Getting Curious About the Past

Readers inquire about first inhabitants, Island geography and community names

Thank you to all our readers who have responded so enthusiastically by both letter and e-mail to "Long Island: Our Story." We have received ideas, comments, letters from descendants of long-ago Long Islanders, historic photographs and answers to our "History Mysteries." Many of you posed questions about the history of Long Island and we would like to take this opportunity to reply to some of them.

Could you tell us about the legend of the Princess of Lake Ronkonkoma?

Legends swirl about Lake Ronkonoma. A pamphlet, "Nesaquake Tales," at the Smithtown Public Library, written by the late Huntington town historian Rufus B. Langhans, tells the story of an Indian maiden who was sacrificed to appease the Great Spirit, Manitou. "Heather Flower and Other Indian Stories of Long Island" by Verne Dyson, contains another legend, "The Troubled Spirit of the Lake." In this version, a broken-hearted Indian princess tied weights around her ankles, rowed out to the middle of the lake, slipped over the side and was never seen again. Her remorseful lover dived into the lake and searched for her body. He failed but as the story goes, her body was found floating in a Connecticut river some weeks later. Her grieving parents brought her back to Long Island and she was buried with honors at Montauk Point. But Indians believed that her spirit haunted the lake and caused whirlpools, waves, moaning sounds and other mysterious events. "Three Waves: The Story of Lake Ronkonkoma" by Ann Farnum Curtis, also tells about legends surrounding the lake. "Heather Flower" and "Three Waves" are both available in many of our public libraries.

Did Long Island Indians bury their dead in mounds?

According to John Strong, history professor at the Southampton Campus of Long Island University, mound burials were fairly widespread in Ohio, the Mississipi Valley, northern New England and in Virginia, but there is no evidence that Indians on Long Island or in nearby areas practiced this type of burial.

I think I have a Clovis Point. How do I verify its authencity?

The best places to contact for help are the Southold Indian Museum, 516-765-5577, or Garvies Point Museum and Preserve in Glen Cove, 516-571-8010. Each museum has two of these early Indian spear points on display. The Sachem Public Library has two points and the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan has four.

Why does Port Jefferson have so many hollows?

Many of those hollows were formed during the retreat of the last glacier about 20,000 years ago. As the great ice sheet receded northward, chunks of ice broke off and were left behind. Some of those chunks did not immediately melt and instead formed depressions in the soil that are often called kettle holes. Port Jefferson has many of these kettles, but you can also see them in other parts of Long Island. They are usually found north of the Long Island Expressway and south of the shoreline cliffs along Long Island Sound. Some of those kettle holes have been filled by rising groundwater, creating Lake Ronkonkoma and other local ponds and lakes.

How did Orient get its name?

Orient and East Marion were originally called Oysterponds because of the abundance of shellfish in the area. What is now Orient was known as Lower Neck, while East Marion was called Upper Neck. The communities separated in 1836 and the name Orient was chosen to reflect that area's easternmost position on the North Fork. East Marion was named for Revolutionary War Gen. Francis Marion, known as the Swamp Fox. "East" was tacked on to Marion because of an existing Marion upstate.

What's the origin of the name "Ridge" and was the place ever called "Indian Ridge"?

Ridge was originally called Randallville after Stephen Randall, who settled in the area in 1728. The area was identified as Ridgeville or Ridgefield on early maps because of the ridge that runs along its north side. We could find no record that the area ever was referred to as Indian Ridge.

Did the Dutch rename New York "New Orange" when they took back the area from the English?

New York City was renamed New Orange when the Dutch recaptured New York from the English in 1673. But the English regained control in 1674 and, as the song says, "New York, New York!"

Is there evidence of mooring stones left on Long Island by Norse explorers who may have visited our shores?

Viking Mooring Stones, large boulders with triangular holes about an 1 1/4 inches wide, have been found in the Midwest along lakes and ancient river shorelines. Some believe these holes were drilled by Norse sailors and used in tying their boats. In some cases, iron pegs cemented into the holes were still attached to the boulder. According to Tom McGovern, professor of anthropology at Hunter College, there is no proof that the holes are connected with the Vikings but they may date back to colonial times or perhaps were created by Indian sailors. None have been found along our shoreline, so far.

Answers on this page were compiled by Georgina Martorella and Virginia Dunleavy, researchers for "Long Island: Our Story."