The Village of Ketansett is an unusual place in the history of the United States of America. Located off the coast of the North Fork on Long Island, New York, it is compared to other neighboring communities a small village of 2,600 people. However, while today its relevance has shrunk as the industries that once made it thrive have disappeared, its history is endemic of the ebbs and flows of American history. Officially founded by Joseph Marshall in 1823 after nearly three decades of settlement by other merchants, Ketansett very quickly became the home of one of the largest villages on the East End of Long Island, with fishing, whaling, and ferrying souls from Long Island to Connecticut bringing in a significant income during its first century of incorporation. A unique working-class culture formed on the island from this industry, which during the Second World War helped to transform the Old Seminary into a local headquarters of Coast Guard Intelligence, manned the countless vessels in the Coast Guard Reserve in the hunt for U-Boats off the coast of Long Island and contributed to the construction of aircraft at Ketansett Airfield. It was in the post-war years that the village transformed into what it is today, a quaint coastal village that attracts tourists to its businesses at the Historic Seaport and the sandy beaches on the shores of Ketansett. Many of the coastal areas in the northern half of the island serve as a "Working Man's Hamptons" as local businessmen and women, celebrities, and others call the village home.
While the history of Ketansett is filled with the actions of brave people, including serving as the home of the Ketansett Blues, a local baseball team, and as the site of a religious revival on the East End during the 1840s, it also has some history to be ashamed of. The Manhanset, a local tribe that resided on the island prior to the settlement of white Europeans, were reduced to less than one hundred on the island. From the 1820s to the 1860s, thousands of freedmen traveled through Ketansett to safety in New England and Canada. Many settled in the scenic village, creating a neighborhood called Fredonia that thrived for nearly an entire century. However, in the 1920s and again in the 1940s it was reduced in size to create new residential developments for the growing population coming in from New York City. Although Fredonia still exists today, it is only a shadow of what it once was. Elsewhere, Ketansett is today also far from its heyday. With the fisheries now but a distant memory, a niche industry far from its height, the tourist industry as well as the service industry have exploded, and while companies like Hastings Whaling & Fishing still exist, other employers such as Ketansett College and Ketansett Public Schools have replaced them. Although the only sign of whaling ever existing in Ketansett is the museum ship
Tempest, the village is starting a new revival. This history will provide a sense of hope for the future while recognizing that the history of Ketansett often aligns with the wider history of the United States, and how the fortunes of this small village might portend the future course of Long Island and the country.
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Author's Note: The Village of Ketansett is a private project I have been working for the last two years. Largely consisting of a tiny fictional village off the coast of Long Island, this project transformed into a panacea for a lot of my stress over the last few years. It became a vehicle for my research about Long Island which led to my master's thesis, which I am still writing about. Although this is a fictional island that is partly based on Orient Point, I am trying to make it as realistic a village as possible on Long Island. I want to thank a few people for helping me out during this project. In particular,
@Turquoise Blue,
@frustrated progressive, and
@Zioneer, who have all heard more about this village than any person should, as well as members of alternatehistory.com and other areas on the internet who have encouraged me over time.
