Sandgate: A Brief History

            In 1769, Reuben Thomas from Woodbury, CT became the first settler in Sandgate. He was soon joined by the Hurd family and together they built a Congregational Church in Sandgate. Sheep raising, farming, lumbering and its related small industries were the principal occupations in the area.

            After the American Revolution, Sandgate harbored Daniel Shays and members of his Massachusetts tax rebellion. They congregated near present day West Sandgate, and the settlement was abandoned around 1798.

            Sandgate's population peaked in 1810 at 1,187. The decline in sheep raising and the gradual transformation of most farms into vacation properties has lowered the number of year round residents to 230.