Fishers Island, shown highlighted

Fishers Island is a small island, approximately 9 miles (14 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, in Suffolk County in the U.S. state of New York. It is located at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, 2 miles (3 km) off the southeastern coast of Connecticut across Fishers Island Sound. It is approximately 11 miles (18 km) from the tip of Long Island and approximately 7 miles (12 km) southeast of New London, Connecticut, from which it is accessible by plane or a regular ferry service. The United States Census Bureau defines the island as Block Group 2, Census Tract 1702.02 of Suffolk County, New York. As of the 2000 census there were 289 people living year-round on 10.496 km² (4.053 sq mi) of land; ^[1] however, the population rises to over 2000 during the peak summer weekends. Fishers Island is primarily a remote summer getaway for the wealthy. Fishers Island © 2004 Matthew Trump File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Fishers Island © 2004 Matthew Trump File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the... “NY” redirects here. ... New York City waterways: 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ... Nickname: Motto: MARE LIBERUM Coordinates: , NECTA Norwich-New London Region Southeastern Connecticut Settled 1646 (Pequot Plantation) Named 1658 (New London) Incorporated (city) 1784 Government  - Type Council-manager  - City council Margaret Mary Curtin, Mayor Kevin J. Cavanagh, Dep. ... The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A census tract, census area, or census district is a particular community defined for the purpose of taking a census. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Geography

Fishers Island represents a section of the same terminal moraine that formed the North Fork of Long Island, which comes ashore at Watch Hill, RI. During the late phase of the Wisconsin glaciation, glacial Lake Connecticut formed at the retreating fore edge of the ice sheet, over what is now Long Island Sound; it formed an outlet in its moraine dam at The Race, famous for rip currents, which still separates Fishers Island from the North Fork. Fishers Island is essentially a long barrow of rocky till scoured from the surface of New England. Moraine is the general term for debris of all sorts originally transported by glaciers or ice sheets that have since melted away. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Watch Hill is a small coastal fire district in the southwestern Washington County, Rhode Island. ... The Wisconsin (in North America), Devensian (in the British Isles), Midlandian (in Ireland), Würm (in the Alps), and Weichsel (in northern central Europe) glaciations are the most recent glaciations of the Pleistocene epoch, which ended around 10,000 BCE. The general glacial advance began about 70,000 BCE, and... Glacial Lake Connecticut formed over what is now Long Island Sound and coastal Connecticut as the fore edge of the ice sheet of the Wisconsin glaciation, as the lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet began to retreat, some 18 to 20,000 yBP. It was dammed by the terminal moraine... A rip current is a strong flow of water returning seaward from the shore. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ...

Wicopesset Island, a small unoccupied island just off East Point on Fisher's Island, is closer to the New York water boundary with Rhode Island than Montauk Point. However Montauk gets the title of New York's easternmost land point because it is 2.9 miles further east. The Montauk Point Lighthouse is in Montauk Point State Park, which is located in the village of Montauk at the eastern tip of Long Island in Suffolk County, New York. ...

History

The island was called "Munnawtawkit" by the Native American Pequot tribe. Adrian Block, the first recorded European visitor, named it Visher's Island in 1614, after one of his companions. For the next 25 years, it remained a wilderness, visited occasionally by Dutch traders. In 1640, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony granted the island to John Winthrop, Jr., who lived only one winter on the island. After being named governor of the Connecticut Colony, Winthrop used the island to raise sheep for food and wool. After Winthrop died in 1676, his son, Fitz-John, installed a lessee farmer from England, William Walworth, on the island. Walworth brought with him a system of cultivation which was continued on the island for nearly 200 years. He established farmland out of the heavily forested island. Walworth and his family vacated the island nine years later due to the threat of pirates. Fishers Island remained in the Winthrop family until 1863, when ownership passed to Robert R. Fox, and then to Edmund and Walton Ferguson. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... The Pequot are a tribal nation of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. ... Blocks map of his 1614 voyage, with the first appearance of the term New Netherland Adriaen Block (fl. ... Events April 5 - In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... A map of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Capital Charlestown, Boston History  - Established 1629  - New England Confederation 1643  - Dominion of New England 1686  - Province of Massachusetts Bay 1692  - Disestablished 1692 The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called the Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it) was an English settlement on... John Winthrop (February 12, 1606-April 5, 1676), generally known as John Winthrop the Younger, was governor of Connecticut. ... A map of the Connecticut, New Haven, and Saybrook colonies. ...

The island was a target of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War, who raided islands in the Long Island sound for supplies. Many of the residents of Fishers Island took their herds to the relative safety of Connecticut in 1776. The raids continued though, and in 1779 the British burnt many of the island's homes. This article is about military actions only. ... Year 1776 (MDCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1783, brickmaking was established, using the vast amounts of available clay, as the largest and only industry. This business was discontinued in 1889. In 1870, a life saving station was erected at the western end of the island, which overlooked the waters between Fishers Island and Little Gull Island. The Race Rock Light[house], located approximately one mile west of Fishers Island, was constructed in 1878 as a navigational aid for travel in the Race. In the early 1900s a permanent Coast Guard Station was built on the west end of the island. In 1898, the Fergusons sold 216 acres on the western end of the island to the Federal Government. This land was developed as Fort H.G. Wright, established as part of a larger coastal defense project. Over the years Fort Wright drew a large number of residents to the Island. The 1890s brought a growing summer population and the construction of the Fishers Island Yacht Club. The E.W. & W. Ferguson business was established: it managed the Mansion House Hotel and Cottages, a ferry service, and the electricity, water and telephone enterprises. This business was renamed Fishers Island Farms in 1918. Following the death of the Fishers Island Farms president in 1965, the business was purchased and became the Fishers Island Utility Company which continues to own and operate the water, telephone and electrical utilities. The ferry is operated by the Fishers Island Ferry District, a public entity financed through a special tax district. The town contracts with the Ferry District to operate Elizabeth Field airport and to manage other structures in the Town’s ownership that were part of Fort Wright. Race Rock Light is a lighthouse on Race Rock Reef, southwest of Fishers Island, New York. ...

The island was the subject of a border dispute between New York and Connecticut. A 1664 land patent granted to the Duke of York included all islands in the Long Island sound, effectively granting the island to New York. However, when Winthrop became governor of Connecticut in 1657, he had included Fishers Island in Connecticut's charter. The dispute would not be settled until 1879 when a joint commission decided that the island was part of New York. New York State, Connecticut and Rhode Island meet in the waters east of Fishers Island. Events March 12 - New Jersey becomes a colony of England. ... The title Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. ... Events January 8 - Miles Sindercombe, would-be-assassin of Oliver Cromwell, and his group are captured in London February - Admiral Robert Blake defeats the Spanish West Indian Fleet in a battle over the seizure of Jamaica. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Hurricanes have played an important role in the island's history with the Great September Gale of 1815 and the New England Hurricane of 1938 both causing widespread damage. The 1815 storm resulted in substantially all of the island trees being destroyed by a combination of the powerful winds and by the 17-foot storm surge flooded coastal towns with seawater. The consequences for Fishers Island were visible for almost a century and a half. A panoramic photograph taken from one vantage point on the island in 1910 shows more boats in Hay and West harbors than there are mature trees. Until the 1950s, Fishers Island had the look of Ireland: stone walls, few trees, and windswept moors. The 1938 storm, which blew in seeds returning Fishers to its pre-1815 foliage, was less severe with only a few local residences were destroyed, primarily by wind. (Most Fishers Island residences have sitings above sea level that protect them from storm surge.) Winds in excess of 120 m.p.h. ripped the roof off John Nicholas Brown's ultra modern residence "Windshield", designed by Richard Neutra, which had only recently been completed. The Browns rebuilt "Windshield", but it was destroyed by fire in the early 1970s. The Great September Gale of 1815 (the word hurricane not yet current in American English at the time), is one of five epic hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale) to strike New England in the years 1938, 1893, 1821, 1815, and 1635 (Hughes). ... Lowest pressure 938 mbar (hPa; 27. ...

Culture

Docks at Fishers Island

Despite being a part of New York, in many ways the island has closer links with Connecticut, 2 miles to its north, than with the rest of New York, 10 miles to the southwest. For example, its ZIP Code is 06390; Connecticut zip codes begin with "06" while all other places in New York State besides Fishers Island have zip codes starting with "1". The island is the only point in Suffolk County to which telephone calls placed from the greater New York City area are classified as long distance and not "regional," even though the island's area code is the same as that of eastern Long Island (631). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Docks at Fishers Island, NY. From http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Docks at Fishers Island, NY. From http://www. ... Mr. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Telephone (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A telephone numbering plan is a system that allows subscribers to make and receive telephone calls across long distances. ... This article is about the island in New York State. ...

Since the turn of the 20th century, well established and old money families have selected the Island as the destination for their summer vacation, and their luxurious dwellings (the island's exclusive estates) reflect an emphasis on continuity and tradition. Its more notable residents include former Governor Thomas Kean of New Jersey, former CIA Director Porter Goss, filmmaker Albert Maysles, former Whitney Museum director Tom Armstrong, former Kidder, Peabody & Company chairman Albert Gordon, Scudder Sinclair, president of the Sinclair Pharmacal Co. Inc. (based on Fishers Island), author Rick Moody (The Ice Storm), and heirs to IBM and DuPont (including Christopher duPont Roosevelt). Most of the island's year-round residents reside in the hamlet of Fishers Island on the western end of the island. In addition to their houses, there are all the necessities for small-town life, including a grade school, bowling alley, movie theater, liquor store, grocery store, 2 gas stations, volunteer fire department, and post office. The west end also has a small air strip, a museum, an ice cream shop (Toppers) and a cafe (the News Cafe), a boutique (The Beach Plum), and a restaurant/bar (The Pequot). (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Old money refers in the United Kingdom to the pre-decimal currency of pounds, shillings (or bob) and pence. ... Thomas Howard Kean (born April 21, 1935) is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey, from 1982 to 1990. ... Porter Goss Porter Johnston Goss (born November 26, 1938) is an American politician and the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency . ... Rick Moody (born Hiram Frederick Moody III October 18, 1961 in New York City), is an American novelist and short story writer best known for The Ice Storm (1994), a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families over Thanksgiving weekend in 1973. ... The Ice Storm is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. ... For other uses, see IBM (disambiguation) and Big Blue. ... Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, or du Pont may refer to: // E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, the worlds third largest chemical company Du Pont Motors Gilbert Dupont, a French stock brokerage part of retail banking network Crédit du Nord ST Dupont, a French manufacturer of fine... The definitions of the political subdivisions of the state of New York differ from those in certain other countries or even various other U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area. ... Fishers Island is a hamlet located on Fishers Island in Suffolk County, New York (USA), at the eastern end of Long Island Sound. ... A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, see V.F.D.. See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries. ...

The eastern two-thirds of the island is scattered with large summer estates accessible by a single private road. During the main season, access to the private road is protected by a guard shed, which is decorated festively once a year on Labor Day, for the annual Harbor Open Golf (HOG) parade and tournament hosted by the Fishers Island Club. Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ...

The island has two country clubs. The smaller club, which is maintained by David Denison, is on the islands western portion, is Hay Harbor. Hay Harbor's golf course is a nine hole links-style course with a second hole that runs along the ocean. Its tennis club has approximately thirteen clay tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a salt water swimming area affectionately called The Shark Tank. Lessons for kids and adults include tennis, golf, swimming, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. Hay Harbor also maintains a sailing club. With the magnificent winds that swirl all around the island, sailing is a popular pastime for people summering at the island. This article is about the sport of golf. ... For other uses, see Tennis (disambiguation). ...

The second country club, Fishers Island Club, usually called The Big Club, is at the island's eastern tip. It is home to a Seth Raynor designed, world-class links golf course that is rated eighteenth in the US by Golf Magazine and referred to as a "real course" in a July 1957 letter [1] from President Dwight David Eisenhower to John Hay Whitney. The club also has four tennis courts, a beach club, and a members-only beachfront. The main clubhouse has two dining rooms capable of seating 250 people. There are also housing facilities for over forty employees on the island. Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... John Hay Whitney (August 27, 1904 in Ellsworth, Maine – February 8, 1982), colloquially known as Jock Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family. ...

The Fishers Island Yacht Club holds races every Saturday during the summer. There are two active racing fleets: the International One Designs (IODs), which is comprised of 33-foot boats designed in 1936 by Bjarne Aas of Norway, and the Bullseyes, a fleet of 16-foot boats designed by Nathanael Herreshoff in 1916. The club has two small buildings and is casual. It hosts several parties during the summer, as well as weekly picnic barbecues. An IOD racer on a mooring in Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda, in 2006. ... Nathanael Herreshoff in 1898 New York 30 Class Design, by Nathanael Herreshoff Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (1848-1938), born in Bristol, RI, was a naval architect-engineer. ...

The seaside scenes in the movie The World According to Garp, starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close, were shot on Fishers Island on and about the grounds of the mansion originally built by Bethlehem Steel heir Robert Linderman. Many other movies have also been filmed here. The World According to Garp book cover The World According to Garp is a novel by John Irving. ... For other persons named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ... Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actress. ... Bethlehem Steel Corporations flagship manufacturing facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States. ...

Famous houses include the Round House, The Firestone House, Windshield (which has since burned down), and The Three Sisters.

West harbor, a large harbor that is used mainly by the FIYC, is also home to dock beach. The smallest beach on the island, it hosts barbecues and family events. It is also a prime location from which to view the Dupont fireworks display on the Fourth of July. These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ...

The most well known beaches include South Beach, Isabela Beach, Chocomount Beach (said to be visited by ghosts, including that of Captain Chocomount), and the Big Club Beach.

Linderman House, shown highlighted

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 289 people, 138 households, and 77 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was 27.6/km² (71.3/mi²). There were 625 housing units at an average density of 59.6/km² (154.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the community was 95.50% White, 1.04% African American, 1.04% Asian, and 2.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population. 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ...

There were 138 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.72. Marriage is an interpersonal relationship with governmental, social, or religious recognition, usually intimate and sexual, and often created as a contract, or through civil process. ...

In the hamlet the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 2.1% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the community was $50,521, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $47,917 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,652. About 4.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 7.9% of those sixty five or over. The per capita income for a group of people may be defined as their total personal income, divided by the total population. ... Map of countries showing percentage of population who have an income below the national poverty line The poverty line is the level of income below which one cannot afford to purchase all the resources one requires to live. ...

References

1. ^ Block Group 2, Census Tract 1702.02, Suffolk County United States Census Bureau

External links

• News and Information About Fishers Island, NY - Includes history, directories and ferry schedules
• Fishers Island School
• Fishers Island Ferry District
• "The Matter of Proceedings to Acquire Land on Fishers Island"
• Long Island History: Fishers Island
• Geologic History of Long Island
• Fisher Island Club

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