 | This articleusesbare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable tolink rot. Please consider converting them tofull citations to ensure the article remainsverifiable and maintains a consistent citation style.Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such asreFill (documentation) andCitation bot (documentation).(September 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Fort Corchaug Archeological Site | |
 Fort Corchaug Vicinity | |
   | |
| Location | Cutchogue,Town of Southold,NY |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°00′09.66″N72°29′55.48″W / 41.0026833°N 72.4987444°W /41.0026833; -72.4987444 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001308 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1974[1] |
| Designated NHL | January 20, 1999[2] |
Fort Corchaug Archeological Site is a prehistoricarchaeological site inCutchogue on easternLong Island inNew York State. It is located west of the North Fork Country Club, on the south side of Main Road (New York State Route 25). The site shows evidence of 17th century contact betweenNative Americans and Europeans. Fort Corchaug itself was a log fort built by Native Americans. It may have been to protect theCorchaug tribe from other Indians, built with the help of Europeans.[3]Ralph Solecki, a prominent American archaeologist, grew up nearby and conducted several digs on site.[4]
It remains today one of the few undisturbed Native American fortified village sites in the North East.[5] and was declared aNational Historic Landmark in 1999.[2] The 105-acre (42 ha) 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 ofSouthold as a nature preserve. Known as the Downs Farm Preserve, it is open to the public with hiking trails.[6][7]
TheCorchaug tribe, also known as theMontaukett, originally had the land from the Nassau border toMontauk Point. Depradation by theNarragansetts of Connecticut and decimation from smallpox caused to tribe to leave their land in theSouth Fork and with the help of whites built forts to ward off attacks. Another fort still being excavated is Fort Hill (now inMontauk County Park) in Montauk Point, described as "one of the earliest and best for its time", it was placed on a 1658 map of Long Island.[8]
