauk Point (4887140001).jpg,

Image:Montauk Sunrise.JPG, Montauk Light at sunrise Image:Montauk Point Light in storm.jpg, Montauk Point Light in stormy weather File:Montauk Point Amistad Memorial; May 11 2008.JPG, ''Amistad'' Memorial

References

External links