Sagtikos Manor

A Brief History: Located at 677 Montauk Highway Bayshore, NY, Sagtikos Manor has a long and storied history that has lasted over 300 years. The Manor was built in 1697 by Stephan Van Cortlandt. Before its purchase in 1692, the land was owned by the Secatogue tribe. After Stephan Van Cortlandt died in 1700 the property was later purchased from his family by Timothy Carll in 1706. The land remained owned by Timothy Carll until 1758 when it was then purchased by Jonathan Thompson for himself and his son Isaac for 1200 British pounds. When Isaac married Mary Gardiner in 1772 Jonathan deeded half of the land to his son Isaac when he had his first born son in 1773, and the rest upon his death. Isaac and his wife Mary expanded much of the original house adding 9 rooms. Isaac served as a judge for the town of Islip and a member of the New York State Assembly following the American Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, The British occupied the Manor for a short time. One night Issac Thompson signaled the to someone in the house and when they came, realized that some of the Hessian soldiers had been killed. They fired on Issac and a musket ball went through the house and there is still a hole in the stairway where it came in from. As noted in his diary President George Washington spent the night in Sagtikos Manor on April 21, 1790 during his tour of Long Island.

After Isaac Thompson died the Manor was a summer home for their family until 1894 when Isaac’s great grandson Frederick Diodoti Thompson bought out the land from all the other heirs and became the sole owner. Frederick wanted home to entertain on a grand scale, so in 1902 he enlarge the home to 42 rooms by adding the east and west wings to the house.

From 1935 to 1985 the last owner of the Manor was Robert David Lion Gardiner, after that he gave the house to the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. It wasn’t until 2002 when the 10 acre property was purchased by Suffolk County. The Sagtikos Manor Historical Society has been contracted by Suffolk County to provide management of the estate, which includes tours, research and educational programs.

Haunted History: There have been many paranormal experiences that have occurred on the grounds over the years. Upstairs in the loft there were sightings of a Native American seen. There are also reports of voices, the sound of people walking to Shadow people have been seen, and also reports of the door knobs turning on its own. There was even an occurrence of a self illuminating orb seen in the garden area of the grounds. Some believe the Secatogue tribe still reside here in spirit. It is even said that there is also a hidden slave cemetery on the grounds.