Sagtikos Manor is a historic home located in West Bay Shore, Suffolk County, New York.[2] It is a long, eclectic structure which has been extensively enlarged by additions and alterations during its long and active life as a residence. The original section was built around 1697 and is a 1+1⁄2-story, timber-framed structure with a gable roof. Additions occurred through the early 20th century. Also on the property is a carriage house, caretaker's cottage, buttery, potting shed, formal gardens, and Thompson-Gardiner family cemetery.[3]
The property was first patented to Stephanus Van Cortlandt (1643–1700), who built the original house. During the 18th through 20th centuries, it was owned by the prominent Thompson and Gardiner families. The manor functioned for a time during the American Revolution as local headquarters for British forces under General Sir Henry Clinton.[4] In 1790, George Washington recorded in his diary an overnight stop at "Squire Thompson's" during his tour of Long Island.[3] It is operated by The Sagtikos Manor Historical Society and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1][5]
Robert David Lion Gardiner inherited the property in 1930 and allowed the newly created Sagtikos Manor Historical Society to use the property in 1964.[6]
In 2012 the Historical Society sued the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.[6] They argued that Gardiner had intended that part of his estate should go to support the maintenance of the property. However, since his will did not specifically name the Society, the courts ruled the Society did not have standing, could not even request an audit of the Foundation's finances. The Society had been looking for $65,000 per year.
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Carole Paquette (2002-12-22). "In the Region/Long Island; A Bay Shore Manor to Open a Window on History". The New York Times. p. Section 11, Page 7. Retrieved 2019-10-15. Sagtikos Manor had been in the Gardiner family for 230 years, and since 1986 it had been held by the nonprofit Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since the mid-1970s.
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Sophia Chang (2015-05-05). "Sagtikos Manor Historical Society loses lawsuit seeking $81 million to preserve 1697 mansion". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2019-10-15. 'The Sagtikos Manor Historical Society -- although it has a connection to the manor -- never owned it, doesn't currently own it, and doesn't have a legal relationship' other than being the custodian of the estate under an agreement with Suffolk County, said Joseph Baio, a lawyer for the foundation.