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History · Cutchogue

Cutchogue’s post office opened in 1814, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 2000.

1814first post office
3on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Cutchogue’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Cutchogue began

When was Cutchogue founded?

1814

The Cutchogue post office opened in 1814, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 2,849 in 20002020 census: 3,437212 years
Founding year: the first Cutchogue post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cutchogue’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1956. Watch Cutchogue change.Deep rootsA post office since 1814: 212 years of Cutchogue.
★ What stands out · On the map

Cutchogue on the map, 1904 to 1956

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cutchogue. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Cutchogue on the 1904 USGS mapCutchogue on the 1947 USGS mapCutchogue on the 1956 USGS map1904Shelter Island sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cutchogue.

Timeline

Cutchogue, 1763 to 1920

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1763Born hereJohn Wickham is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1872In the archiveGoldsmith's Inlet windmill
  5. 1893Born hereDouglas Moore is born here
  6. 1899In the archivePeconic windmill
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902In the archiveSuffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 11 (Map bounded by Long Island Sound, South H…
  9. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1920In the archiveCaptain C.H. Sproessig at Boatman Harbor, Fleets Neck
The story

How Cutchogue came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cutchogue.

Read it all →

The name Cutchogue is derived from an Algonquin word meaning "principal place". Many of the local Native Americans lived at Fort Corchaug before English-American settlers began arriving in 1640. The Old House, built ca. 1699, is the oldest English-style house in the village. In fact, it is one of the best surviving examples of English domestic architecture in the United States, and it has been named a National Historic Landmark.

Famous 18th century residents include political figure Parker Wickham and his nephew John Wickham. Cutchogue is also the birthplace of composer Douglas Moore (1893–1969).

In 1854, Cutchogue was the location of three notorious murders perpetrated by Nicholas Bain.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Cutchogue, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1920s6 items
Goldsmith's Inlet windmill1872Goldsmith's Inlet windmillPeconic windmill1899Peconic windmillSuffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 11 (Map bounded by Long Island Sound, South Hold Bay, Little Peconic Bay1902Suffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 11 (Map b…MapSuffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 23 (Map bounded by Egho, Wading River, Cutgiogue)1902Suffolk County, V. 2, Double Page Plate No. 23 (Map b…MapCaptain C.H. Sproessig at Boatman Harbor, Fleets Neck1920Captain C.H. Sproessig at Boatman Harbor, Fleets NeckCutchogue LI Presby PHS7891923Cutchogue LI Presby PHS789
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Goldsmith's Inlet windmill
Retake this viewGoldsmith's Inlet windmill, 1872

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Cutchogue’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Cutchogue

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmark
1
none yet
historic buildings protected
8
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Cutchogue, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,50020002020Peak: 3,437

Between 2,849 and 3,437 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cutchogue’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Cutchogue

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
D
Douglas MooreAmerican composer · b. 1893
John WickhamAmerican Loyalist and attorney · b. 1763
Help out

Finish Cutchogue’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGoldsmith's Inlet windmill: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Peconic1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMattituck3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew Suffolk1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Cutchogue’s history

What year was Cutchogue founded?

The Cutchogue post office opened in 1814, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.