Our History

Miller Place – Situated on top of the bluffs facing Long Island Sound, Miller Place is a treasure trove of Long Island history. Miller Place was originally a part of the Old Mans territory purchased in 1664 by the Town of Brookhaven which was in what is today, Setauket. The name Miller Place derives from the first permanent settler in the area, Andrew Miller, and the name took hold some time around 1700. In those days, roads did not have a name such as North Country Rd, but were referred to as the road from one place to another. In this instance the road was from Town (Setauket) to Andrew Miller’s Place, eventually the Andrew was dropped, and finally the “’s” was dropped in the early 1900s.

Home to farmers and seafarers, Miller Place also became one of the many vacation areas on Long Island for those of the middle class and working class looking for respite from the NYC heat. Many people boarded with local families. In the 1890s until after WWII there was a place known as The Holiday House which provided rooms for young women. They were able to take walks, ride, play lawn games, go bathing, and spend quiet evenings on the porch. There were dances in the barn to which the entire community was invited, with music provided by local “orchestras.”

Starting with the Bicentennial, several members of the community sought to receive Historic District designation which was granted in 1979 as the first in the Town of Brookhaven. The Historic District goes from the William Miller House on the west end of No. Country Rd east to just beyond the Reverend Ezra King house, and along Lower Rocky Point Rd till it reaches Gully Landing Rd. This district is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Both Miller Place & Mount Sinai continue to embody these and many other cultural and historic events that make visiting and living in these communities truly extraordinary.

Mount Sinai – Tucked alongside a harbor on Long Island’s north shore, Mount Sinai has long attracted residents and visitors. The site of an early European settlement in 1664 and the embarkation point of the Revolutionary War foray into enemy territory by Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge, a member of Gen. George Washington’s Setauket spy ring. Mount Sinai was a farming and seafaring community in the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. In 1891, it became the site of the “sanitary resort” known as the Crystal Brook Park Association. Later, it drew an early community of artists and photographers who captured the natural beauty of the area.

For more historical information and photos, see these books authored by local writers. They are available at our Visitor’s Center at the William Miller House 75. North Country Rd., Miller Place NY 11764

“Miller Place And Mount Sinai Through Time”
By: Edna Davis Giffen & Ann M. Becker

 

Images of America, Mount Sinai
By: Ann M. Becker

Images of America, Miller Place
By: Edna Davis Giffen, Mindy Kronenberg, and Candace Lindemann

Interesting Facts:

• The c. 1720, Miller House is the oldest residence still standing in original form in Miller Place and remains very much as it was.

• In 1843, Old Mans (the original name of the hamlet) was changed to Mt Sinai.

• The Mt Sinai Congregational Church was built in 1807 by the Congregationalists.

• Marilyn Monroe visited Mt Sinai multiple times with Arthur Miller.

• In 1781 there was a midnight raid on Miller Place during the Revolutionary War and one of the Millers was shot.

• Miller Place had a train station on the LIRR branch built in the 1890s as part of the Wading River branch.

• The Mt Sinai Heritage Park (the “Wedge”) was at one time almost a Home Depot store site.

• The Miller Place Academy private school (N. Country Rd in MP) was opened in 1834 and is still in use today as a community library.

• 1995 the Daniel Hawkins house was purchased by Linda and Arthur Calace, then donated the house to Historical Society.

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