A current article that appeared in Newsday on 11/24/98 claims that the Patriots chained to the rocks to die at high tide is a myth.
That the only people who died were on ship wrecks.

Here's the link by search. You may have to re-search by 'Execution Rock' if the previous search time out.

library.newsday.com/getdoc.cgi?id=117925670x0y3653&OIDS=1Q001D000&Form=RL&bp=

Does anybody have any factual references or opinions?

[This message has been edited by rscroope (edited 11-24-98).]

I read the article and the story that I have heard is the one of the Patriots being chained to the rocks at low tide, being left there to drown when the tide came in. However with no historical evidence it would be impossible to verify the legend. Saying that I would also like to say that some legends are better off being believed as fact rather than fiction. As in the case here where there is no other reasonible explanation for the name, I tend to believe the legend. And some legends do make history a lot more interesting. Any way I would bet my bottom dollar that someone along the way was executed there at one time. Hence the name "Execution Rock"
Another bit of information comes from Wolfgang Schippke who states:The Execution Rocks were originaly named by the Dutch Captain Block as Oyster Bay Rocks, but renamed to Execution Rocks after several natives were executed on Great Rock in 1777. Another legend sayed that Execution Rocks were named for the many vessels lost on the rocks, and the hundrets of sailorswho lost here life. His web page is at:
http://promet12.cineca.it/htdx/dc3mf/execut.html
[This message has been edited by thelgtkpr (edited 11-24-98).]

[This message has been edited by thelgtkpr (edited 11-24-98).]

http://www.scroope.net/longislandlighthouses/executionrocks.htm



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KRISTIN ERIN SCROOPE
kristin@scroope.net
http://www.scroope.net/lighthouses/lhlist.htm
http://www.LILighthouseSociety.org