Coastal Cultural Experience: Setauket Spy Museum & Port Jefferson Harbor

The more revered Paul Revere
by Claire Garfield

If I were to ask you about a certain patriot who rode his horse through enemy and danger to convey vital information about the British, you would probably tell me about the midnight ride of Paul Revere. But Paul Revere was not the only rebel rider. Another existed that made upwards of 400 trips to convey vital information to Georgia Washington and the Continental Army. This man goes by the name of Austin Roe and he is Long Island’s Paul Revere.

The American Revolution was won by the colonies in no small part due to superior intelligence. George Washington used a spy group called the Culper Ring that operated out of the British-occupied New York City. Austin Roe’s role in the flow of information was to relay intelligence gathered from Robert Townsend in New York City to Abraham Woodhull in Setauket. From there, the intelligence was carried across the Long Island Sound by Caleb Brewster to the Continental Army. Austin Roe would make the fifty-five-mile journey both ways in British occupied and patrolled areas.

Perhaps the most important information uncovered by the Culper Spy Ring was an impending attack on the French fleet harbored in New Port, Rhode Island by the British. The Continentals needed the French’s fleet and help to win the Revolution, and without this vital information discovered by the Culper Spy Ring, the revolution might well have been lost. Austin Roe carried the information about the impending attack and he, along with the rest of the Culper Spy Ring, saved the Continental Army and French Fleet from defeat.

Image 1. The route information took from New York City to the Continental Army. This information was collected and conveyed by the Culper Spy Ring. Infographic courtesy of the Three Village Historical Society. Image courtesy of Claire Garfield.

Anna Smith Strong, the women behind it all

by Kim Marko

Anna Smith Strong was a part of a wealthy family living on the North Shore during the revolution. Her and her husband were very vocal over the fact that they were Patriots, while most of the people around them were Loyalist. Her husband was thrown into jail but was released. After his release he chose to move to Connecticut, but Anna and their six kids stayed on Long Island. Caleb Brewster was a whaleboat captain and when he was in the area he would often come and visit Anna and check in on her.

Caleb Brewster was also a part of the Culper spy ring. He would get the messages from Abraham Woodhull and bring them across the sound to Major Benjamin Tallmadge. So you may be asking, where does Anna come into all of this? When Brewster would come into port, she would allegedly leave different colored clothing on her laundry line, so Woodhull would know he was there and where to meet him. If she hung up a black petticoat it meant that he was in the nearby water and if she hung white handkerchief the number of them she hung up would correspond to what cove Brewster would be at.

Setauket at this time was completely invaded with British troops so spies trying to meet up to exchange their messages was very risky. Thanks to the system that Anna came up with the two spies were able to meet at nightfall and do what they needed to do with as little suspicions as possible. While there are no primary documents to prove that what Anna did actually happened, given the fact that she chose to stay in New York while her husband was in Connecticut it seems very likely that he had some connection to the Culper spy ring.

Image 1: A mural on the wall in the Setauket Spy Museum illustrating Anna Smith Strong and her contribution to the Culper spy ring

 Translation using Tallmadge’s Key: Setauket August 25th 1779
by Emily Richters

A letter written by Abraham Woodhull, a member of George Washington’s New York City Culper Spy Ring. This letter was written to Benjamin Tallmadge, the Chief of Intelligence, on August 25th, 1779. In this letter, he refers to Jonas Hawkins, who took turns with Austin Roe as a messenger, warning him about the dangers of British interception when traveling into New York City.

This is Tallmadge’s key to decipher codes. The letter was written using this code.

Sir. Jonas Hawkins agreeable to appointment met Robert Townsend not far from New York and received a letter, but on his return was under the necessity to destroy the same, or be detected, but have the satisfaction to inform you that there’s nothing of importance to advise you of. There’s been no augmentation by ships of war or land forces, and everything is very quiet. Every letter is opened at the entrance of New York and every man is searched, that for the future every letter must be written with the ink received. They have some knowledge of the route our letter takes. I judge it was mentioned in the letter taken or they would not be so vigilant. I do not think it will continue long so. I intend to visit New York before long and think by the assistance of a lady of my acquaintance, shall be able to outwit them all. The next appointment for Caleb Brewster to be here is the 1st of September very long but it cannot be altered now. It is on the account of their vigilance that it is prolonged. It may be better times before then. I hope there will be means found out for our deliverance. Nothing could induce me to be here but the earnest desire of Robert Townsend. Friends are all well, and I am your very humble servant,
Abraham Woodhull


The ink that Abraham Woodhull is referring to in the letter is the secret “sympathetic stain.” Since British Soldiers and Officers would stop and search men entering and leaving New York and read their letters, spies had to come up with a technique to fool the soldiers. They would write in code or use invisible ink to write in between the lines of what seemed to be a plain old letter. The invisible ink used was an acid that dries clearly and would not appear under heat or light, such as lemon juice. George Washington befriended a chemist who came up with a basic solution that interacts with acid in a way that caused the secret message to appear. Washington referred to this solution as a “sympathetic stain.” Only a select few members of the spy ring had access to this secret solution. The exact formula to this solution is still unknown even to this day. It was not ever written down to prevent the wrong hands from getting a hold on the secret formula.


Setauket
by Cassidy Bell

When the average person thinks about the start of the American Revolution, chances are they either think of the shot heard around the world or Lin Manuel Miranda proclaiming that he’s not throwing away his shot.

While Hamilton is certainly an interesting way to remember the dates and figures of early American history, the former thought may be a bit more rooted in fact. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the first fight of the Revolution, with that single gunshot of unknown origin sparking the beginning of the war and, more importantly, of the United States. The battle took place in the April before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, meaning that although it was the first fight in the war, it was not the first fight of the United States. That distinction was left for a fight a little closer to home.

After regrouping in Canada in the wake of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, British troops devised a new strategy - to go South to Staten Island and take Manhattan. New York City was the political and trade center of the colonies, making a potential occupation of its harbor a serious blow to Patriot forces. George Washington, at that time a general rather than our Commander in Chief, spread his forces throughout the city, hoping to hold it against the British in a head-on battle despite being outnumbered and outskilled. In an unsurprising turn of events, the battle lasted only three days.

Although a three-day battle may seem like an inevitable failure to those looking back, George Washington was no fool. The general knew after the second day that his troops would not be able to hold the island and so, rather than wasting the life of himself or his soldiers, he planned out a hasty retreat. By the morning of the fourth day, the British soldiers woke up to an emptied city. John Glover, a seafaring man in the Patriot ranks, had ferried the army - 800 men, horses, and cannons - across the Hudson undercover of dark and fog. And just like that, the British had control of Manhattan, a new breadbasket in the form of Long Island, and their first significant victory in the war. However, despite all this, the Patriots had something too - an army to rally across the river and a general who had made a very important realization: this war would not be won by fighting, but rather by spying.

Port Jefferson Shipbuilding
by Emelie Einhorn

As one of two deep sea harbors on Long Island, Port Jefferson has been an important site in the history of the island. Until the end of WW1, the port had been able to sustain itself via the shipbuilding industry and hosted as many as 32 shipyards at its peak. As the need for wooden ships declined with the advent of steam power and metal hulls, the once flourishing port began to struggle. The only way to turn around the prosperity of the town was to transition to another source of income, such as tourism. With the introduction of the ferry, Port Jefferson now acts as a source of transportation between Connecticut and Long Island, bringing in both commuters and tourisms. The Ferry has been able to provide a source of income for people on both sides of the Long Island Sound. In addition to the ferry, the port also has a small village’s rustic vibe, which makes it a tourist attraction for Long Islanders. With only a small entrance/exit to the bay, the waters are calm and maritime activities such as sailing and fishing are accessible. The issue that now arises is balancing the need for tourism with the environmental impacts associated with an increased volume of traffic. This is a struggle many coastal communities are dealing with – not just on Long Island, but all over the world.

A statue honoring Port Jefferson’s shipbuilding history and all the men and women who worked in its shipyards.

In the distance, a small opening can be seen in the bay. This is the only way to enter/exit the bay and explains the calm waves, even during windy or stormy conditions.

The Ferry that sails back and forth from Port Jefferson to Connecticut across the Long Island Sound, currently docked and unloading vehicles and passengers.

George Washington: Not Only the Father of Our Country, but the Father of The Spy-Ring
by Alyssa Shanley-Lente

When visiting the Three Village Historical Society exhibit, I was super excited because it was about spies during the American Revolution and the popular show Turn was based off the exhibits inside. One of the first things I learned was about George Washington, who of course everyone knows as the first president, but lesser known is that he is the father of the first successful well-organized spy ring. This was due to the fact that he believed that “Good Intelligence” was crucial to winning the war and he used the information from the men in the spy ring to learn about the British army’s plans and movements. This was extremely important because out of all the people who lived in New England only 1/3 of them were patriots and they were not trained for war.

Due to Washington’s men being poorly prepared for war and greatly outnumbered during the Battle of Long Island, Washington realized that they would never win and wanted to keep casualties as low as possible so they retreated in the cover of darkness to escape. After this he used surprise to outbattle the British with the help of spies and was very involved in everything going on around him. He was also known to write twenty-five to forty letters per day advising his men on what to do and where to go from the information he would obtain from the spy-ring. Washington was known to be brilliant man and would use his wits to outsmart the British and one such instance was known as Meigs Raid where patriot troops were able to surround and capture British troops and officers without firing a single shot because of the information from the spy ring.

In spite of how well the spy ring eventually became, when first creating the spy ring it did not go smoothly. Washington’s first spy ever was a man named Nathan Hale and had volunteered to go into the city to obtain information for them. However, he was a horrible spy and was quickly captured and hung two days later which Washington felt personally responsible for and was devastated. Washington later approached a man by the name of Benjamin Tallmadge to become the Chief of Intelligence and he was put in charge of the spies. With Tallmadge as the head of the spies Washington could focus on the battle side of the war where he didn’t want to know any of the men’s names so as to protect them and their families. Washington would also help them out of jams when they were close to getting caught by having a man make invisible ink which Washington referred to as “sympathetic stain" and Woodhull, Townsend and Tallmadge were the only ones who had this stain and reagent used to see the messages being sent. Without Washington and his idea for the use of a spy ring, things could have gone very differently, and the United States may not have been what they are today.