Strongs Neck is a hamlet and

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

just south of

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

and hamlet in 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 * '' ...

, United States, on the North Shore of

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

. Strongs Neck is part of the Town of Brookhaven. Census data is included in

Setauket-East Setauket, New York Setauket 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 ...

. It was originally known as Little Neck. In the 17th century it was the home of

William "Tangier" Smith William "Tangier" Smith (February 2, 1655 – February 18, 1705) was a governor of Tangier, on the coast of Morocco, and an early settler of New York who owned more than of Atlantic Ocean waterfront property in central Long Island in New York Stat ...

who, through purchases and land grants, owned most of Brookhaven with property stretching from Shirley on the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest to Riverhead in the northeast as well as all of Fire Island. Smith's great-granddaughter Anna (who was part of the

Setauket Spy Ring The Culper Ring was a network of spies active during the American Revolutionary War, organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and General George Washington in 1778 during the British occupation of New York City. The name "Culper" was suggested by ...

during the American Revolution) married Selah Strong and the neck was renamed Strong's Neck. Anna was to coordinate communication among the spies via the color of clothes hung on her clothes line on Strong's Neck. The Strong family still owns the site of the original Smith mansion and William "Tangier" Smith and many of his progeny are buried there.

References

{{BrookhavenNY Brookhaven, New York Hamlets in New York (state) Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York