William Floyd Estate

MASTIC BEACH. Once extending from Moriches Bay to the Forges River, this 18th-century plantation was among Long Island's most prosperous. The plantation's patriarch, William Floyd, was a colonel in the Revolutionary War and a state representative at the First Continental Congress; his son, Nicoll, worked hard to make the plantation profitable. The home stayed in the Floyd family for eight generations and still contains original portraits, period furniture, and historical artifacts. The grounds, once used to hunt game, became part of the Fire Island National Seashore in 1974 and are now a protected wildlife habitat.