10 SPIES! Exhibit & Port Jefferson Harbor
Spy Rings and Shipbuilding Communities in Long Island
Did you know that during the American revolution, there existed a spy ring that was led by Georgy Washington? This spy network was called the Culper Ring and was based in Setauket along with New York City. One of the many actions the spy ring has done included working with French Navy forces to fight the British by intercepting information of an attack on the French forces by Great Britain. Without the spy ring, the Revolutionary War’s conclusion might have turned out differently for America itself and its freedom.
Austin Roe was part of the Culper Ring. He owned a tavern in East Setauket in which he attended to British troops that were in the area. Talk is ever present in the world, even more so in taverns, and important information could slip up, Roe took advantage of this and delivered messages between Manhattan and Setauket on horseback across 1000 miles!
Port Jefferson is just northwest of our university’s main campus, existing on what is known as the Gold Coast. The reason it’s called the Gold Coast is due to the settlement of higher-class families eastward from the city to Long Island. This happened due to the isolation and nature of the island, where people higher up economically would want to reconnect with nature along with community. Respectively, the lower class wouldn’t have enough power to settle out eastward and remained in the city.
This town was known as a shipbuilding village, but economic decline would happen in the late 19th to early 20th century, making it so that shipbuilding would die off. How would you survive when your industry dies out? Tourism! Walkable piers and small shops exist throughout the town along with recreational centers. Historic buildings are also included, which show the maritime culture of Port Jefferson’s past.
Tallmadge and the Encryption of Information
by Maximillian Chronister
Pictured above is Benjamin Tallmadge, the creator of the numerical code used to encrypt messages for the spy ring. In 1776, Tallmadge was appointed by George Washington as the director of military intelligence, in order to get intelligence from the British-occupied New York to the Continental Army, he formed the Culper Spy Ring. Born in 1754, he was a resident of Setauket, Long Island, and a graduate of Yale University, making him very qualified for the position he was assigned. In the letters, he used the alias “John Bolton”.
Above are the numerical codes used by the Culper spy ring to encrypt letters. These numbers were used to represent everything from people’s names, places, and certain words, for example, “George Washington” was 711, and “New York” was 727. Members of the spy ring would also use aliases to further hide their identities. Careful attention to detail such as this is one of the reasons why the Culper spy ring was never found out.
Invisible Ink was used in many of the letters to hide their contents. This was referred to as “sympathetic stain” and was made from a solution of acids that would not appear on paper. When the writing was exposed to a reagent like sodium carbonate, the letters would become visible. This ink was developed by James Jay, a London doctor who was the brother of John Jay, a member of the Continental Congress. According to George Washington, this was not only to help hide the messages but also to ease the stress of those working as spies.
Above is the “Tallmadge Trail” the route that was used to deliver valuable information outside of occupied New York. Robert Townsend would gather information in Manhattan as he was the owner of a general store that was frequented by British troops. Townsend would pass this information to Austin Roe who owned a tavern in Setauket. Roe would then leave a note in his tavern to be picked up by Abraham Woodhull. Woodhull would organize a meeting with the whaling captain Caleb Brewster, who would cross the Long Island Sound where Tallmadge resided in Connecticut. Finally, Tallmadge would pass the note off to George Washington.
Auxiliary Spies
By Juliana Hart
At the SPIES! exhibit, we learned about auxiliary spies from the American Revolution. Auxiliary spies were people that weren’t necessarily part of the army fighting the war, but they were still assisting the war effort by gathering information within their community and relaying it to George Washington. The Culper Spy Ring has become a well-known group of auxiliary spies in recent years.
Anyone who is familiar with the American Revolution or is a fan of the musical Hamilton knows the name Hercules Mulligan. He was a spy for George Washington and did some work with the Culper Spy Ring. He was mentioned in a letter from Benjamin Tallmadge to George Washington where the spy work of Mulligan and Robert Townshend were discussed.
Robert Townshend was the major direct communicator of information to Washington, so Mulligan ran his information through Townshend to get to Washington. Information not only included the locations and movements of British soldiers, but also information on planned assassination attempts of Washington.
Mulligan was suspected of being a spy by the British and was subsequently arrested, however he managed to not be convicted.
A Famous 7 Year Resident of Port Jefferson
by Eily Montenegro
After touring the Three Village Historical Society where we learned about Long Island’s spy ring, we sat for lunch and learned about the local history of Port Jefferson. Most surprising to me was the fact that Phineas Taylor Barnum, credited for popularizing the circus and the country's first millionaire through entertainment, had a home in Port Jefferson. He has become a well-known figure throughout the country, especially after the release of The Greatest Showman in 2017 starring Hugh Jackman who portrayed Mr. Barnum in the musical.
While on tour with his circus troupe in the late 1800s, P.T. Barnum came across Port Jefferson. In 1873, he bought a section of land, now known as Barnum Avenue, with the intention to overwinter his circus there and develop it into the circus’ homebase – “Barnum’s Big Top.” Barnum Avenue is still around today, including a gorgeous Victorian-style home he had built. By 1880, Barnum abandoned the idea since residents of Port Jefferson opposed his plan, stating that they were “too grandiose." Interestingly enough, his route book for his circus indicates that he actually never performed his show at Port Jefferson during his time there.1,2 P.T. Barnum instead turned to the other property he purchased in 1873 for a permanent circus base– his Grand Roman Hippodrome in New York City, which he leased from Henry Vanderbilt. The New York Life Building now stands where his Hippodrome was.3
Barnum already owned mansions across the sound in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which played a major role in his co-founding of the Port Jefferson Ferry. Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. is one of the oldest ferry companies in America. Barnum was one of 27 stockholders for the steamship ferry between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson. He founded this ferry line in order to transport his animals for his traveling circus. Port Jefferson, despite not setting up his “Big Top” there, was an ideal location as he could use the Long Island Railroad to quickly bring these animals from between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson, then transporting them to his Hippodrome, which used to be a bustling passenger station. After the opening of Grand Central, the Madison Avenue station was no longer needed so it was primarily used by P.T. Barnum.3
The image above shows the “P.T. Barnum,” the eleventh ferry ship built in 1999 for the Port Jefferson-Bridgeport Ferry terminals. It was built to commemorate P.T. Barnum’s involvement in the establishment of the ferry, which also highlighted the properties he owned nearby the terminals.
References:
1. https://www.danspapers.com/2015/09/celebrate-port-jefferson-history-here-and-now/#:~:text=In%201873%2C%20P.T.,property%20remains%20in%20private%20hands.
2. https://www.untappedcities.com/ny-getaway-10-places-to-discover-in-port-jefferson-long-island/#:~:text=1.,that%20passes%20through%20Barnum%20Avenue.
3. https://ultrarunninghistory.com/p-t-barnum/
by Lawrence Pak
Did you know that during the American revolution, there existed a spy ring that was led by Georgy Washington? This spy network was called the Culper Ring and was based in Setauket along with New York City. One of the many actions the spy ring has done included working with French Navy forces to fight the British by intercepting information of an attack on the French forces by Great Britain. Without the spy ring, the Revolutionary War’s conclusion might have turned out differently for America itself and its freedom.
.jpg) |
| Portrait of Austin Roe, painted by Anthony Grega in 1964. |
Austin Roe was part of the Culper Ring. He owned a tavern in East Setauket in which he attended to British troops that were in the area. Talk is ever present in the world, even more so in taverns, and important information could slip up, Roe took advantage of this and delivered messages between Manhattan and Setauket on horseback across 1000 miles!
Port Jefferson is just northwest of our university’s main campus, existing on what is known as the Gold Coast. The reason it’s called the Gold Coast is due to the settlement of higher-class families eastward from the city to Long Island. This happened due to the isolation and nature of the island, where people higher up economically would want to reconnect with nature along with community. Respectively, the lower class wouldn’t have enough power to settle out eastward and remained in the city.
.jpg) |
| Seen here are the students and professors of MAR 355 in Port Jefferson. |
This town was known as a shipbuilding village, but economic decline would happen in the late 19th to early 20th century, making it so that shipbuilding would die off. How would you survive when your industry dies out? Tourism! Walkable piers and small shops exist throughout the town along with recreational centers. Historic buildings are also included, which show the maritime culture of Port Jefferson’s past.
Tallmadge and the Encryption of Information
by Maximillian Chronister
 |
| Photo 1 Credit- Fraunces Tavern Museum. https://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/becoming-tallmadge |
Pictured above is Benjamin Tallmadge, the creator of the numerical code used to encrypt messages for the spy ring. In 1776, Tallmadge was appointed by George Washington as the director of military intelligence, in order to get intelligence from the British-occupied New York to the Continental Army, he formed the Culper Spy Ring. Born in 1754, he was a resident of Setauket, Long Island, and a graduate of Yale University, making him very qualified for the position he was assigned. In the letters, he used the alias “John Bolton”.
 |
| Photo 2 Credit- PBS Learning Media. https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/mv15-soc-ush-culpcode/culper-code-book/ |
Above are the numerical codes used by the Culper spy ring to encrypt letters. These numbers were used to represent everything from people’s names, places, and certain words, for example, “George Washington” was 711, and “New York” was 727. Members of the spy ring would also use aliases to further hide their identities. Careful attention to detail such as this is one of the reasons why the Culper spy ring was never found out.
 |
| Photo 3 Credit- The Long Island Museum. https://longislandmuseum.org/exhibition/the-culper-spy-letter-a-new-discovery-at-the-long-island-museum/ |
 |
| Photo 4 Credit- Wandering Why Traveler. https://www.wanderingwhytraveler.com/tri-spy-tours-on-long-island/ |
By Juliana Hart
At the SPIES! exhibit, we learned about auxiliary spies from the American Revolution. Auxiliary spies were people that weren’t necessarily part of the army fighting the war, but they were still assisting the war effort by gathering information within their community and relaying it to George Washington. The Culper Spy Ring has become a well-known group of auxiliary spies in recent years.
Anyone who is familiar with the American Revolution or is a fan of the musical Hamilton knows the name Hercules Mulligan. He was a spy for George Washington and did some work with the Culper Spy Ring. He was mentioned in a letter from Benjamin Tallmadge to George Washington where the spy work of Mulligan and Robert Townshend were discussed.
Robert Townshend was the major direct communicator of information to Washington, so Mulligan ran his information through Townshend to get to Washington. Information not only included the locations and movements of British soldiers, but also information on planned assassination attempts of Washington.
Mulligan was suspected of being a spy by the British and was subsequently arrested, however he managed to not be convicted.
 |
| A portrait of Benjamin Tallmadge. |
 |
| A letter mentioning a plot to assassinate George Washington. Credit: Smithsonian Magazine. |
A Famous 7 Year Resident of Port Jefferson
by Eily Montenegro
After touring the Three Village Historical Society where we learned about Long Island’s spy ring, we sat for lunch and learned about the local history of Port Jefferson. Most surprising to me was the fact that Phineas Taylor Barnum, credited for popularizing the circus and the country's first millionaire through entertainment, had a home in Port Jefferson. He has become a well-known figure throughout the country, especially after the release of The Greatest Showman in 2017 starring Hugh Jackman who portrayed Mr. Barnum in the musical.
While on tour with his circus troupe in the late 1800s, P.T. Barnum came across Port Jefferson. In 1873, he bought a section of land, now known as Barnum Avenue, with the intention to overwinter his circus there and develop it into the circus’ homebase – “Barnum’s Big Top.” Barnum Avenue is still around today, including a gorgeous Victorian-style home he had built. By 1880, Barnum abandoned the idea since residents of Port Jefferson opposed his plan, stating that they were “too grandiose." Interestingly enough, his route book for his circus indicates that he actually never performed his show at Port Jefferson during his time there.1,2 P.T. Barnum instead turned to the other property he purchased in 1873 for a permanent circus base– his Grand Roman Hippodrome in New York City, which he leased from Henry Vanderbilt. The New York Life Building now stands where his Hippodrome was.3
Barnum already owned mansions across the sound in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which played a major role in his co-founding of the Port Jefferson Ferry. Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. is one of the oldest ferry companies in America. Barnum was one of 27 stockholders for the steamship ferry between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson. He founded this ferry line in order to transport his animals for his traveling circus. Port Jefferson, despite not setting up his “Big Top” there, was an ideal location as he could use the Long Island Railroad to quickly bring these animals from between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson, then transporting them to his Hippodrome, which used to be a bustling passenger station. After the opening of Grand Central, the Madison Avenue station was no longer needed so it was primarily used by P.T. Barnum.3
The image above shows the “P.T. Barnum,” the eleventh ferry ship built in 1999 for the Port Jefferson-Bridgeport Ferry terminals. It was built to commemorate P.T. Barnum’s involvement in the establishment of the ferry, which also highlighted the properties he owned nearby the terminals.
References:
1. https://www.danspapers.com/2015/09/celebrate-port-jefferson-history-here-and-now/#:~:text=In%201873%2C%20P.T.,property%20remains%20in%20private%20hands.
2. https://www.untappedcities.com/ny-getaway-10-places-to-discover-in-port-jefferson-long-island/#:~:text=1.,that%20passes%20through%20Barnum%20Avenue.
3. https://ultrarunninghistory.com/p-t-barnum/
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