In 1775, only fifteen years had elapsed since the expulsion of the New France from Canada following the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The concentration of French power in the valley of the St. Lawrence had impressed upon the minds of colonial leaders the importance of Lake Champlain, of its tributary Lake George, and of the Hudson River, as forming a consecutive, if not continuous, water line of communications from the St. Lawrence River to the city of New York. [Read more…] about The Naval Campaign on Lake Champlain in 1775-1776
Lake George
New Historical Plaque Being Dedicated at Lake George Battlefield
The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New York, founded in 1892, and whose contributions to commemorating the history of the Lake George region date back to the 1903 Battle of Lake George (William Johnson-King Hendrick) sculpture at Lake George Battlefield Park, will dedicate a new historical plaque in the park on Monday, September 7 (Labor Day) at 12 noon. [Read more…] about New Historical Plaque Being Dedicated at Lake George Battlefield
Silent Sentinels: Lake George Navigation Buoys
Lake George’s network of navigation buoys represents one of the lake’s most important safety systems, guiding thousands of boaters around hidden hazards every boating season.
From the main lake to the Narrows, buoys mark underwater rocks, shoals, channels and speed zones, helping boaters safely navigate one of New York’s most beautiful — and deceptively challenging — lakes. [Read more…] about Silent Sentinels: Lake George Navigation Buoys
How Lake George Became A Vacation Destination
After the Second World War, Lake George underwent a remarkable transformation. In this episode of the ADK Talks podcast, Lisa Hall of The Bolton Museum and Tony Hall, publisher of the Lake George Mirror and a regular contributor to New York Almanack, explore how rising prosperity, automobiles, roadside motels, Storytown, and the Adirondack Northway helped turn Lake George into one of the Northeast’s great family vacation destinations. [Read more…] about How Lake George Became A Vacation Destination
Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
The fisher, once all but extinct in the Adirondacks, has now firmly re-established itself here. According to John Davis, an Essex County writer and activist affiliated with the New Mexico-based Rewilding Institute, the fisher is “a rewilding success story.” [Read more…] about Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
Cannonballs & Lake George’s Colonial Military History
In November 1940, Clayton Bly, a lumber company employee and a military veteran of World War I (1914–1918), unearthed two cannonballs from the Virgin Hollow neighborhood of Lake George.
At the time, Bly probably did not realize he stumbled upon a little understood chapter of Lake George’s colonial history. [Read more…] about Cannonballs & Lake George’s Colonial Military History
1934: Lake George Cracks-Down On Swimwear
In June 1934 the Town of Caldwell (now the Town of Lake George) began regulating sunbathing and swimwear on its downtown streets. Law enforcement officials were tasked with a new job while patrolling the lakeshore and avenues at the head of the 32-mile-long Lake George. [Read more…] about 1934: Lake George Cracks-Down On Swimwear
1909 Lake George Club Nominated to Historic Register
The destruction of the Lake George Yacht Club’s building in Basin Bay in 1896 was as much a loss to Lake George’s architectural history as the demolition of the Gilded Age-
era mansions along Millionaire’s Row.
Today, only a few privately-owned properties on Lake George are protected through the State and National Registers of Historic Places. New York State’s Board for Historic Preservation is attempting to remedy that deficit. [Read more…] about 1909 Lake George Club Nominated to Historic Register
Ice Harness Racing on Lake George & The Old Military Dock
In horse racing vernacular, the “post parade” at a track is just before the start of the equine competition. It is the grand procession of racehorses and jockeys passing in front of the viewing stands on their way to the starting gate.
Arguably, some of the most historic post parades are at the thoroughbred track in Saratoga Springs. Yet, you could say that during harness racing on frozen Lake George in the 19th and 20th centuries, those post parades were unique, too. [Read more…] about Ice Harness Racing on Lake George & The Old Military Dock
The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details
Christopher Yates (1737-1785) of Schenectady was a surveyor by trade, a job that brought him into the frequent employ of Sir William Johnson. When the French and Indian War began in 1755, Yates joined the Second Albany Militia, serving under Johnson at some of the most crucial battles.
He was among the British troops defeated at Ticonderoga early in the contest during the July 8, 1758 Battle of Carillon, the bloodiest event of the war, with over 3,000 causalities. He later participated in the successful siege of Fort Niagara in July 1759. [Read more…] about The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details
1931: A Lake George Postcard Arrives Seven Years Later
In August of 1931, many newspapers around the country published a human-interest story about a postcard mailed from Lake George that arrived at a Northville, NY address seven years later. Reportedly, the postcard departed the Lake George post office in 1924, but it circulated to several wrong destinations before reaching its journey’s end. [Read more…] about 1931: A Lake George Postcard Arrives Seven Years Later
Emerald Ash Borer: A Threat to Trees, Mohawk Traditions
Within the past several years, at least three terrestrial pests have invaded the forests of the Lake George watershed. Among them: emerald ash borer, which was first detected in Warren County in 2020, along the Schroon River near Chestertown.
That discovery was the first indication that the invasive species might have established itself in the southern Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Emerald Ash Borer: A Threat to Trees, Mohawk Traditions
1960s & 1970s Historical Artifact Thefts
It was 1964, ten years after replica Fort William Henry Museum first opened its doors to tourists. It was also one of the years of the centennial anniversary of the American Civil War (1861–1865).
So, Fort William Henry, a museum that interprets the history of the French & Indian War (1755–1763), decided to also have an exhibit about our nation’s bloodiest conflict. [Read more…] about 1960s & 1970s Historical Artifact Thefts
Forest Rangers Respond to Ill, Injured Adirondack, Catskills Hikers
NYS Forest Rangers recently responded to several search and rescue missions for injured and ill hikers in the Catskills and the Adirondacks. These included at least one hiker who was seriously dehydrated.
There is currently an extreme heat wave in New York State. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Respond to Ill, Injured Adirondack, Catskills Hikers
Historic Lake George Camp Being Replaced with Mansion
A log camp opposite Three Brothers Island at Lake George, whose original core was built in 1928 for a niece of George Foster Peabody, will be disassembled, removed and replaced by a contemporary mansion.
The Town of Bolton’s Planning Board approved the new owner’s request to replace the camp in a March meeting. [Read more…] about Historic Lake George Camp Being Replaced with Mansion
Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster
For decades, the unofficial slogan of the United States Postal Service was: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That phrase was chiseled over the entrance of the James A. Farley Building, a post office facility in New York City.
The spirit of that tagline was demonstrated one day when a pilot of the Lake George mailboat briefly interrupted his postal duties to rescue a boater in distress. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster
Revolutionary War Artifacts Discovered in Ticonderoga
As part of its ongoing excavation and study of the Ticonderoga‘s Liberty Hill site, Fort Ticonderoga is announcing the discovery, documentation and preservation of more than five hundred new artifacts at the site – where the Declaration of Independence was read to the Continental Army at Ticonderoga for the first time in July 1776 — with several of the most compelling examples dating from the American Revolution in 1776. [Read more…] about Revolutionary War Artifacts Discovered in Ticonderoga
Canadian Travel to US Down for 15th Straight Month
Canadians continue to curb their enthusiasm for American booze and travel, with no end in sight.
Canadian travel to the U.S. is down for the 15th straight month, when President Donald Trump began his tariff war against Canada, and his rhetoric about the country becoming the 51st state. [Read more…] about Canadian Travel to US Down for 15th Straight Month
19 NY Places Recommended for State and National Registers
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 19 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The nominations include a nineteenth-century church in Jefferson County that developed and promoted Universalism in Upstate New York, a pre-Revolutionary War house owned by seven generations of the Hulse family on Long Island’s North Shore, and additional documentation for New York City’s Hotel Chelsea recognizing its significance as a center of LGBTQ cultural and creative life. [Read more…] about 19 NY Places Recommended for State and National Registers
George Foster Peabody and Lake George
Glen Underwood, the author of the recently published Discovering George Foster Peabody (Abenia Cottage Press, 2025) was at the Lake George Historical Association recently to discuss the life and legacy of the banker and philanthropist. The program included the unveiling of a portrait of Peabody that will hang in the museum.
Appropriately enough, the museum overlooks Shepard Park, named in honor of Peabody’s close friend, Brooklyn politician Edward Morse Shepard (1850-1911). Shepard is remembered at Lake George today largely because the Village park bears his name. Peabody, who actually paid for the park and gave it to the Village, has fared less well. [Read more…] about George Foster Peabody and Lake George