Moriches Inn

May 28

Here’s a detailed history of the Moriches Inn—also known as the Terry‑Ketcham Inn—spanning its origins to its modern preservation:

circa 1693: Samuel Terrell, a blacksmith, constructed a one-room timber-frame cottage—the original core of the inn. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [longisland...ealogy.com]
circa 1700–1710: A second structure, a half-house addition, was attached, doubling the size of the original cottage. [en.wikipedia.org], [longisland...ealogy.com]
1754 & circa 1790: Further expansions merged earlier buildings, resulting in a substantial twelve-room structure in use by the late 18th century. [Ketcham Inn], [longisland...ealogy.com]

Over the 18th century, it operated as a tavern, public house, and stagecoach stop along the region’s stagecoach route. [wgp.cowleyserver.com], [Ketcham Inn]
Benjamin Havens, the innkeeper during the Revolutionary War, is believed to have belonged to the Culper Spy Ring, likely due to his local Patriot ties. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [Ketcham Inn]

On June 13–14, 1791, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison lodged at what was then called Down’s or Terry’s Inn during a northern tour, en-route to visit William Floyd in Mastic. [wgpfoundation.org], [en.wikipedia.org]

Terry Family: Samuel Terry and his son Nelson operated the inn starting in the early 1800s. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [havenshomestead.org]
Ketcham Family:
- Andrew Ketcham purchased the property in 1851 or 1852. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [Ketcham Inn]
- Managed by his son Townsend Valentine Ketcham and wife Matilda until Townsend’s death in 1914, then by Andrew W. W. Ketcham until its 1918 sale. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [havenshomestead.org]

After 1918, the inn served different roles: a tea house, private residence, restaurant, and boarding house. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [havenshomestead.org]
1989: A fire heavily damaged the building—particularly the dining room—and by then, it had fallen into serious disrepair. [wgpfoundation.org], [ketchaminn...dation.org]

1989: The Ketcham Inn Foundation was established to rescue and restore the property. [wgpfoundation.org], [ketchaminn...dation.org]
Over the next few years, the foundation acquired the property (~$175,000), organized fundraising efforts, and secured grants to restore the inn to its colonial-era appearance. [Ketcham Inn], [longisland...ealogy.com]
March 9, 1992: Officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Terrell‑Havens‑Terry‑Ketcham Inn. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [havenshomestead.org]

Today, the inn functions as a living-history museum and cultural center, interpreting over 325 years of local and colonial history. [Ketcham Inn], [longisland...ealogy.com]
A restored barn on-site houses a bookstore supporting the foundation's mission. [en.wikipedia.org], [aubreyresearch.com]
The site is part of the Moriches Historic District and recognized as a landmark by both Brookhaven Town (1982) and Suffolk County. [ketchaminn...dation.org], [havenshomestead.org]