Constable Hall remains a clear reminder of the era when much of the land in Northern New York was settled in the late 1700s. Located on Constableville, in Lewis County, this Federal style limestone mansion with a Greek Revival portico was built in the early 1800s by members of the Constable family.
In 1792, Wiliam Constable, Alexander Macomb, and Daniel McCormick bought nearly four million acres of land known as the Macomb Purchase for 16 cents an acre (encompassing all of Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence and parts of Oswego, Herkimer and Franklin counties). [Read more…] about Constable Hall: A Unique Lewis County House Museum
Land policy in colonial times in what is now New York State favored nobility and prominent men with connections to the Crown. This involved several countries (The Netherlands, England, and France), several explorers, several early pioneers, and appointed officials who oversaw the disbursement of land by land grants or patents. 
As a boy growing up in the Battle Hill section of White Plains, NY, I remember my excitement at reading a brass memorial telling me “George Washington slept here.” White Plains was the site of a battle during the 
Right out of college as a Civil Engineer, Frank Tweedy spent four seasons as part of 
Many of the lakes in John Brown’s Tract had guides who took their sporting parties to their own fishing or hunting camps north and south of the Beaver River. This is how lakes like Hitchcock, Beach, and Salmon got their names.