George Washington's 1790 Visit

George Washington, first President of the United States of America, ate at Ketcham’s Inn, in what is now known as Copiague. A marker stands at the corner of Montauk Highway and Deauville Boulevard in Copiague to mark where the Inn originally stood. The Inn has been moved to Amityville and is now a private residence.

The marker reads: “On this spot stood the Zebulon Ketcham homestead wherein President Washington dined, April 21, 1790, while touring Long Island. Razed in 1857. This stone erected by Babylon Town Board 1927.”

On April 21, 1790, President George Washington made a visit to Huntington South (a former name for the Copiague area) while touring Long Island on his “Victory Tour” after the Battle of Brooklyn. Since there were not many hotels or inns along the way, the President had occasion to stop at the farmhouse of Zebulon Ketcham on April 21, 1790 for dinner. Mr. Ketcham (Oct 11, 1740 — Feb. 2, 1823) was married to Hannah Conklin (d. Dec 6, 1826) ¹.

The Ketcham Inn was a frame, unpainted shingle house. The original Inn has been moved to Amityville^2,3 and is a private residence. In the 1940s⁴, the inn was transported by barge down Ketcham’s “Crick” to its present location on South Bayview Avenue in Amityville. The table upon which he ate is with the Huntington Historical Society⁵.

There are conflicting stories as to a gift bestowed to Mr. Ketcham’s daughter by George Washington. It has been written that before Washington left the Inn, he gave a gold ring to one of the children there. As of 1973, no one knows the whereabouts of this ring⁶. It has also been written that he gave the girl a kiss and a half-Joe coin.

    top

Footnotes

1. Lauder, William T., “A Brief History of Amityville, Long Island, N.Y.” — 2nd edition. Amityville Historical Society, Amityville, NY. ©1973. Pages 2-3.

2. ibid. Pages 2-3.

3. Eide, Elizabeth. “Copiague-Your Town and Mine.” Board of Education , Copiague Public Schools, Copiague, NY ©Elizabeth Eide 1973. Page 14.

4. “The Amityville Historical Society. Images of America — Amityville.” Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, ©1960. Page 87.

5. Eide, Elizabeth. “Copiague-Your Town and Mine.” Board of Education , Copiague Public Schools, Copiague, NY ©Elizabeth Eide 1973. Page 14.

6. ibid. Page 14.

Web Explorations (external links)

Article in Newsday, a Long Island newspaper --- (http:// newsday.com.community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs501a,0,6043580.story)

Ketcham family tree www.ketchamfamily.org