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Flanders

Where the Big Duck Rules the Roost

Beginnings: This lightly populated, heavily wooded hamlet in northwest Southampton Town was virtually uninhabited by whites in colonial times. Among its early settlers were Dutch who settled in the area about the end of the 18th Century. They gave the location its name because it reminded them of Flanders, a region of Holland. In the 1800s, families from New York City and western Long Island summered in Flanders. The community also produced cordwood, and loggers used it as a rest stop on their way to woodlots on the South Fork.

Turning Point: Before World War II, the few residents were mostly blue-collar people who had more in common with adjoining Riverhead than with most of their resort town. In the 1950s and 1960s, small suburban ranch-style homes on small lots popped up along Flanders Road (Route 24). Many were summer places, but most are now year-round. In the past 15 years, Flanders has seen the addition of many new, costlier homes, especially along Pleasure Drive in the thick pine barrens between Route 24 and Sunrise Highway.

Claim to Fame: Route 24 in Flanders is the home of the famous Big Duck, a 20-foot-high concrete version of the white Pekin duck that has become a symbol of Long Island, though the duck industry faded after World War II. Donated to Suffolk County in 1987, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1931 and originally was a store on West Main Street, Riverhead.

Where to Find More: Riverhead Free Library has a small collection of newspaper clippings.