Fort Corchaug Archeological Site is a prehistoric

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

in Cutchogue on eastern Long Island in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. It is located west of the North Fork Country Club, on the south side of Main Road (

New York State Route 25 New York State Route 25 (NY 25) is an east–west state highway in downstate New York in the United States. The route extends for just over from east midtown Manhattan in New York City to the Cross Sound Ferry terminal at Orient Poin ...

). The site shows evidence of 17th century contact between Native Americans and Europeans. Fort Corchaug itself was a log fort built by Native Americans. It may have been to protect the

Corchaug Metoac is an erroneous term used by some to group together the Munsee-speaking Lenape (west), Quiripi-speaking Unquachog (center) and Pequot-speaking Montaukett (east) American Indians on what is now Long Island in New York state. The term ...

tribe from other Indians, built with the help of Europeans.Newsday.com Article on Site
Ralph Solecki, a prominent American archaeologist, grew up nearby and conducted several digs on site. It remains today one of the few undisturbed Native American fortified village sites in the North East. and was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1999. The property where the fort is located is protected in part by a conservation easement owned by a local land trust, and is in part owned by the town of Southold as a nature preserve. Known as the Downs Farm Preserve, it is open to the public with hiking trails. The

tribe, also known as the

Montaukett = Montauketts = An indigenous Native American People. Name and Identifications The Montaukett (" Metoac" or Matouwac), currently more commonly known as Montauk. The meaning of the name ''Montauk'' is unknown. Native Americans living on Long ...

, originally had the land from the Nassau border to

Montauk Point Montauk ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, on the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 4,318. The ...

. Depradation by the Narragansetts of Connecticut and decimation from smallpox caused to tribe to leave their land in the South Fork and with the help of whites built forts to ward off attacks. Another fort still being excavated is Fort Hill (now in

Montauk County Park Montauk County Park, formerly known as Theodore Roosevelt County Park, is located approximately east of Montauk, New York. The park is in size, running from Montauk Highway north to Block Island Sound and is bordered on the east by Montauk Poi ...

) in Montauk Point, described as "one of the earliest and best for its time", it was placed on a 1658 map of Long Island.http://montaukett.org/?page_id=22

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Archaeological sites in New York (state) Geography of Suffolk County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, New York Southold, New York