Turning This Whole Town Upside Down

By Rhoda Amon | Staff Writer

I N 1778, when British forces occupied the area after routing Gen. George Washington in the Battle of Long Island two years before, Lt. Col. John Simcoe, head of the Queen's Rangers, became an uninvited guest in the Oyster Bay home of patriot Samuel Townsend. Apparently expecting an attack from Connecticut, Simcoe drew up the sketch of his defenses, shown bottom right.

Oyster Bay may have changed a bit in the past 222 years, but not the basic street layout. Notice in the recent aerial photo how Lexington Avenue on the left, South Street on the right and West Main Street near the top follow the same contours outlined by Simcoe (the view of West Main in the aerial is mostly obscured by houses and trees).

One problem with Simcoe's sketch: It seems upside down. "Simcoe was not concerned about north, south ... He drew up the sketch for his own convenience, not for modern map viewing," explains Andrew Batten, director of Raynham Hall, the Townsends' 1740 residence. The house on West Main Street, marked by our arrow in the Simcoe sketch, is hidden behind trees in the aerial.

Simcoe is remembered in Long Island legend for his romance with Townsend's daughter, Sally. He was 27, she was 17. The romance ended after Sally reportedly intercepted a message from Maj. John Andre regarding British plans to take West Point. Choosing country over love, she contacted her brother, Robert, a member of Washington's spy ring. The West Point plot was foiled and Andre was hanged. Simcoe later returned to England.