The late Judge John Austin’s unrivalled collection of books and documents related to the history of Warren County, its towns and families has been reassembled as a reference library in the Warren County Clerk’s Office. There, hundreds of books, folders and much more, including documents that are particularly useful for those who research genealogy, are accessible to researchers by appointment. [Read more…] about Featured Collections: Warren County’s Austin Historical Collection
Lake Luzerne
Lake George Wooden Nickels & The William Johnson Bicentennial
It was 1938 and the United States was in the midst of the “depression within a depression” a particularly difficult time during the Great Depression. As with most American communities, money was tight at Lake George, NY.
Therefore, to fund a mammoth local history pageant, the event’s organizers came up with a novel idea. They printed wooden nickels called “Lake George Wooden Money” and the best thing about the fake coinage was that it worked. [Read more…] about Lake George Wooden Nickels & The William Johnson Bicentennial
Forest Rangers Recover Hunter’s Body, Make Hiker Rescues
WINTER CONDITIONS: Plan ahead, check the weather to know what winter conditions to expect. Snowshoes, crampons, or microspikes may be needed in addition to insulated boots. DEC’s website has tips for safe winter hiking.
The following reports of recent searches and rescues carried out by Forest Rangers and other first responders around New York State were prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Recover Hunter’s Body, Make Hiker Rescues
Local Pageants Once Brought History to Life
Before the documentaries of Ken Burns, there were historical pageants – a popular form of entertainment by means of which Americans also digested information about the history of their nation and their region.
From the 1850s to the 1950s, historical pageants, or folk dramas, as they were also called, were a characteristic feature of life in American communities, celebrating American history and/or a town’s founding, its most memorable historical events and its most prominent citizens. [Read more…] about Local Pageants Once Brought History to Life
Rangers Rescue Several Hikers, Fight Wildfire, Ticket Camper
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State locating and extracting lost, injured or distressed people and policing state lands.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Rangers Rescue Several Hikers, Fight Wildfire, Ticket Camper
A 1973 Warren County UFO Mystery
In 1947, a sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) near Mount Rainier in Washington state introduced this phenomenon to the American public. Over a quarter-of-a-century later in December 1973, a mysterious aerial craft may have touched down on the shores of Warren County‘s Glen Lake in the Town of Queensbury.
The picturesque waterway is located four miles south of Lake George. [Read more…] about A 1973 Warren County UFO Mystery
Wildfires in Chemung, Chenango, Orange, Sullivan, and Warren Counties
Between April 21 and 28, New York State Forest Rangers and local fire departments responded to wildfires in five counties across New York State which burned more than 21 acres. The largest fire was in Lake Luzerne, Warren County, measuring 14 acres, which started on April 24 and was contained the same day. [Read more…] about Wildfires in Chemung, Chenango, Orange, Sullivan, and Warren Counties
Lake George Wild Forest’s Hudson River Rec Area Upgrades
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently partnered with the Town of Lake Luzerne to repair facilities and improve access in the Hudson River Special Management Area (HRSMA) in the Lake George Wild Forest. [Read more…] about Lake George Wild Forest’s Hudson River Rec Area Upgrades
Wildfires, A Drought Warning, and High Fire Danger
Recent dry and windy conditions have resulted in numerous wildfires across New York State. There are currently six active fires that have burned more than 6,000 acres. New York State has issued a Drought Warning and Very High fire danger in some regions.
Rangers remain on the scene of a 5,304-acre fire in the town of Warwick, Orange County. The Jennings Creek Fire, which straddles the New York and New Jersey border, is now 90 percent contained. [Read more…] about Wildfires, A Drought Warning, and High Fire Danger
Fighting Food Insecurity in the Lake George Region
Three towns in Warren County – Lake George, Bolton and Horicon – are among those with hamlets where median home sale prices range from $600,000 to $900,000 – among the highest in Upstate New York.
But drive a few miles inland and the picture is a very different one. The safety net is fraying. [Read more…] about Fighting Food Insecurity in the Lake George Region
19th Century Tales of Agricultural Oddities
Fact or fiction, tales of agriculture oddities make great newspaper copy. “Old stories of mammoth squashes and cucumbers should now be dug about and heavily mulched, in readiness for transplanting in the newspapers in the fall,” the Ticonderoga Sentinel quipped on April 11, 1879. [Read more…] about 19th Century Tales of Agricultural Oddities
The Hitching Post & Kemp Sanctuary at Nettle Meadow Farm
About 18 years ago, Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan left corporate law careers in California to pursue their two true passions — cheese-making and animals — on a rustic farm in Upstate New York.
Upon arriving at Nettle Meadow Farm in Adirondack town of Thurman (in northern Warren County) with their four dogs and four goats, the women never imagined that their new home would so quickly evolve into a rescue facility for elderly, neglected, and differently-abled animals. [Read more…] about The Hitching Post & Kemp Sanctuary at Nettle Meadow Farm
Louis W. Emerson: Warren County Industrialist & Political Leader
Louis W. Emerson made a victory lap the day after he was elected to the New York state Senate.
“Senator-elect Emerson of Warrensburg was in town yesterday and smiled on his friends and ‘friends,’” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on November 7, 1889. [Read more…] about Louis W. Emerson: Warren County Industrialist & Political Leader
25 Great Adirondack Hikes to See Fall Colors
It’s nearing peak fall colors in the Adirondack Park. There are many places to see the leaves as mountainsides and valleys turn bright orange, yellow, and red.
Protect the Adirondacks has put together hiking guides to 25 hikes that are easy, moderate, and challenging, but lead to terrific locations to see the fall colors in all corners of the Adirondack Park. These guides include maps, information about hiking conditions, and pictures. [Read more…] about 25 Great Adirondack Hikes to See Fall Colors
Forest Rangers Have Busy Week Making Rescues Around New York State
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Have Busy Week Making Rescues Around New York State
Adirondack Folk School Names New Executive Director
The Adirondack Folk School (AFS), a non-profit organization that celebrates and preserves the cultural history of the Adirondacks and promotes creativity and self-reliance by teaching the arts, crafts and traditions that help define the region, announced Wednesday the hiring of Terri Cerveny as Executive Director. [Read more…] about Adirondack Folk School Names New Executive Director
New Book On Seneca Ray Stoddard Published
The new book Seneca Ray Stoddard; and Intimate Portrait of an Adirondack Legend (Warren County Historical Society, 2023) by Daniel Way, MD is a complete biography of Seneca Ray Stoddard, including unique photographs and a virtual tour of Stoddard’s house, which no longer exists. [Read more…] about New Book On Seneca Ray Stoddard Published
When The Yeggs Hit Upstate New York
It was late on Wednesday, January 19th, 1910, and Police Chief W. R. Bronner was making his evening rounds through the quiet village of Mohawk, in the town of German Flatts, Herkimer County, NY, making sure all was safe for both business and residents.
Somewhere near the intersection of Main and Washington streets, he encountered four men who engaged him in conversation as they all walked along. Before he could resist, he was relieved of his pistol, gagged, and brought into the Masonic Hall billiard room that the Yeggs had broken into earlier in the evening. Once inside, Bronner was bound with wire taken from pictures on the wall. [Read more…] about When The Yeggs Hit Upstate New York
Man Arrested For Stealing From A Snowmobile Club
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Warren County District Attorney Jason M. Carusone and the New York State Police, have announced the arrest of former Lake Luzerne trustee Mark McLain for allegedly swindling $127,723.84 from the South Warren Snowmobile Club (SWSC), McLain was charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. [Read more…] about Man Arrested For Stealing From A Snowmobile Club
Lydia Sherman’s Recollections of Saratoga County’s Abolitionist Movement
Housed in the Saratoga County Historian’s Office is the African American History Index, begun in the early 2000s by former county historian Kristina Saddlemire and continued by longtime volunteer Jane Meader Nye.
This collection includes documents related to people of African descent who were either residents of the county or famous visitors such as Frederick Douglass, and stories of Abolitionists who offered assistance to enslaved people seeking freedom. [Read more…] about Lydia Sherman’s Recollections of Saratoga County’s Abolitionist Movement