Setauket is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States, on the North Shore of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP population, which at the time included East Setauket as well, was 15,477. Setauket was founded in 1655, the first settlement in what would become the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Brookhaven. Prior to the 2020 census, the community was part of the Setauket-East Setauket CDP. The area was split in 2020 into two separate CDPs: Setauket and East Setauket despite many in the community still considering it one locality. Setauket was founded as an agricultural community in the mid-17th century, and was a regional center of activity during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

noted for the Culper spy ring and the Battle of Setauket. Many of Setauket's early structures are intact and now form the Old Setauket Historic District. The Setaukets remain a mostly residential area, while bordering the more commercial enclaves of

Port Jefferson Port Jefferson, also known as Port Jeff, is an Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Village, incorporated village in the Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Town, town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New Y ...

and Stony Brook. The handful of businesses within the community largely cater to the over 25,000 students of

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

, which is adjacent to the CDP.

History

Origins

The name "Setauket" is derived from the historic Algonquian-speaking Setalcott Indians, who had lived in the area prior to its colonial period. In 1655, a handful of land-speculating colonists orchestrated the purchase of the Setauket area from the local natives. The region's first European settlers were English migrants from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. This was the first settlement in what later became the town of Brookhaven, and both the hamlet and town use the 1655 date as their origin. During the 17th century, Setauket was synonymous with the colonial town of Brookhaven. During the 1660s the settlement was temporarily renamed "Ashford". This change was facilitated by

Captain John Scott John Scott (–1704), often called John Scott of Long Island, was a royal adviser, military leader, spy, cartographer, attorney, land speculator, and early settler and leader of Long Island. He lobbied to make Long Island a colony in North Ameri ...

, a professional

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

hired to clear out the Native American Indians. He was an early settler of Setauket and an important leader in Long Island's early history who briefly served under the title of "President of Long Island". A crafty land speculator, Scott claimed at one point to own a third of the island, including the Setauket area. Despite the questionable nature of many of his claims, John Scott had enough power and support to rename Setauket for his ancestral homeland in England,

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the Borough of Ashford, Ashford district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about by road southeast of centr ...

, and to construct a stately home named Egerton. John Woolman, a well known preacher and journalist, noted having attended a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

meeting at "Setawket" in the spring of 1747.

American Revolution

Presbyterian Church-Setauket 20190328 03

In the

, the 1777 Battle of Setauket was fought on the village green. At the time,

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

controlled Setauket and had fortified the

Presbyterian church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

for use as their stronghold. A Patriot force led by General Samuel Holden Parsons sailed across

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

from

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...

, proposing to attack the Loyalists. Three hours of gunfire ensued before Parsons withdrew and returned to Connecticut, with minimal casualties for either side. During the gunfight, Parsons' men took cover behind "Patriots' Rock", which remains near the village green with a commemorative plaque. Because of this rock's massive size, it provided more than sufficient cover for the soldiers. Some of the bullets were embedded into the walls of the extant Caroline Church of Brookhaven.

From 1778 to 1781, the Culper Spy Ring passed information about British troop movements gathered in New York City to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. The spy ring consisted primarily of Setauket residents, including its leader Benjamin Tallmadge and key agent Abraham Woodhull. The Culper ring was highly successful and alerted Washington to such plots as a surprise attack on the newly allied French forces, a scheme to counterfeit Continental currency, and the secret defection of a general in the Continental Army (afterwards known to be

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

). Washington later spent a night in Setauket during his 1790 tour of Long Island. During the British occupation, residents held religious services at the c.1729 Caroline Church ( Episcopal) while occupational troops used the Setauket Presbyterian Church. The pulpit of the

was destroyed, and a number of gravestones from the surrounding cemetery were moved as part of the fortifications. Services resumed after the war until lightning hit the church in 1812. The Presbyterian church was rebuilt in 1812. The village green continues to be owned by both churches.

Modern history

The 19th century brought industry to East Setauket. Shipbuilding, which had begun as early as 1662, prospered as new shipyards populated the section of Setauket Harbor known as Dyers Neck. These supplemented larger operations in neighboring Port Jefferson. Among the vessels built at Setauket were the ''Adorna'' in 1870 by David Brewster Bayles, which was the largest

square-rigged Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars that are perpendicular (or square) to the median plane of the keel and masts of the vessel. These sp ...

sailing ship built on Long Island outside of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. (At that time Brooklyn was considered part of Long Island, and the largest sailing vessel built at Port Jefferson, the ''Martha E. Wallace'' of 1902, was a

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

.) A likeness of the ''Adorna'' has pride of place today above the main entrance of Setauket's elementary school. Better known is the famous, or infamous, schooner yacht ''Wanderer'' built at Setauket in 1857 by William J. Rowland at the direction of captain Thomas B. Hawkins who would later command her. The ''Wanderer'' was sold to new owners after her first cruise, and they tried to have the vessel secretly converted into a slaver at Port Jefferson in 1858, largely employing outsiders. Suspicious residents alerted authorities, and the vessel was captured by the USRC ''Harriet Lane'' off Port Jefferson as it attempted a hasty departure. Sadly, authorities in New York returned the vessel to its owners, and she later completed what is considered the last successful American slaving voyage to Africa. She did so without Captain Hawkins, who quit before the vessel was released. What is less well known is that the ''Wanderer'' later served in the Union Navy during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

as the USS ''Wanderer'' and captured two small

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...

s. From 1876 until 1904, East Setauket also ran a rubber factory for the Long Island Rubber Company. By the early 20th century, nearly all industrial activity within the Setaukets had ceased. Following the 1873 completion of railroad service from New York City to

, the Setaukets began functioning as a summer resort town. Into the mid-20th century, relatively wealthy families started settling in the non-industrialized sections of the Setauket waterfront. Ward melville

In the post-World War II era, Setauket experienced a population boom, as the remaining agricultural lots were filled in with residential developments. The Old Setauket Historic District was established to counteract this change, and a sizeable proportion of Setauket's housing stock continues to be pre-war. Extant historical homes include the 1709 Thompson House and the 1830 Sherwood-Jayne Museum. The Frank Melville Memorial Park was established in 1937 and preserves much of the land around the Setauket Mill Pond. The Setaukets were also influenced by the philanthropy of Ward Melville, owner of what would become CVS Corporation, throughout the Three Village area. Melville founded

, the campus of which abuts the Setaukets on their western side. A minority of the university's students and faculty now live in the Setaukets. Melville also created a

–style village district in neighbouring Stony Brook, being the closest commercial hub to Setauket's western areas and complementing the role of

to the east. East Setauket is home to Renaissance Technologies, one of America's most profitable hedge funds, which was founded by Stony Brook University mathematics professor James Harris Simons. In 2012, local politicians formed a planning committee for the section of

New York State Route 25A New York State Route 25A (NY 25A) is a state highway on Long Island in New York (state), New York, United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, running ...

bordering Stony Brook University, shared between Setauket and Stony Brook. Much of this corridor is currently underused, with a handful of businesses in small

strip mall A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...

s. The concept is to create a more walkable downtown area that may attract business from students and long-term residents alike. In May 2014, a bicycle path known as the Greenway Trail opened connecting Setauket and Port Jefferson Station. Plans are being made to further expand the bicycle route to Wading River by converting defunct railroad tracks. The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Cross, headquarters of the Jerusalem Patriarchate in America, is located in Setauket.

Geography

Setauket is located in the northwest part of the town of Brookhaven at . It is on the North Shore of Long Island and includes parts of two tidal inlets: Setauket Harbor and Conscience Bay, both of which are arms of Port Jefferson Harbor leading to

. The Setauket CDP is bordered to the north and west by the village of Old Field, to the northwest/southwest by Stony Brook, to the south by

, to the southeast by East Setauket, to the east by the village of Poquott, and to the northeast by Port Jefferson Harbor. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 23.2%, are water. Setauket has a

–style village green with a

mill pond A mill pond (or millpond) is a body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Description Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam or weir (and mill stream) across a waterway. In many places, the co ...

and park, a small post office, the Caroline Church built in 1729, and the Setauket Presbyterian Church, established in 1660. The Emma S. Clark Library, also on the village green, is often considered one of the most comprehensive on Long Island. This section is the historical center of the original settlement and forms the core of the Old Setauket historic district. The mill pond is additionally within the public Frank Melville Memorial Park.

is the main east–west road, connecting

and Stony Brook. Setauket is accessible from the

Long Island Expressway Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

via Exit 62 and Nicolls Road. Almost all of the commercial establishments in the Setaukets is concentrated along Route 25A. Additional commercial zones exist in neighboring East Setauket along Belle Meade Road (formerly called Terminal Road after the oil terminal) and on Nesconset Highway. Numerous medical and professional offices are located on Belle Meade Road, along with other businesses that service them. A few additional shops and factories were established before modern zoning rules went into effect, a handful of which are located on Gnarled Hollow Road and Comsewogue Road in East Setauket. The remainder of Setauket is predominantly residential woodland. "The Setaukets" or simply "Setauket" refers to a broad area between Old Field and the harbors of Stony Brook and Port Jefferson, including suburban developments East of

. As such, they comprise all of Setauket and East Setauket, as well as Strong's Neck, Poquott, Western Port Jefferson Station, East Setauket, and South Setauket. The Setaukets, Old Field, and Stony Brook combine to form the "Three Village" area, a region served by the Three Village Central School District.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,931 people, 5,521 households, and 4,289 families residing in the Setauket-East Setauket CDP. The population density was . There were 5,632 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.76%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.27%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.17% Native American, 8.80% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.61% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 9.43% of the population. There were 5,589 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.26. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $200,690 and the median income for a family was $225,160 in 2022. The per capita income for the CDP was $69,400. About 0.9% of families and 1.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 0.3% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

Setauket is the principal setting of the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

television drama '' Turn: Washington's Spies'', which premiered in 2014 and tells the story of the

Culper Ring The Culper Ring was a network of Espionage, spies active during the American Revolutionary War, organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and General George Washington in 1778 during the British New York and New Jersey campaign, occupation of New Yo ...

Education

The Three Village Central School District serves the Setauket community. * Arrowhead Elementary School * Minnesauke Elementary School – Setauket Indian word for "Little Neck", the name for what is now known as Strong's Neck. * Nassakeag Elementary School * Setauket Elementary School * William Sidney Mount Elementary School – named after a local 19th-century artist known for his portrayals of everyday life. * Murphy Junior High School – named after Robert C. Murphy, a local naturalist. * Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School – named after Paul J. Gelinas, the first district superintendent. * Ward Melville High School – named after the local philanthropist who donated land for the school. It is renowned nationally for its InSTAR science research program, which produces a high number of Intel semi-finalists for the

Regeneron Science Talent Search The Regeneron Science Talent Search, known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, and then as the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) from 1998 through 2016, is a research-based science competition in the United St ...

. The school also has a regional reputation for its

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

team. Above the main entrance the school features a likeness of the ''Adorna'', the largest sailing vessel built in Setauket. * Christian Avenue School – Original buildings dating back from earlier part of the 20th century. Used for Kindergarten and 1st grade before closing in the late 1970s. Demolished and redeveloped as residential homes in the 1990s. * North Country School – Former elementary school, closed in the 1980s. Some of the districts administrative offices are located there as well as rented to

BOCES ''Boces'' is the second album by Mercury Rev, released in 1993. It was their final album with frontman David Baker, who was asked to leave shortly after the supporting tour concluded. The title is derived from the Boards of Cooperative Educati ...

. * Emma S. Clark Library * The Stony Brook School (private) * Torah Tots,

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

Hebrew school

Media

* ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' (daily) * '' Stony Brook Press'' (Stony Brook University) * '' The Statesman'' (Stony Brook University) * ''The Village Times Herald'' (weekly)

Notable people

* Bülent Arel (1919–1990), composer *

Caleb Brewster Caleb Brewster (September 12, 1747 – February 13, 1827) was a member of the Culper spy ring during the American Revolutionary War, reporting to General George Washington through Major Benjamin Tallmadge. He carried messages across Long Island ...

(1747–1827), member of America's

* William de Leftwich Dodge (1867–1935), muralist * Louis Edmonds, Broadway and TV actor *

Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador. Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...

(born 1965), professional wrestler * Harry Gideonse (1901–1985), president of

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, and chancellor of

The New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

* Kristen Gilbert, serial killer * Steven Matz (born 1991), left-handed pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays * Ward Melville (1887–1977), businessman and local philanthropist * William Sydney Mount (1807–1868), painter * Joseph Reboli (1945–2004), painter *

Lauren Miller Rogen Lauren Anne Miller Rogen ( Miller; born July 24, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in the films '' Superbad'' (2007), '' Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), and '' 50/50'' (2011). In 2012, she ...

, actress and screenwriter * Todd Sauerbrun, NFL punter"COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Booming Success For Losers"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', August 29, 1994. Accessed October 24, 2007. "It was a great day for the 6-foot, 200-pound kicker from Setauket, L.I., who averaged 60.1 yards in his nine attempts." * Ruth Minsky Sender (1926–2024), Holocaust survivor, author * Dee Snider (born 1955), singer and radio personality *

Alex Sobel Alexander David Sobel (born 26 April 1975) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds Central and Headingley, previously Leeds North West, since 2017. He served as Shadow Minister ...

(born 2000), basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Benjamin Tallmadge (1754–1835), military officer and congressman * Abraham Woodhull (1750–1826), leading spy of America's

References

External links

City-data.com's informationSchool District Information on SetauketSetauket Volunteer Fire DepartmentThe Brewster HouseThree Village Historical Society
{{authority control Brookhaven, New York Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in New York (state) Census-designated places in Suffolk County, New York Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)