Fort Corchaug Archeological Site is a prehistoric
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
in
Cutchogue
Cutchogue ( ) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, on the North Fork (Long Island), North Fork of Long Island's East End (Long Isl ...
on eastern
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
in
New York State
New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
. It is located west of the North Fork Country Club, on the south side of Main Road (
New York State Route 25
New York State Route 25 (NY 25) is an east–west state highway in downstate New York in the United States. The route extends along the central parts and North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island for just over from east ...
). The site shows evidence of 17th century contact between
Native Americans
Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States.
Related terms and peoples include:
Ethnic groups
* Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
and Europeans. Fort Corchaug itself was a log fort built by Native Americans. It may have been to protect the
Corchaug tribe from other Indians, built with the help of Europeans.
[Newsday.com Article on Site]
Ralph Solecki, a prominent American archaeologist, grew up nearby and conducted several digs on site.
It remains today one of the few undisturbed Native American fortified village sites in the North East. and was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1999.
The property where the fort is located is protected in part by a conservation easement owned by a local land trust, and is in part owned by the town of
Southold as a nature preserve. Known as the Downs Farm Preserve, it is open to the public with hiking trails.
The
Corchaug tribe, also known as the
Montaukett
The Montaukett (" Metoac"), more commonly known as Montauk, are an Algonquian-speaking Native American people from the eastern and central sections of Long Island, New York, United States.
Name
The exact meaning of the name Montauk is unkn ...
, originally had the land from the Nassau border to
Montauk Point
Montauk ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in East Hampton and Suffolk County, New York, on the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 4,318.
The CDP encomp ...
. Depradation by the
Narragansetts of Connecticut and decimation from smallpox caused to tribe to leave their land in the
South Fork and with the help of whites built forts to ward off attacks. Another fort still being excavated is Fort Hill (now in
Montauk County Park
Montauk County Park, formerly known as Theodore Roosevelt County Park, is located approximately east of Montauk, New York. The park is in size, running from Montauk Highway north to Block Island Sound and is bordered on the east by Montauk Poi ...
) in Montauk Point, described as "one of the earliest and best for its time", it was placed on a 1658 map of Long Island.
[http://montaukett.org/?page_id=22]
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
Archaeological sites in New York (state)
Geography of Suffolk County, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, New York
Southold, New York