Fishers Island
Encyclopedia
Fishers Island, approximately 9 miles (14 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, is located at the eastern end of Long Island Sound
, 2 miles (3 km) off the southeastern coast of Connecticut
across Fishers Island Sound. It is approximately 11 miles (18 km) from the tip of Long Island
1 mile from Napatree Point
and, approximately 7 miles (12 km) southeast of New London, Connecticut
, from which it is accessible by plane or regular ferry service.
Politically it is part of the town of Southold in Suffolk County
in the U.S. state
of New York
. It is a census-designated place
(CDP). The United States Census Bureau
defines the island as Block Group 2, Census Tract
1702.02 of Suffolk County, New York. As of the 2000 census there were 289 people living year-round on 4.053 square miles (10.5 km²) of land; however, the population rises to about 2000 during peak summer weekends. In 2011, the population is 249 year-round residents.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 4.2 mi² (10.9 km²). 4.1 mi² (10.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 mi² (0.4 km²) of it (3.57%) is water.
Fishers Island represents a section of the same terminal moraine
that formed the North Fork
of Long Island, which comes ashore at Watch Hill, Rhode Island. During the late phase of the Wisconsin glaciation
, glacial Lake Connecticut
formed at the retreating fore edge of the ice sheet, over what is now Long Island Sound; it formed an outlet in its moraine dam at The Race, famous for rip current
s, which still separates Fishers Island from the North Fork. Fishers Island is essentially a long barrow of rocky till scoured from the surface of southern Connecticut
.
Wicopesset Island, a small unoccupied island just off East Point on Fisher's Island, is closer to the New York water boundary with Rhode Island than Montauk Point
. However Montauk gets the title of New York's easternmost land point because it is 2.9 miles (4.7 km) farther east. Wicopesset Island is the northernmost area of Suffolk County, New York.
Climate
Fishers Island's weather is influenced by the proximity of Long Island Sound and the ocean, and prevailing winds that generally blow offshore. The climate is one of only a few locations on an east coast in the Northern Hemisphere that is oceanic (Koppen Cfb). Because the ocean stays warm during the fall and winter months, Fishers Island stays warmer than the mainland during this time. Summers can still be hot on Fishers Island, but July and August average in the mid and upper 70s instead of low and mid 80s that mainland New York and New England often encounter.
Pequot
Nation. Adrian Block, the first recorded European visitor, named it Visher's Island in 1614, after one of his companions. For the next 25 years, it remained a wilderness, visited occasionally by Dutch traders. In 1640, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
granted the island to John Winthrop, Jr., who lived only one winter on the island. After being named governor of the Connecticut Colony
, Winthrop used the island to raise sheep for food and wool. After Winthrop died in 1676, his son, Fitz-John, installed a lessee farmer from England, William Walworth, on the island. Walworth brought with him a system of cultivation which was continued on the island for nearly 200 years. He established farmland out of the heavily forested island. Walworth and his family vacated the island nine years later due to the threat of pirates. Fishers Island remained in the Winthrop family until 1863, when ownership passed to Robert R. Fox, and then to Edmund and Walton Ferguson.
The island was a target of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War
, who raided islands in Long Island sound for supplies. Many of the residents of Fishers Island took their herds to the relative safety of Connecticut in 1776. The raids continued though, and in 1779 the British burnt many of the island's homes.
In 1783, brickmaking was established, using the vast amounts of available clay, as the largest and only industry. This business was discontinued in 1889. In 1870, a life saving station was erected at the western end of the island, which overlooked the waters between Fishers Island and Little Gull Island. The Race Rock Light
, located approximately one mile west of Fishers Island, was constructed in 1878 as a navigational aid for travel in the Race. In the early 1900s a permanent Coast Guard Station was built on the west end of the island. In 1898, the Fergusons sold 216 acre (0.87412176 km²) on the western end of the island to the Federal Government. This land was developed as Fort H.G. Wright, established as part of a larger coastal defense project. Over the years Fort Wright drew a large number of residents to the Island. The 1890s brought a growing summer population and the construction of the Fishers Island Yacht Club. The E.W. & W. Ferguson business was established: it managed the Mansion House Hotel and Cottages, a ferry service, and the electricity, water and telephone enterprises. This business was renamed Fishers Island Farms in 1918. Following the death of the Fishers Island Farms president in 1965, the business was purchased and became the Fishers Island Utility Company which continues to own and operate the water, telephone and electrical utilities. The ferry is operated by the Fishers Island Ferry District, a public entity financed through a special tax district. The town contracts with the Ferry District to operate Elizabeth Field
airport and to manage other structures in the Town's ownership that were part of Fort Wright.
The island was the subject of a border dispute between New York and Connecticut. A 1664 land patent granted to the Duke of York
included all islands in Long Island sound, effectively granting the island to New York. However, when Winthrop became governor of Connecticut in 1657, he had included Fishers Island in Connecticut's charter. The dispute would not be settled until 1879 when a joint commission decided that the island was part of New York. New York State, Connecticut and Rhode Island meet in the waters east of Fishers Island.
Hurricanes have played an important role in the island's history with the Great September Gale of 1815
and the New England Hurricane of 1938
both causing widespread damage. The 1815 storm resulted in substantially all of the island trees being destroyed by a combination of the powerful winds and by the 17 feet (5.2 m) storm surge flooded coastal towns with seawater. The consequences for Fishers Island were visible for almost a century and a half. A panoramic photograph taken from one vantage point on the island in 1910 shows more boats in Hay and West harbors than there are mature trees. Until the 1950s, Fishers Island had the look of Ireland: stone walls, few trees, and windswept moors. The 1938 storm, which blew in seeds returning Fishers to its pre-1815 foliage, was less severe with only a few local residences destroyed, primarily by wind. (Most Fishers Island residences have sitings above sea level that protect them from storm surge.) Winds in excess of 120 mi/h ripped the roof off John Nicholas Brown's ultra modern residence "Windshield", designed by Richard Neutra, which had only recently been completed. The Browns rebuilt "Windshield", but it was destroyed by fire in the early 1970s.
Despite being a part of New York, in many ways the island has closer links with Connecticut, 2 miles (3.2 km) to its north, than with the rest of New York, 10 miles (16.1 km) to the southwest. For example, its ZIP Code
is 06390; Connecticut zip codes begin with "06" while all other places in New York State—apart from the Internal Revenue Service
processing center in Holtsville
—have zip codes starting with "1". The island is the only point in Suffolk County to which telephone calls placed from the greater New York City
area are classified as long distance and not "regional", even though the island's area code is the same as that of eastern Long Island (631). The island is also part of the Boy Scouts of America's Connecticut Rivers Council. For Catholics, the island is part of the Diocese of Norwich
(Connecticut), instead of the Diocese of Rockville Centre
(which includes the remainder of Suffolk County).
Since the turn of the 20th century, well established and old money
families have selected the Island as the destination for their summer vacation, and their luxurious dwellings (the island's exclusive estates) reflect an emphasis on continuity and tradition. Its more notable residents include former Governor Thomas Kean
of New Jersey, former CIA Director Porter Goss, filmmaker Albert Maysles, former Whitney Museum director Tom Armstrong, former Kidder, Peabody & Co.
Chairman Albert Gordon, Scudder Sinclair, president of the Sinclair Pharmacal Co. Inc. (based on Fishers Island), author Rick Moody
(The Ice Storm
), and the heirs to IBM
. Most of the island's year-round residents reside on the western end of the island. In addition to their houses, there are all the necessities for small-town life, including a grade school, bowling alley, movie theater, liquor store, grocery store, 2 gas stations, volunteer fire department
, and post office. The west end also has a small air strip, a museum, an ice cream shop (Toppers) and a cafe (the News Cafe), two boutiques (The Beach Plum and The Pickett Fence), and a restaurant/bar (The Pequot).
The eastern two-thirds of the island are scattered with large summer estates accessible by a single private road. During the main season, access to the private road is protected by a guard shed, which is decorated festively once a year on Labor Day
for the annual Harbor Open Golf (HOG) parade and tournament hosted by the Fishers Island Club.
The seaside scenes in the movie The World According to Garp
, starring Robin Williams
and Glenn Close
, were shot on Fishers Island on and about the grounds of the mansion originally built by Bethlehem Steel
heir Robert Linderman. Many other movies have also been filmed here.
Famous houses include the Round House, The Firestone House, Windshield (which has since burned down), and The Three Sisters.
s and a yacht club
as well as several beaches and
a harbor
.
Fishers Island Club, usually called "The Big Club," is at the island's eastern tip and is home to a Seth Raynor designed, world-class links golf course
that is rated ninth on Golf Digest
's 2009 list of America's 100 greatest golf courses. Historically, it was referred to as a "real course" in a July 1957 letter from President Dwight David Eisenhower to John Hay Whitney
. The club also has four tennis courts, a beach club, and a members-only beachfront. The main clubhouse has two dining rooms capable of seating 250 people. There are also housing facilities for over forty employees on the island.
Hay Harbor is a smaller club on the west part of the island with a nine-hole links-style golf course
with a second hole that runs along the ocean. Its tennis
club has eleven clay tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a salt water swimming area affectionately called The Shark Tank. Lessons for kids and adults include tennis, golf, swimming, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. Hay Harbor also maintains a sailing club. With the magnificent winds that swirl all around the island, sailing is a popular pastime for people summering at the island. Currently the general manager of the Hay Harbor Club is Richard Duggan.
Fishers Island Yacht Club (FIYC) holds races every Saturday during the summer. There are two active racing fleets: the International One Design
s (IODs), which is composed of 33 feet (10.1 m) boats designed in 1936 by Bjarne Aas of Norway, and the Bullseyes, a fleet of 16 feet (4.9 m) boats designed by Nathanael Herreshoff
in 1916. The club has two small buildings and is casual. It hosts several parties during the summer, as well as weekly picnic barbecues.
West harbor, a large harbor that is used mainly by the FIYC, is also home to Dock Beach. The smallest beach on the island, it hosts barbecues and family events. It is also a prime location from which to view the Dupont fireworks display, administered by FIOA (Fishers Island's Own Army), on the Fourth of July.
The most well known beaches include South Beach, Isabella Beach, Chocomount Beach (said to be visited by ghosts, including that of Captain Chocomount), and the Big Club Beach, accessible to members only.
of 2000, there were 289 people, 138 households, and 77 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 71.3 per square mile (27.6/km2). There were 625 housing units at an average density of 154.2/sq mi (59.6/km2). The racial makeup of the community was 95.50% White, 1.04% African American, 1.04% Asian, and 2.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 138 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 2.1% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the community was $50,521, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $47,917 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $31,652. About 4.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 7.9% of those sixty five or over.
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, 2 miles (3 km) off the southeastern coast of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
across Fishers Island Sound. It is approximately 11 miles (18 km) from the tip of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
1 mile from Napatree Point
Napatree Point
Napatree Point, often referred to simply as "Napatree", is a long sandy spit created by a geologic process called longshore drift. Up until the Hurricane of 1938, Napatree was sickle-shaped and included a 1.5-mile long northern extension called Sandy Point...
and, approximately 7 miles (12 km) southeast of New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, from which it is accessible by plane or regular ferry service.
Politically it is part of the town of Southold in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP). The United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
defines the island as Block Group 2, Census Tract
Census tract
A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county...
1702.02 of Suffolk County, New York. As of the 2000 census there were 289 people living year-round on 4.053 square miles (10.5 km²) of land; however, the population rises to about 2000 during peak summer weekends. In 2011, the population is 249 year-round residents.
Geography
Fishers Island is located at 41°15′43"N 72°0′26"W (41.261936, -72.007084).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 4.2 mi² (10.9 km²). 4.1 mi² (10.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 mi² (0.4 km²) of it (3.57%) is water.
Fishers Island represents a section of the same terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
that formed the North Fork
North Fork, Suffolk County, New York
The North Fork is a 30-mile-long peninsula in the northeast part of Suffolk County, New York, roughly parallel with an even longer peninsula known as the South Fork...
of Long Island, which comes ashore at Watch Hill, Rhode Island. During the late phase of the Wisconsin glaciation
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
, glacial Lake Connecticut
Lake Connecticut
Glacial Lake Connecticut formed over what is now Long Island Sound and coastal Connecticut at the fore edge of the ice sheet of the Wisconsin glaciation, as the lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet began to retreat, some 18,000 to 20,000 years ago. It was dammed by the terminal moraine that now forms...
formed at the retreating fore edge of the ice sheet, over what is now Long Island Sound; it formed an outlet in its moraine dam at The Race, famous for rip current
Rip current
A rip current, commonly referred to by the misnomer rip tide, is a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore, typically through the surf line. Typical flow is at 0.5 metres per second , and can be as fast as 2.5 metres per second...
s, which still separates Fishers Island from the North Fork. Fishers Island is essentially a long barrow of rocky till scoured from the surface of southern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Wicopesset Island, a small unoccupied island just off East Point on Fisher's Island, is closer to the New York water boundary with Rhode Island than Montauk Point
Montauk Point Lighthouse
The Montauk Point Light is a lighthouse located in Montauk Point State Park at the easternmost point of Long Island, in the Town of East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York...
. However Montauk gets the title of New York's easternmost land point because it is 2.9 miles (4.7 km) farther east. Wicopesset Island is the northernmost area of Suffolk County, New York.
Climate
Fishers Island's weather is influenced by the proximity of Long Island Sound and the ocean, and prevailing winds that generally blow offshore. The climate is one of only a few locations on an east coast in the Northern Hemisphere that is oceanic (Koppen Cfb). Because the ocean stays warm during the fall and winter months, Fishers Island stays warmer than the mainland during this time. Summers can still be hot on Fishers Island, but July and August average in the mid and upper 70s instead of low and mid 80s that mainland New York and New England often encounter.
History
The island was called Munnawtawkit by the Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Pequot
Pequot
Pequot people are a tribe of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. They were of the Algonquian language family. The Pequot War and Mystic massacre reduced the Pequot's sociopolitical influence in southern New England...
Nation. Adrian Block, the first recorded European visitor, named it Visher's Island in 1614, after one of his companions. For the next 25 years, it remained a wilderness, visited occasionally by Dutch traders. In 1640, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
granted the island to John Winthrop, Jr., who lived only one winter on the island. After being named governor of the Connecticut Colony
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
, Winthrop used the island to raise sheep for food and wool. After Winthrop died in 1676, his son, Fitz-John, installed a lessee farmer from England, William Walworth, on the island. Walworth brought with him a system of cultivation which was continued on the island for nearly 200 years. He established farmland out of the heavily forested island. Walworth and his family vacated the island nine years later due to the threat of pirates. Fishers Island remained in the Winthrop family until 1863, when ownership passed to Robert R. Fox, and then to Edmund and Walton Ferguson.
The island was a target of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, who raided islands in Long Island sound for supplies. Many of the residents of Fishers Island took their herds to the relative safety of Connecticut in 1776. The raids continued though, and in 1779 the British burnt many of the island's homes.
In 1783, brickmaking was established, using the vast amounts of available clay, as the largest and only industry. This business was discontinued in 1889. In 1870, a life saving station was erected at the western end of the island, which overlooked the waters between Fishers Island and Little Gull Island. The Race Rock Light
Race Rock Light
Race Rock Light is a lighthouse on Race Rock Reef, southwest of Fishers Island, New York. The reef is a dangerous set of rocks off the coast of Fishers Island on Long Island Sound and was the site of many shipwrecks....
, located approximately one mile west of Fishers Island, was constructed in 1878 as a navigational aid for travel in the Race. In the early 1900s a permanent Coast Guard Station was built on the west end of the island. In 1898, the Fergusons sold 216 acre (0.87412176 km²) on the western end of the island to the Federal Government. This land was developed as Fort H.G. Wright, established as part of a larger coastal defense project. Over the years Fort Wright drew a large number of residents to the Island. The 1890s brought a growing summer population and the construction of the Fishers Island Yacht Club. The E.W. & W. Ferguson business was established: it managed the Mansion House Hotel and Cottages, a ferry service, and the electricity, water and telephone enterprises. This business was renamed Fishers Island Farms in 1918. Following the death of the Fishers Island Farms president in 1965, the business was purchased and became the Fishers Island Utility Company which continues to own and operate the water, telephone and electrical utilities. The ferry is operated by the Fishers Island Ferry District, a public entity financed through a special tax district. The town contracts with the Ferry District to operate Elizabeth Field
Elizabeth Field
Elizabeth Field is a public use airport located eight nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Fishers Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Town of Southold...
airport and to manage other structures in the Town's ownership that were part of Fort Wright.
The island was the subject of a border dispute between New York and Connecticut. A 1664 land patent granted to the Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
included all islands in Long Island sound, effectively granting the island to New York. However, when Winthrop became governor of Connecticut in 1657, he had included Fishers Island in Connecticut's charter. The dispute would not be settled until 1879 when a joint commission decided that the island was part of New York. New York State, Connecticut and Rhode Island meet in the waters east of Fishers Island.
Hurricanes have played an important role in the island's history with the Great September Gale of 1815
Great September Gale of 1815
The Great September Gale of 1815 is one of five "major hurricanes" to strike New England since 1635...
and the New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
both causing widespread damage. The 1815 storm resulted in substantially all of the island trees being destroyed by a combination of the powerful winds and by the 17 feet (5.2 m) storm surge flooded coastal towns with seawater. The consequences for Fishers Island were visible for almost a century and a half. A panoramic photograph taken from one vantage point on the island in 1910 shows more boats in Hay and West harbors than there are mature trees. Until the 1950s, Fishers Island had the look of Ireland: stone walls, few trees, and windswept moors. The 1938 storm, which blew in seeds returning Fishers to its pre-1815 foliage, was less severe with only a few local residences destroyed, primarily by wind. (Most Fishers Island residences have sitings above sea level that protect them from storm surge.) Winds in excess of 120 mi/h ripped the roof off John Nicholas Brown's ultra modern residence "Windshield", designed by Richard Neutra, which had only recently been completed. The Browns rebuilt "Windshield", but it was destroyed by fire in the early 1970s.
Culture
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 06390; Connecticut zip codes begin with "06" while all other places in New York State—apart from the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
processing center in Holtsville
Holtsville, New York
Holtsville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 17,006 at the 2000 census....
—have zip codes starting with "1". The island is the only point in Suffolk County to which telephone calls placed from the greater New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area are classified as long distance and not "regional", even though the island's area code is the same as that of eastern Long Island (631). The island is also part of the Boy Scouts of America's Connecticut Rivers Council. For Catholics, the island is part of the Diocese of Norwich
Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Connecticut in the northeastern United States. It was erected on August 6, 1953 by Pope Pius XII....
(Connecticut), instead of the Diocese of Rockville Centre
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre comprises the territory of Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York state, USA. Founded in 1957, this diocese was created from territory that once belonged to the Diocese of Brooklyn...
(which includes the remainder of Suffolk County).
Since the turn of the 20th century, well established and old money
Old Money
Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families " or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth." The term typically describes a class of the super-rich, who have been able to maintain their wealth across multiple generations.- United States :American locations...
families have selected the Island as the destination for their summer vacation, and their luxurious dwellings (the island's exclusive estates) reflect an emphasis on continuity and tradition. Its more notable residents include former Governor Thomas Kean
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Kean is best known globally, however, for his 2002 appointment as Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the...
of New Jersey, former CIA Director Porter Goss, filmmaker Albert Maysles, former Whitney Museum director Tom Armstrong, former Kidder, Peabody & Co.
Kidder, Peabody & Co.
Kidder, Peabody & Co. was a U.S.-based securities firm, established in Massachusetts in 1865. Its operations included investment banking, brokerage, and trading....
Chairman Albert Gordon, Scudder Sinclair, president of the Sinclair Pharmacal Co. Inc. (based on Fishers Island), author Rick Moody
Rick Moody
Rick Moody is an American novelist and short story writer best known for the 1994 novel The Ice Storm, a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families over Thanksgiving weekend in 1973, which brought widespread acclaim, became a bestseller, and was made into a feature film of...
(The Ice Storm
The Ice Storm
The Ice Storm is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life....
), and the heirs to IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. Most of the island's year-round residents reside on the western end of the island. In addition to their houses, there are all the necessities for small-town life, including a grade school, bowling alley, movie theater, liquor store, grocery store, 2 gas stations, volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...
, and post office. The west end also has a small air strip, a museum, an ice cream shop (Toppers) and a cafe (the News Cafe), two boutiques (The Beach Plum and The Pickett Fence), and a restaurant/bar (The Pequot).
The eastern two-thirds of the island are scattered with large summer estates accessible by a single private road. During the main season, access to the private road is protected by a guard shed, which is decorated festively once a year on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
for the annual Harbor Open Golf (HOG) parade and tournament hosted by the Fishers Island Club.
The seaside scenes in the movie The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp (film)
The World According to Garp is 1982 American comedy drama film directed by George Roy Hill, based on the novel of the same title by John Irving, who also wrote the script together with Steve Tesich...
, starring Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
and Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
, were shot on Fishers Island on and about the grounds of the mansion originally built by Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
heir Robert Linderman. Many other movies have also been filmed here.
Famous houses include the Round House, The Firestone House, Windshield (which has since burned down), and The Three Sisters.
Recreation
The island has two country clubCountry club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
s and a yacht club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
as well as several beaches and
a harbor
Harbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
.
Fishers Island Club, usually called "The Big Club," is at the island's eastern tip and is home to a Seth Raynor designed, world-class links golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
that is rated ninth on Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
's 2009 list of America's 100 greatest golf courses. Historically, it was referred to as a "real course" in a July 1957 letter from President Dwight David Eisenhower to John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
. The club also has four tennis courts, a beach club, and a members-only beachfront. The main clubhouse has two dining rooms capable of seating 250 people. There are also housing facilities for over forty employees on the island.
Hay Harbor is a smaller club on the west part of the island with a nine-hole links-style golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
with a second hole that runs along the ocean. Its tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
club has eleven clay tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a salt water swimming area affectionately called The Shark Tank. Lessons for kids and adults include tennis, golf, swimming, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. Hay Harbor also maintains a sailing club. With the magnificent winds that swirl all around the island, sailing is a popular pastime for people summering at the island. Currently the general manager of the Hay Harbor Club is Richard Duggan.
Fishers Island Yacht Club (FIYC) holds races every Saturday during the summer. There are two active racing fleets: the International One Design
International One Design
The International One Design is a class of sail boat developed for yacht racing. It is a 33-foot open cockpit day sailer used for day racing, rather than for overnight, or ocean races, such as the Newport–Bermuda Yacht Race...
s (IODs), which is composed of 33 feet (10.1 m) boats designed in 1936 by Bjarne Aas of Norway, and the Bullseyes, a fleet of 16 feet (4.9 m) boats designed by Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....
in 1916. The club has two small buildings and is casual. It hosts several parties during the summer, as well as weekly picnic barbecues.
West harbor, a large harbor that is used mainly by the FIYC, is also home to Dock Beach. The smallest beach on the island, it hosts barbecues and family events. It is also a prime location from which to view the Dupont fireworks display, administered by FIOA (Fishers Island's Own Army), on the Fourth of July.
The most well known beaches include South Beach, Isabella Beach, Chocomount Beach (said to be visited by ghosts, including that of Captain Chocomount), and the Big Club Beach, accessible to members only.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 289 people, 138 households, and 77 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 71.3 per square mile (27.6/km2). There were 625 housing units at an average density of 154.2/sq mi (59.6/km2). The racial makeup of the community was 95.50% White, 1.04% African American, 1.04% Asian, and 2.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 138 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 2.1% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the community was $50,521, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $47,917 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $31,652. About 4.5% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 7.9% of those sixty five or over.
External links
- News and Information About Fishers Island, NY - Includes history, directories and ferry schedules
- Fishers Island School
- Fishers Island Ferry District
- "The Matter of Proceedings to Acquire Land on Fishers Island"
- Long Island History: Fishers Island
- Geologic History of Long Island