History, Natural History & the Arts
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
June 17, 2025, marked the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. New England militiamen inflicted 1,054 casualties on the British, 50 percent of the British force.
The Bostonians and their allies sustained 411 casualties that day, including the man who stood at the heart of the battle, Dr. Joseph Warren, the namesake of Warren County, NY, who was brutally killed and mutilated by the British at the end of the battle. [Read more…] about Bunker Hill Redoubt Where Joseph Warren Died Rediscovered
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
Water currents can be strong at any time of year, but early season boaters, paddlers, anglers and swimmers are at a greater risk in spring when waters are still cold – cold enough to cause cold water shock, hypothermia and death in minutes.
Three recent stories highlight the dangers of recreating on and around cold and fast waters in Spring: [Read more…] about Early Season Paddling Tragedies Are A Cold Reminder
Hot dry weather and lack of rain remains a wildfire concern around state. Since May 4th, New York State Forest Rangers fought two brush fires. In Saratoga County a wildfire began with ashes dumped outside, and a two-acre fire of unknown origin in Warrensburg damaged a structure.
Rangers also provided overnight assistance of two lost hikers in the remote Cold Brook Pass in the Adirondack High Peaks, and aided in locating another near Indian Pass Brook. On May 8th they participated in the search for a missing eight-year-old in Allegany County. Those reports and more are below, provided by DEC: [Read more…] about Rangers Respond: Missing Child, Brush Fires, Overnight High Peaks Rescue, Ill, Injured and Lost Hikers
Payment and incentives for enlistment in the American Revolutionary War, both in the Continental Line regiments and local militia units, were a problem from the beginning.
The Continental Congress did not have a hard specie (gold or silver coinage) source to pay soldiers, instead relying on paper money. That paper money, without any source of backing, soon became worthless. A method of rewarding soldiers for service had to be found. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Veteran Land Bounties & Settling Warren County
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
Fans might have easily forgiven Indian Lake, NY pitcher Jimmy Slattery for being on the losing end of a 9-0 shutout against rival Warrensburg. Slattery had rushed back to the Adirondacks after winning a professional light heavy-weight boxing match by unanimous decision at Coney Island Stadium the previous evening.
“Jimmy Slattery of Buffalo, who pitched the first five innings for the Indian Lake team, returned yesterday morning from New York, where on Saturday night he defeated Maxey Rosenbloom in an important bout,” The Glens Falls Times reported on August 29, 1925. [Read more…] about Buffalo’s Boxing Champion Jimmy Slattery in the Adirondacks
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 Forest Rangers Kept Busy With Searches and Rescues
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
The small community-operated Hickory Ski Area in the Southern Adirondack community of Warrensburg, NY is launching a fundraising effort to design “the first fully adaptive mountain biking trail system in New York and only the second one in the Northeast.” [Read more…] about Hickory Ski Area Planning Adaptive Mountain Biking Trail System
The Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) made Lake George more accessible than any other resort area in the Northeast. So, it’s appropriate that the birth of the modern interstate highway system can be traced to Lake George; specifically, to the 46th Annual National Governor’s Conference, held July 11 to 13, 1954, at the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing.
To be precise, the Conference was the site not so much of the birth of the interstate highway system, but of the announcement of its birth. [Read more…] about The Adirondack Northway’s Ambiguous Legacy
Over the decades, one of the worldwide urban legends has been that of the vanishing hitchhiker. The stories go somewhat like this. A driver of a vehicle offers a ride to a person hitchhiking. After spending time in the car, the stranger seemingly vanishes without any logical explanation. There are numerous versions of this unbelievable story, too. One of those is the traveler is someone who before disappearing offers the motorist a prophecy.
In 1933, the Glens Falls-Lake George Road (Route 9 in Warren County, NY) had its own variant of the vanishing hitchhiker tale. [Read more…] about The Vanishing Hitchhiker of the Glens Falls-Lake George Road
I attended the No Kings demonstration on Saturday in Warrensburg, NY, the largest of the many Adirondack small towns in northern Warren County. It was an hour-and-a-half demand for a return to American values like free speech, the right to assemble, and due process before your peers. It was also a remarkable moment in this small deep red community.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much. Although I’m sure there must have been at least one, I can’t recall a single protest about anything in last 25 years in Warrensburg. [Read more…] about What I Saw At The Protest
This week’s Lake George Battlefield Moments podcast is the first of a two-part interview with historian Christian Di Spigna, author of Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero (Crown, 2018).
The book is one of only a few biographies of one of the most important early Revolutionaries – the President of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress – who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. [Read more…] about The Life Dr. Joseph Warren: The Revolution’s Lost Hero
In early May 1973, the heist of what The Warrensburg-Lake George News described as a collection of “valuable historical items” from the Richards Library on Elm Street in Warrensburg, NY, shocked local residents.
With the Bicentennial of the American Revolution (1775–1783) then only a couple of years away, the relics from the 18th and 19th centuries were highly prized. [Read more…] about The 1973 Heist of Historic Artifacts from Warrensburg’s Richards Library
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation is a $34 billion industry in New York State, responsible for more than 250,000 jobs.
In the Lake George region, outdoor recreation buttresses the tourism economy, which, according to the most recent data available, generates $850 to $887 million a year in sales. In 2023, tourism supported between 6,000 and 8,500 local jobs. [Read more…] about The Experience Economy: Monetizing Warren County’s Natural Assets
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
The colorful name Devil’s Kitchen has been used in numerous book titles, restaurant names, and for hiking destinations in at least seven states.
In Upstate New York we have a version in the Catskills, described here as “quite possibly the most hellacious [bicycle] climb in New York State.” That area, with cliffs, numerous waterfalls, and slippery slopes, has seen many hiker deaths as well. [Read more…] about Devil’s Kitchen: Warren County’s Nightmare for Drivers
Reviving the Legend is a ski film by Ian McGrew that tells the story of what Hickory Ski Center in Warren County, NY, experienced during the 2023-2024 ski season. It highlights how the skiing community came together to save a small mountain and the people from around the globe who generously opened their wallets and hearts to revive a cherished local ski hill. [Read more…] about Reviving the Legend: Hickory Mountain Ski Film Premiering
Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)
Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.
*Donations are not tax deductible.
(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).