A Little History about Sag Harbor
Sag Harbor’s two square-miles are rich with history. The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Algonquin Indians. They called this area Weg-wag-onuch. That name was derived from the Algonquin word ”Weg-quae-and-auke,” meaning “the land or place at the end of the hill.” At that time, Sag Harbor was made up of hills, streams, meadows and swamps, and the neighboring villages called it Great Meadows.
Over the course of two meetings in January of 1846, the Trustees discussed the incorporation of the Port of Sag Harbor as a village. First, on January 5, a committee was created to draft the Act of Incorporation. Just a week later, the Trustees resolved to take the steps needed to pass the Act of Incorporation. The act (Chapter 42, Laws of 1846) was passed on March 26, 1846.
From 1760–1850, the village was a thriving whaling port, and it came into its own as an important seaport. Sag Harbor was the first Port of Entry in the state of New York, established just one day before New York City by an act of Congress passed July 31, 1789 (during the second session of the First Congress of the United Sates). When President Washington approved the creation of Sag Harbor as a Port of Entry, it had more tons of square-rigged vessels engaged in commerce than New York City.
