Sylvester Manor

Sylvester Manor is a historic manor on Shelter Island in Suffolk County, New York, USA.

History
The land, spanning 8,000 acres on Shelter Island, was acquired by English-born colonist Nathaniel Sylvester in the 17th century. Sylvester and his brother owned two plantations in Barbados and over 200 enslaved Africans. When he died in 1680, the estate and 23 enslaved people were inherited by his descendants.

The manor on the estate was built in 1737 for Nathaniel Sylvester's grandson, Brinley Sylvester. Enslaved Africans and European indentured servants built it. The last enslaved person was freed in 1820. The grounds include a cemetery of unmarked graves for enslaved people.

Later, the manor was inherited by Mary Gardiner Horsford, the wife of renowned Harvard University professor Eben Norton Horsford after her mother brought it back into the family. They entertained often, one of their guests being Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After her death, he married her sister, Phoebe Dayton Gardiner, with whom he had a fifth daughter, Cornelia Horsford.

In recent years, it was the home of heiress Alice Fiske. More recently, it was inherited by an 11th generation descendant, Bennett Konesni. With his uncle, Eben Fiske Ostby, he co-founded the Sylvester Manor Educational Farm with the help of the Peconic Land Trust.



Architectural significance
The manor has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 28, 2015.