Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Passquessit (East End of Fishers Island)

Passquessit is a placename for the east end of Fishers Island, an adjacent island in the Town of Southold. Passquessit is connected with the east end of Fishers Island, a high bluffed landscape at the eastern entrance of Long Island Sound. The placename belongs to the eastern end of Fishers Island rather than the island as a whole. Details appear in the historic moments below. The name is interpreted as at the place where it rises or stands up, reflecting the high hills and bluffs at the east end of the island. A reconstructed form is Passuqu-es-et. Why Place Names Matter “Every place name has a story behind it, of how it came to be.” — Luise Hercus, Authenticity in Toponymy (2018), opening discussion