Peconic was where early Southold residents came when the founding settlement became too crowded. Believe it or not, Peconic was once called Hermitage for an elderly recluse who lived there. It wasn’t until the late 1860s that people began referring to the region as Peconic. Located just west of Southold, Peconic’s soil was as rich and fertile as any on the North Fork. In the 1850’s Irish immigrants sharecropped in Peconic until they could afford to buy their 
own farms. Polish immigrants did the same 50 years later.
Old PeconicIn 1844, the railroad was finally extended to reach Greenport, opening up another route to New York City markets besides the Sound. The was one problem: the newly built train did not stop in Peconic, which deeply disturbed the farmers there. After frequent petitioning failed, so the farmers decided to take matters into their own hands. They took goose grease and skunk oil and applied it to the rails for about a mile west of the village. When the steam-powered engine reached the slippery rails, its wheels spun furiously until it came to a halt just about where the residents hoped to put a station. Soon after that, Peconic became a regular stop, ensuring that the farmers could ship their produce to market.
