William Floyd Estate (Old Mastic House)

The family of Richard Floyd, originally of Wales, first appeared in the public records of what would become the United States in the 1660s. At that point, Richard Floyd was one of the leading landowners on Long Island. Over the next few decades, his son, Richard Floyd II would purchase 4,400 acres that stretched north from Moriches Bay and roughly one mile west to the Mastic River. Part of the estate was coastline on what is now the Fire Island National Seashore. The younger Richard Floyd had several children but gave the estate to his youngest son, Nicoll Floyd.

Nicoll Floyd became the first member of the family to actually live on hte estate. In 1724, he built the original portion of the "Old Mastic House," which, in his lifetime, consisted of just six rooms. Nicoll and his wife, Tabitha, had nine children, and gradually expanded the home. Over the years, Floyd became a prosperous planter who employed both slave and free labor. As his plantation grew and prospered, he added rooms to the residence to accommodate his growing family. In 1755, Nicoll's oldest son, William, inherited the property.

William Floyd became the owner of the Old Mastic House and the surrounding estate when he was just 17, due to the death of his father. Though his formal education was limited, William was bright and managed the estate well. Because the Floyd family was, by William's lifetime, a prosperous and respected family, William had an extensive circle of friends and professional connections, many of whom were well-educated. Through his network of friends, many of whom were politcally active, William undoubtedly acquired an extensive, if informal, education. William also expanded the home, adding the west side formal parlor and plantation office.

Because of Long Island's proximity to Connecticut, the Floyd family had strong connections to that colony as well. Nicoll Floyd had lent money to Jonathan Trumbull, the governor of Connecticut. As the product of a successful, well-connected family on Long Island and with valuable connections in Connecticut as well, William Floyd became a respected member of Long Island society. He was also politically active, being elected three times as a trustee of the town and also serving as an officer in the militia. In 1774, he was elected as one of the Suffolk County delegates to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He was also a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. In 1776, William Floyd was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Later that year, the British overran Long Island and the Floyd family was forced to flee their home and escape to Middletown, Connecticut, where Governor Trumbull would later order an armed party across Long Island Sound to rescue the family's possessions. William Floyd's actions would cost him. For several years after the Revolution, he lived in exile, only returning to Long Island in 1783. His estate had been heavily damaged by the British and the residence was unliveable. His wife, Hannah, died two years earlier, from the combined effects of exposure and stress.

In the years following William Floyd's death, the home would remain with his descendants. The land was kept intact until the 1870s, when roughly 2,200 acres were sold. The remaining half of the original estate was divided among several siblings. The Old Mastic House was eventually inherited by Cornelia Floyd, the great-great-granddaughter of William Floyd, who lived on the property until she donated it to the National Park Service in 1976, to coincide with the nation's centennial. By that time, eight generations of the Floyd family had lived on the estate. It is now part of the Fire Island National Seashore, which is overseen by the National Park Service. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William Floyd Estate: Old Mastic House , NPS . Accessed May 1st 2021. https://www.nps.gov/fiis/learn/historyculture/old-mastic-house.htm.

Historic William Floyd Estate Grounds , NPS. Accessed May 1st 2021. https://www.nps.gov/fiis/learn/historyculture/floyd-estate-grounds.htm.

Pyne, Fred W. . William Floyd , Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence . Accessed May 1st 2021. https://www.dsdi1776.com/william-floyd/.

Historic Marker: Old Mastic House , William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Accessed May 1st 2021. https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/old-mastic-house/.