New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Warren County

Despite Elise Stefanik’s Claims, NYS Gun Law Doesn’t Prohibit Historical Events

by 3 Comments

Living historians firing blanks at a historical re-enactment in Lake George Battlefield ParkNew York’s new gun law, which bans weapons from “sensitive locations” such as parks and museums, will have no effect on musket demonstrations, including at Fort William Henry or re-enactments in Lake George Battlefield Park, according to Warren County Sheriff James La Farr.

“It is not within the spirit of the law to prohibit those activities,” LaFarr said.  The re-enactors’ muskets and cannon fire only blanks.

Fort Ticonderoga, which is located in Essex County, is also unaffected by the new law, says its president and CEO, Beth Hill. “We do not plan to change our operations or special events,” she said. [Read more…] about Despite Elise Stefanik’s Claims, NYS Gun Law Doesn’t Prohibit Historical Events

Carleton’s Raid in 1780 Devastated Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties

by Leave a Comment

Map of Carleton's RaidThe 1780 Carleton Raid devastated the present-day New York State counties of Saratoga, Warren, and Washington. It was known as the “Great Burning” because many of the structures along the “Old Military Road” south of Fort George at the southern end of Lake George were destroyed.

British Maj. Christopher Carleton’s raid was part of a larger strategy that played out across upstate New York and Vermont. Together with Carleton’s raiders, Sir John Johnson swept across the Schoharie and Mohawk Valleys, Col. John Munro attacked Ballston Spa, and Lt. Richard Houghton raided Royalton, Vermont during the autumn of 1780. [Read more…] about Carleton’s Raid in 1780 Devastated Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties

Man Arrested For Stealing From A Snowmobile Club

by Leave a Comment

Snowmobilers on Prospect Mountain overlooking Lake George in Southern Warren CountyState 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

The Battlefield Visitor Center: Lake George’s Newest Attraction

by 2 Comments

Entrance to Visitor Center on Fort George RoadFor more than 25 years, historian Russ Bellico and the leaders of the Lake George Battlefield Alliance, including the late archaeologist David Starbuck, argued that grounds as historically rich and as hallowed as the head of Lake George deserve a visitors’ interpretive center.

Now we have one. [Read more…] about The Battlefield Visitor Center: Lake George’s Newest Attraction

Comic Book Artist Jack Binder & Fort William Henry History

by Leave a Comment

figures created by Jack BinderWhat might Lake George have looked like 265 years ago, on the eve of the French attack on Fort William Henry?

That’s the focus of the display in the entryway to the Fort museum and historical attraction. It includes three figures – an American provincial, a British regular and a ranger, all created by the late Jack Binder for the reconstructed fort, which opened to the public in 1955. [Read more…] about Comic Book Artist Jack Binder & Fort William Henry History

Don Rittner To Lead Warren County Historical Society

by Leave a Comment

warren county historical societyThe Warren County Historical Society has announced that Don Rittner will be its new Executive Director, effective September 1. He will replace Teri Rogers, who is retiring and who has served as the Society’s director since 2017 and oversaw the creation of its museum.

Rittner has experience in the history field as an historian, archeologist, educator, and author in the Capital Region. He has been the involved in several historic and environmental non-profit organizations, and he has authored over fifty short books. [Read more…] about Don Rittner To Lead Warren County Historical Society

The 1903 Hudson River Spier Falls Dam Disaster

by Leave a Comment

Construction workers installing a 12 foot diameter penstock at Spier Falls Hydroelectric Dam, 1901In the spring of 1903, more than a thousand men were at work on the final stages of the Spier Falls hydroelectric project on the Hudson River near Glens Falls.

A large number of skilled Italian masons and stoneworkers were housed in a shantytown on the Warren County (north) side of the river.

Most of the remaining work was on the Saratoga County (south) side, which they accessed by a temporary bridge. But the company feared that the high waters of springtime had made the bridge unsafe. To avert a potential catastrophe, they destroyed it with dynamite. [Read more…] about The 1903 Hudson River Spier Falls Dam Disaster

At Spier Falls Immigrants Built America, Or Died Trying

by Leave a Comment

Spier Falls DamAdirondack history is naturally rife with river-related stories — wildly successful fishing trips, damaging floods, wilderness exploration, and dam construction.

Rivers were the lifeblood of development: settlements sprang up along waterways, where partial diversion of streams provided the wheel-turning power necessary to many industries. But freshets were so common and destructive that dams were introduced as flood-control measures, and then for hydropower as the electrification of society unfolded. [Read more…] about At Spier Falls Immigrants Built America, Or Died Trying

Garden Club of Lake George Celebrates Centenary

by Leave a Comment

Members of the Garden Club of Lake George and their guests gathered for a group portrait at the Lake George Club in 2016The Garden Club of Lake George was founded in the summer of 1922 by nine women: Mary Whitman Knauth; Marianne Schurz; Gertrude Ranger; Elizabeth Brereton; Mona Hawkins; Mary Hayden; Elizabeth Kreitler; and Charlotte Hyde.

These were no ordinary women. [Read more…] about Garden Club of Lake George Celebrates Centenary

Featured Recreation Area: The Sunken Fleet of 1758, Lake George

by Leave a Comment

Lake George shipwreckThe Adirondacks remain one of the most sought-after destinations for outdoor recreation. From hiking serene mountain passes to hitting the bike trails, it truly has something for everyone – even historic ship divers.

Lake George was the site of many pivotal engagements in the founding years of our nation, including the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Evidence of its witness are but a stone’s throw from shore where Fort William Henry, in the cold, dark waters. [Read more…] about Featured Recreation Area: The Sunken Fleet of 1758, Lake George