1904 Map of Riverhead

About this map

Riverhead serves as the focal point of this Eastern Long Island landscape, situated where the Peconic River meets the head of Great Peconic Bay. At the start of the twentieth century, the region's character was defined by its dual maritime and agricultural identity, with the Long Island Railroad's Montauk Division providing the essential link between rural hamlets and the growing metropolitan areas to the west. Along the Atlantic shoreline, Life-Saving Stations such as Potunk L.S.S. and Tiana L.S.S. guarded the outer beaches, while the interior was dotted with established communities like Mattituck, Good Ground, and Westhampton. The geography reveals a complex network of bays and inlets, including the Shinnecock Canal, which had recently been cut to connect the Great Peconic and Shinnecock Bays, fundamentally altering local navigation and commerce.