June 27, 2025
Fort Salonga is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 10,008 at the 2010 census.
The hamlet is considered the easternmost part of the historic Gold Coast of Long Island, with the Geissler Estate being located within the hamlet.
One night during the Revolutionary War, Colonial forces landed on the beach in nearby Crab Meadow, and moving down the beach overtook the fort.
In the post-Civil War era the rich red clay deposits gave birth to a successful brickworks as well as other trade. Barges loaded with manure swept from the streets of New York City would arrive, and farmers from nearby towns would come to get the manure for fertilizer. The emptied barges were then loaded with bricks for the trip back to the city. One of the brick companies to operate there in the late 19th century was owned by the Brown family, whose bricks bore the initials BBB for Brown’s Best Bricks. The family home on the top of the hill on Breeze Hill Road has served as the clubhouse for the Indian Hills Country Club since 1963.
The area was formerly known as Fresh Pond.
The name evolved from the Revolutionary War-era British Fort Salonga, or Fort Slongo, (named after one of the fort’s architects) once located near the border of the towns of Huntington and Smithtown, overlooking the Long Island Sound.
Historically, Fort Salonga had its own post office. However, it closed sometime in the 1900s. Fort Solonga now shares the Northport 11768 zip code and is still recognized as acceptable mailing address alternative by the USA post office.
Elijah Churchill (1755–1841) was a notable figure associated with Fort Salonga, New York. Born in Newington, Connecticut, he served as a sergeant in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Churchill distinguished himself in several engagements, notably leading an attack on Fort Slongo (now Fort Salonga) on October 3, 1781. For his valor in this and other actions, he became one of the first recipients of the Badge of Military Merit, the predecessor to the modern Purple Heart.
Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was an influential African-American educator, author, and advisor to multiple U.S. presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt. He was the founding principal of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and a leading advocate for African-American economic self-sufficiency and education during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Washington maintained a residence in Fort Salonga, New York, where he spent time away from his duties at Tuskegee during the summer.
On view in the LIM History Museum (Rt. 25A Stony Brook) from February 19 through October 18, 2026
In commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, The Seat of Action spotlights the experiences of the Long Island region during the Revolutionary War, an area that was under martial law and British control longer than any other part of the American colonies. In the years between the Battle of Long Island (August 1776) and the liberation of New York (November 1783), military occupation led to the loss and destruction of property, the separation of families, and atrocious levels of suffering across this area. This exhibition features a rich array of artifacts and paintings, including a rare portrait of General George Washington’s spymaster, Benjamin Tallmadge (1754–1835) (member of the famous Culper Spy Ring), on loan from the Litchfield Historical Society. The general experience for Long Islanders over those seven years was one that witnessed large-scale population evacuation and the destruction of churches, woodlands, agriculture, and livestock as British forces used the area as a source of sustenance for their larger war effort. The post-Revolutionary War era was one of profound reconstruction across Long Island. At the same time, the tragic impacts of the war also brought about powerful and transformative legacies, leading to more democratic politics across this region and to the eventual end of slavery, both on Long Island and in New York State.
This exhibition is part of LIM’s America250 celebration, featuring special exhibitions and related programming. Learn more at longislandmuseum.org/
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Salonga,_New_York
