An animal farm harkening back to Colonial times is taking shape at the Manor of St. George in Shirley with the addition of eight goats. They will be part of a petting zoo open to the public when the historic Manor kicks off a new season on May 1.
The popular historic attraction traces its history back before the American Revolution when it was the working farm of one of Brookhaven Town’s earliest settlers, Col. William Tangier Smith. It became Fort St. George after being captured by the British during the war and retaken by Col. Benjamin Tallmadge during his famous excursion in 1780.
“Thanks to a donation by Melinda Novak over at the Long Island Game Farm, we now have four pygmy goats at the estate for visitors to enjoy,” said John Scott Prudenti on behalf of the Manor Trust. They join four Nigerian dwarf goats donated by a resident through Shirley Feed, a provider of feed and fodder for the new inhabitants.
The Manor has also received a donation of mannequins from the Mastic Peninsula Historical Society, which they will dress up in garb reflecting the area’s rich history, including Revolutionary and War of 1812 soldiers, indigenous peoples, and Colonial tradesmen such as blacksmiths and whalers, Prudenti noted. “We want visitors to immerse themselves in what it was like living here in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds,” he said. The Manor House is a museum with artifacts detailing its history through the centuries.
The Manor recently invited local schools to arrange tours and will open a gift shop with souvenirs and crafts reflecting the estate's importance in the founding of America. Owned by the same family since King William and Queen Mary gifted it to Tangier Smith, the property is celebrating its 70th year of being open to the public through the trust. Its last inhabitant, Eugenia Smith, a direct heir of Col. Smith, passed away in 1954. Her wish was to keep the 127-acre estate overlooking Bellport Bay open for the enjoyment of town residents.
The property has been pesticide-free since the 1940s and has relied on natural methods to combat ticks and mosquitoes, such as releasing hundreds of pheasants and quail. “We have a substantial turkey population, which keeps the bugs in check,” Prudenti pointed out.