In 1790, George Washington, the new President of the United States, embarked on a tour of war-ravaged Long Island.  Many historians believe the tour was Washington’s version of a “thank you” to the members of the Culper Ring, a network of spies active during the Revolutionary War.  One of the stops on this tour was in Patchogue, which was then a sparsely populated area, with fewer than 30 families. This stop was documented in George Washington’s diary, in which he wrote that he “dined at Hart’s Tavern.”  The following year, Thomas Jefferson’s diary also mentioned Hart’s Tavern as a stop on the way to the home of William Floyd in Mastic Beach, now part of Fire Island National Seashore.

These visits were little known until 1925, when Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Col. Josiah Smith Chapter, placed a monument on the along West Main Street in Lakeview Cemetery. In 1999, the Greater Patchogue Historical Society (GPHS) added a New York State historic marker at the site.  Since then, historians and local citizens have debated the identity of the owner and actual location of the tavern, since there is no record of Hart’s Tavern anywhere.  However, in the same vicinity on West Main Street, there once stood a large home owned by Elizabeth Oakes Smith, a well-known writer, lecturer, and women’s rights activist who is buried in Lakeview Cemetery.  The presumption has been that the home, often called The Willows, stood to the right side of the present-day entrance to the cemetery, and one theory has Hart’s Tavern and The Willows as the same building.

Recently, Friends of Lakeview Cemeteries and GPHS volunteers Arlene Capobianco, Lynn Davis, and Steve Lucas embarked on an investigation to finally answer the questions: Was there a Hart’s Tavern, who was Hart, and was The Willows the same building that Washington visited?  After months of research work and interviews at the Suffolk County and Town of Brookhaven historian’s offices and the Patchogue-Medford Library, the team has confirmed that the property where Washington stopped was in fact owned by Gilbert Hart, an active citizen in the Town of Brookhaven.  They believe that Washington stopped at what became the Elizabeth Oakes Smith house and was there to meet a member of the Culper Ring. In addition, John Dilerack, the oysterman who served Washington at his stop, was also identified as part of this research project.

To pinpoint the exact location of the building, GPHS has contracted with a professional investigator to review the site using ground-penetrating radar. If successful, the foundation of the home will be found, to settle the mystery once and for all. This project will be conducted Monday, Oct. 3 at 8 a.m., and the event is open to the public.