Town of Brookhaven

Written By Dino DiPietro

🏞️ Origins – Town of Brookhaven

  • The land originally belonged to the Setalcott and Unkechaug Algonquian-speaking tribes inhabiting what is today Brookhaven

  • English settlers from New England and eastern Long Island arrived circa 1655, purchasing roughly 8 square miles—from Stony Brook to Port Jefferson—for goods like wampum and “1 pair of children’s stockings”

  • The first settlement was Setauket, established in 1655; land title was formalized with a patent issued by Governor Richard Nicholl in 1666, and in 1686, Governor Thomas Dongan granted representative town governance through the Dongan Patent

🏛 Early Governance & Legal Foundation

  • The Dongan Patent (December 27, 1686) structured the town’s government—establishing seven elected trustees, an annual president, and a clerk; and granting legal/taxation authority

⚔️ Revolutionary Period

  • Brookhaven played a strategic role during the American Revolution:

    • The Culper Spy Ring, based in Setauket, provided critical intelligence to

    • Local Patriot militias formed Committees of Observation early in the conflict (1775–76), spearheaded by William Floyd of Mastic, a member of the Declaration of Independence

    • Loyalist landowners, such as Richard Floyd IV, suffered property confiscations and exile due to their Crown allegiance

🚢 19th Century Development

  • Residents initially relied on farming, fishing, and whaling, later expanding into shipbuilding and a cordwood economy by the early 1800s

  • The Long Island Railroad (mid-1800s) spurred growth in transport, trade, and mobility across Brookhaven

🧭 20th-Century Transformation

  • Post-World War II, Brookhaven experienced a major population boom and suburban expansion

  • The establishment of Camp Upton supported war efforts in both World Wars

  • Brookhaven emerged as a hub in research and communications, hosting Brookhaven National Laboratory (founded 1947) and Stony Brook University, along with historic Radio Central (1921)—the first overseas radio transmission station

  • The town’s area spans 531.5 sq mi, making it the largest by area in New York State (including water)

📈 Population & Demographics

  • Population grew from 407,846 in 1990 to approximately 485,728 in 2020, rising by over 78,000 in three decades

  • As of the 2020 Census, key demographic figures include:

    • Population: ~485,773 (2020)

    • Median age: ~40

    • Racial makeup: 71% White, 6.6% Black, 5.2% Asian, 10.6% two or more races; 18.6% Hispanic/Latino

🏛 Historic Landmarks & Preservation

Brookhaven boasts numerous heritage sites, including:

Longwood Estate - Ridge

National Historic Landmark (c. 1790); hosts annual reenactment fairs

First Congregational Church of New Village - Lake Grove

Opened 1817; NY & National Landmark 2002

Swan River Schoolhouse - East Patchogue

1858 one-room schoolhouse; Town Landmark 2011, NRHP 2017

Josiah Woodhull House - Wading River

Colonial-era home & former sawmill site; Town landmark 2005

Merritt-Hawkins House - Setauket

Includes Hawkins Homestead Preserve; national recognition 2007

Additional heritage sites and around 16 historic districts, 46 town-designated landmarks, 33 National Register listings, and one additional National Historic Landmark are spread across Brookhaven

Dino DiPietro