The hamlet of Center Moriches is located on Moriches Bay at the southern end of the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. It is located approximately 60 miles from New York City and is part of the Moriches Bay Area bordered on the west by Moriches proper and on the east by East Moriches.

      The earliest inhabitants of the Moriches Bay area were the American Indians known as the Unkechaug. The name Moriches probably comes from the name of an American Indian, Meritche, who lived in the area when English settlers arrived in the late 1600's. The newcomers purchased land from the Indians and obtained royal patents to confirm their title to the land.

      One of the oldest structures in Center Moriches is the Ketcham Inn which dates back to 1693. The Inn's history provides a glimpse into the history of Center Moriches. In the early 1700's, the inn served as a stop on the stagecoach route from Brooklyn to Sag Harbor. During the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison stayed at the Inn while researching Unkechaug language for a bilingual dictionary they were compiling.

      By the late 1800's, when the Church of St. John the Baptist began its ministry, Center Moriches had developed into a popular summer resort. The Ketcham Inn was one of several catering to tourists who came to hunt, to fish, to swim and to sail. Stagecoaches, which linked Center Moriches to the railroad, carried tourists directly to the inns and boarding houses. Conversely, of course, Center Moriches' residents could utilize the stagecoaches and the railroad to travel to Montauk or to Brooklyn and, then, on to Manhattan.

      In the 1940's, the Ketcham Inn housed a gift shop and a tearoom. To meet the changing needs of society, in the 1960's the Inn became a halfway house, and, in the 1970's, a shelter for battered women and children. Today, the Ketcham Inn is being restored, and, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

      Center Moriches is primarily a residential community encompassing a 5 square mile area with a population of 6165 as of January, 1997. Although designated by the census as "urbanized", it definitely has a small-town country ambiance. Most of the homes are one-family detached structures. Only a few well established light industries dot the landscape. More numerous are the nurseries, garden shops, florists and landscape businesses. Hundreds of acres are set aside for growing annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs for commercial and private use.

      Montauk highway, a major east-west artery on Long Island's south shore, bisects Center Moriches creating a convenient and attractive Main Street. Along Main Street, residents and visitors find the diverse goods and services contemporary living requires and expects.