The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-28
FROM UNCAS
TO UNCLE SAM
TRANSITION OF AN ISLAND ON
CONNECTICUT SEA COAST.
Indian Decided It to a White Man,
Who Tried to Cultivate lido
mestic Animals Would Not
Remain Upon its Soil.

Apout eVeryDouy IN the state OF Con-
nectcut knows that Faulkner's island lies
in Long Islond sound opposite Guilford
harbor, and hundreds have on pleasant
day sailed with some of the many coast
shippers" to its shores and spent an
hour on the tiny island, but very few re-
portance and as they sail by or see It
from the shore merely consider 1t small
more of 1t.
Importance for upward Of 200 years and
besides being frequently mentioned in the
Guilford town records the island had an
important mission In the war Of 1917 and
during the past century has been an
important station of the United States
lighthouse service. This small piece of
land lies about four miles from the main
land at Guilford and contains about four
acres. 1t Is gradually wasting away and
1T Is only q matter of time when the
whole pieces Of land will have disap-
When Rev. Henry Whitfield of England
founded Guilford IN 1883 and purchased
with his associates from the planters of
Menunkatuck Cor GuihorO and the In
dian chief Uncas the la I'D where the town
H. now located an agreement was made
and in it Is the first recorded mention OF
Faulkner's island This instrument de-
scribed the land conveyed to the English
men on Dec; T. ls41, and says: And And
Independent power to dispose and sell all
and every part of the said lands. together
with the island which lyeth in the sea be
Falcon island and bv the Indians MESSIAH
anunck." The island was probably
classsd until 1877 with the undivided lands
Of the town and got its name from the
birds which frequented the place
Held as Private Property.
At the session of the general court at
Hartford in 1877 Andrew Leete of Gull
ford, second son of Governor William
Leete In whose house, al the north end
of Guilford green, the Connecticut char
ter was said to have been secreted during
the usurpation of Major Andres, made
formal application for the purchase Of
the island. On Oct. u the general court
possession of the island and from that
time until the first part of the last cen
fury the island remained in private hands:
On Oct. 81, IT'S. Thomas Stone, father OF
Caleb and Ebenezer, decided to them his
claim on the two islands. but how he
came possessed of it Is not known. Ebe-
never decided his half to his son Seth Oct
s, 1761, and Caleb gave his share to his
sons Caleb and Reuben. Seth Stone
willed his share on Oct. IS, 1880 to Noah
Stone. and the latter probably bought out
he paid to Medad Stone sl5s.S4 for the
share he owned and thus became the sole
possessor Of the island.
It looks as II the shrewd Noah had an
eye on the "cornerng business as early
as 1900. for he became informed some
wav or other that the Government had a
plan on foot to establish lighthouse on
Falcon Island. In the years of the eigh-
tenth century. when there was no danger
signal on the island. many wrecks oc-
Cured there and probably more than one
poor seaman was drowned for the want
of suitable light on the dangerous piece
of land. The Government authorities,
realizing this. sent an agent to Guilford
early in the year 1900 to see Mr.. stone
and endeavor- to settle on a purchase
W.T. NJ Falcon
Island. also owned a tavern at the north
west corner of Guilford green and when
the commissioner entered the town he
necessarily had to put up at MT
Stones hosiery. After dinner he inquired
about the ownership of the island and
was, of course, given all the information
he desired. During the afternoon Mr.:
Stone settled upon price for the island
and told the Government agent thar Uncle
Sam could have it for $500, buts the price
did not seem sufficiently attractive to the
Government, for a long delay took place
before a bargain was made Finally, on
May II. 1901, the island was sold by Mir
Stone to the United States Government
and the sum paid was sS25 quite a re-
owner, although he was doubling his
money on the transaction.
Animals Would Not Remain.
During the time that the island re-
manned In the hands of private citizens it
was used as a part of the farm of the
owner and each spring 1t was plowed,
planted and taken care of the same as
any farm land. The farmers owning It
usually went to the island in old-fashioned
scows, taking with them pair of cattl +.
to do the blowing with, and remained
upon the island until the planting was
completed There was an old house that
stood on The islanl for upward of hun
dred years that was used by the farmers
TO live in during the time they were
tending their crops The land was al
waysVfertIe and the four acres yielded
good harvest to the owners. The cattle
and horses taken to the island often ex-
hibited strong desires to get ashore when
their owners had left.
An instance was told the writer by an
old man in Guilford of one owner of the
island who went there one spring with
his yoke of oxen and horse to do his
usual planting and instead of remaining
there over night he decided to go ashore
at Guilford. expecting to return in the
morning and continue his work. When
he started for the island early the next
morning he found the horse standing on
Half Acre rock in Guilford harbor, the
animal having swum ashore during the
night. Upon arriving at Fauikner's is
land he found both oxen missing and the
supposition was that the three animals
had started for the shore at the same
time, but the horse was the only one that
was successful in the great feat. In
later years Captain Oliver, keeper of the
light for thirty or more years. was trou-
bied often by his cows trying to swim
ashore to Guilford. No matter how long
Invariably grew apparently homesick for
the mainland and in many instances I'M
dertook to swim the four miles.
A Beacon Established.
AS has been said before there was no
light on the island for 20 0years after
white men began to navigate the waters
of Long Island sound. and there were
doubtless many unchronicled wrecks upon
its shore, but there is no way to find
out the number or their character. The
present system of lighting used on the
island is the invention of Augustin Jean
Fresnel. a French physicist, who early in
the last century began to experiment on
light that would throw its rays long dis
tances. The result of his studies and its
practical application to the lighthouse
system was of incalculable value to the
mariner and Immediately superseded the
old sperm oil fixed light that had done
service so many years. The Fresnel light
now in use is a fixed light varied by
flashes and operated continually in the
following order: Fixed light, sixty sec
onds: eclipse ten seconds; flash light. ten
seconds: fixed light. sixty seconds. This
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