Sagtikos Manor, Colonial manor house in West Bay Shore, New York
Sagtikos Manor is a country house situated on ten acres along Montauk Highway that originally contained just a few rooms. The property now includes the main residence, a carriage house, a buttery, and a walled garden, along with a family burial ground on the grounds.
The manor was built in 1697 by Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the first American-born mayor of New York City, starting as a four-room structure. Over the centuries it was expanded and modified multiple times, eventually growing to contain 42 rooms.
The manor contains furnishings and household items belonging to the Thompson-Gardiner family, showing how life evolved in an American country estate across multiple generations. The rooms reflect the choices in materials and styles that were common for wealthy families of that era.
Access is available through guided tours led by interpreters in period dress during the summer months. Visitors can explore both the interior of the house and the surrounding grounds, so wearing comfortable shoes is a good idea for the full experience.
President George Washington spent the night in one of the upstairs bedrooms in 1790 while touring Long Island. This visit connected the house to a significant moment in early American history.
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