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Community Corner

An Inside Look at Life the Early Days

Patch explores the history of Sayville leading up to the 250 anniversary celebration.

This year marks Sayville’s 250th anniversary and the community will he holding a daylong celebration October 1 at The Common Ground. To commemorate this historic occasion Sayville Patch is running a series of stories that looks back on the history of the hamlet. This second installment looks at the life of Sayville residents in the early years. 

Two hundred and fifty years ago, Sayville was a very different place. For those early pioneers of Sayville, life was mainly about survival. The early settlers lived an isolated, rural existence and relied on each other for food and protection. Those early residents would build their own homes. They used wells to supply their water. Lights came first from whale oil lamps, then later kerosene. Wood was used for heating their homes as well as cooking. Of course, there were no supermarkets nearby, so for food and dairy, nearly every family owned at least one cow and some chickens. Everyone grew their own vegetables. Luckily, wild life was quite abundant in the area during this time. The nearby forests had plenty of deer, geese and ducks. In those pre-oyster industry days, seafood from the bay was also abundant. The biggest problem was food spoilage due to lack of refrigeration. This led to some very unusual dishes.

One of the most popular dishes of those days was a stew known as Samp porridge. Samp porridge contained any number of available meats and vegetables but was usually made with crushed corn, beans, potatoes, turnips and salt pork. It was left to cook for a whole day. Not only was Samp porridge easy to make, it stayed fresh for up to nine days, which was a blessing at a time when refrigeration did not exist.

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Almost everyone in the Sayville area had a farm or worked the seas, or both. The predominant crops during this time were wheat and corn, both of which were sold in New York City. During the revolution, the wheat and corn crops of Sayville (and the surrounding area) became major sources of food for the British army stationed in various outposts throughout what is now the New York Metro area. In summer, the wheat and corn would be harvested and during winter, ice from Great South Bay and the many creeks that crisscrossed the area was harvested. The ice would then be stored in cellars to help keep food fresh during the summer months.

Fishing was by far the predominant activity in early Sayville. The Great South Bay was deeper in those days and all sorts of fish, clams and oysters were harvested, in some cases to near extinction. Fishermen sailed into New York Harbor with their catches and returned with much needed items that could not be obtained locally. Many of the early fishermen become leaders of the fledgling community.

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David Moglia is a Sayville resident is a very keen interest in local history. He can be reached via email at dlmoglia@gmail.com.

Sources

Dickerson, Charles P. A History of the Sayville Community, including Bayport, Bohemia, West Sayville, Oakdale, and Fire Island. S.l.: S.n., 1975. Print.

Copyright 1990 Sayville Historical Society, Inc. Printed by Searles Graphics, Inc. Patchogue, N.Y. 

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