Up to the American Revolution Stamford, once known as Rippowam, was sold by the native Indians to the English settlers. One such deed of July 1, 1640, acknowledges the sale of land to Nathanael Turner of
Quenepiocke in exchange for one dozen each of coats, hoes, hatchets, glasses, knives, two kettles and four "fathom of white wampum." The deed bears the marks of Ponus
Sagamore of Toquams, his son Owenoke Sagamore, as well as Wascussue Sagamore of Shippan. For the next 50 years the English settlers tended to the corn fields, each being responsible for a five-rail fence. By the end of the 17th century, the land was divided into very precise quantities as determined by the landowners at their town meetings. Early settlers included the Ambers, Beldings, Hoyts, Jaggers, Pettits, Waterburys and Weeds. Belding's Bluff, at the southeastern tip of the peninsula, was once a farm of over . When Benjamin Belding died in 1741, his children sold off part of the farm to John Lloyd, a ship owner and operator of a general store at the mouth of the
Mill River. Lloyd's father owned the section of Long Island known as
Lloyd's Neck, which was occupied by the British during the American Revolution. On the night of September 5, 1779, Colonel
Benjamin Tallmadge led a force of 130 men from Shippan Point to Lloyd's Neck, where the surprised
Tories surrendered. Several years later, Talmadge was told of a loyalist troop movement on eastern L.I. Talmadge wrote George Washington for permission to cut off the detachment. Once again Shippan was chosen as the site of embarkation, but two days of stormy winter weather thwarted the mission. In 1887 John Ennis bought land at the southwest end of the point and built a bathing pavilion over the water, where people could swim beneath a roof. He also put in ball fields, and a shed for 150 horses, which was too small to meet demand. A three-story dormitory was added in 1902, which later became home to the Stamford Military Academy. Years later it became the Massee School. A new building was built on the west side of Shippan Avenue, and in 1911 it became the school of Miss Low and Miss Heywood. At about this time Leonard Barsaghi bought and renovated the Shippan House and the casino on the eastern shore. Real estate continued to flourish, and James Jenkins of the Shippan Land Company developed over of Shippan property. They brought in landfill, and in 1913 opened the new roads of Saddle Rock and Rogers. One year later, Frank J. Marion, a producer of the early "one-reeler" silent films, had a castle built at 1 Rogers Road. Marion Castle was designed by the architectural firm Hunt and Hunt of New York City. When Frank Marion died in 1963, at 96, the property was sold to Martha and David Cogan. Martha was renowned for saving many children from Hitler, and David was an inventor and leader in the development of radio and television, helping to develop the first color television tube for CBS. In 1978, Jay Kobrin and Gordon Micunis of Gordon Micunis Designs purchased Marion Castle. They were influential in placing it on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood continued to be developed in the early twentieth century. The Shippan Land Company developed over of the peninsula, including Saddle Rock and Rogers Roads in 1913. The Atlantic Realty Company held a large
public auction of land in 1914 at Lanark, Auldwood, Downs, and Whittaker avenues. The company even offered three-minute airplane rides to attract prospective buyers. ==Notable residents==