Celebrating America
250th Anniversary of the Founding of America
The Founding and Early Growth of the Village and Town of Champlain
The Samuel de Champlain History Center owns a large collection of documents, books, maps and photographs related to the early history and people of the Village and Town of Champlain starting from the Revolutionary War period. This material has never been documented into a single, comprehensive finding aid or disseminated to the public.
The Town of Champlain first saw military activity when England and France battled for control of Lake Champlain in 1760. This resulted in the building of a fort by the British which was occupied until 1796. After the war ended in 1783, New York State granted land to military veterans. Canadians who fought for the American cause also settled in Champlain as refugees and were later allocated land by the state. Champlain was also witness to numerous incursions and invasions during America’s second war for independence, the War of 1812.
A number of people who called Champlain home in its early years became prominent in national and world history. This includes Dr. William Beaumont, the "Father of Gastric Physiology," and Jehudi Ashmun, the founder and first governor of Liberia, Africa. Champlain was also the last stop of the Underground Railroad. There are numerous people and families that made significant contributions to the development of Champlain.
Material related to Champlain’s early history and its people is found on two floors of the Samuel de Champlain History Center and in many different areas. In the past, researchers have found it difficult to research this history due to the lack of a collection finding aid.
Documentation has been collected that is relevant to the founding and growth of Champlain in the 1700s and 1800s. People, families, events and industries that helped to shape Champlain and the American landscape have been identified.
The Town of Champlain first saw military activity when England and France battled for control of Lake Champlain in 1760. This resulted in the building of a fort by the British which was occupied until 1796. After the war ended in 1783, New York State granted land to military veterans. Canadians who fought for the American cause also settled in Champlain as refugees and were later allocated land by the state. Champlain was also witness to numerous incursions and invasions during America’s second war for independence, the War of 1812.
A number of people who called Champlain home in its early years became prominent in national and world history. This includes Dr. William Beaumont, the "Father of Gastric Physiology," and Jehudi Ashmun, the founder and first governor of Liberia, Africa. Champlain was also the last stop of the Underground Railroad. There are numerous people and families that made significant contributions to the development of Champlain.
Material related to Champlain’s early history and its people is found on two floors of the Samuel de Champlain History Center and in many different areas. In the past, researchers have found it difficult to research this history due to the lack of a collection finding aid.
Documentation has been collected that is relevant to the founding and growth of Champlain in the 1700s and 1800s. People, families, events and industries that helped to shape Champlain and the American landscape have been identified.
A History of the Village and Town of Champlain, New York
In 1781, the Revolutionary War was waging. New York State authorized the raising of two regiments on bounties of unappropriated land in the state. A young soldier named Pliny Moore, who had enlisted in the army in 1776 at the age of 17, re-enlisted and served in various companies. He earned rights to hundreds of acres of land. Near the end of his enlistment, Moore and 17 others obtained the land rights to the 11,600-acre Smith and Graves Patent (also called the “Moorsfield Grant”) in upstate New York. The Village of Champlain resides entirely in Pliny Moore’s grant.
Pliny Moore made two survey trips from Kinderhook (near Albany) to Champlain. In late 1785, he traveled to Champlain by way of Vermont and Grand Isle to inspect the land in his grant. He marked the outer perimeter of his grant and returned to his home. In the spring of 1786, he traveled again to the area, but this time laid out 119 lots that were either 80 or 100 acres in size.
On March 7, 1788, the state legislature created Clinton County and the Town of Champlain. On May 23, Pliny Moore and five other men arrived in the Town of Champlain, built a dam, sawmill, huts, roads and started to clear the land. Moore originally called the settlement “Moorsfield on the River Chazy” but it was always referred to as “Champlain Town.” It would be almost 100 years before the town’s two villages, Champlain and Rouses Point, were incorporated.
Pliny Moore was the first judge, postmaster and merchant of Champlain. He served in various judgeships from 1788 to 1819 when he retired at the mandatory age of 60. Moore also owned numerous farms, mills and houses in Champlain and operated several mills in Quebec.
When Pliny Moore settled Champlain, the British army still had a presence at Point au Fer on the lakeshore south of Rouses Point. The land at the point was not available to settlers. The British left the point after 1796 when the Jay Treaty was signed.
The Village and Town of Champlain saw considerable saw considerable activity during the War of 1812. On several occasions, the American army was stationed in the town and staged several raids into Canada. In September of 1814, General George Prevost’s army of 14,000 soldiers camped in the town for several weeks during the Battle of Plattsburgh invasion. On each occasion, Pliny Moore’s house and several other houses in the village were occupied by American or British soldiers. The funeral of Lieut.-Colonel Benjamin Forsyth was held in Pliny’s house in June of 1814 after he was killed by Indians during a raid into Canada. The British captain who led this Indian party, named St. Valier Mailloux (variously spelled Mayhew, Mahew and Mayo), was shot in retaliation and died in the basement of Pliny’s house.
Champlain also saw conflict during the Papineau War in Lower Canada. Between 1837 and 1840, rebellion waged along the border of Canada and New York. Many houses and barns were burned down in Lacolle and Odelltown by supporters of the rebellion. Loyalists also burned down buildings of the rebels (Patriots). The conflict escalated and supporters of both sides in New York and Vermont contributed to the anarchy on both sides of the border. This culminated in the calling of the New York militia from Mooers and Champlain to protect the border. Many rebels (Patriots) fled Quebec and hid in the Champlain and Alburg areas. The rebellion was eventually put down by the British government.
Champlain has grown considerably over the years. In 1790, the town had 149 residents which consisted of 37 families. The houses, buildings and streets have also changed over the years.
In the mid-1800s, the Village of Champlain became the home of a very large iron industry with the establishment of the Champlain Agricultural Works and a second foundry run by David Finley and James Smith that became the Sheridan Iron Works in 1887. The sloop and canal boat industries were also established here on the banks of the Great Chazy River and the town became the second biggest boat building location on Lake Champlain by the late 1800s. Many businessmen in the village of Champlain were also part of the lumber industry. The countryside west of the village furnished pine lumber that was shipped by sloop or canal boat to Whitehall, Troy, New York City, St. Johns and even Montreal. Potash was shipped by boat to Montreal and England. The lumber from Champlain was also used to power the steamboats during the mid-1800s.
Rouses Point, the other village in the Town of Champlain, was strategically placed at the borders of two states and two countries. The railroad, canal boat and steam boat industries were the major providers in that village throughout the 1800s. Multiple railroad companies used Rouses Point as a hub and trains went to Burlington, Boston, Plattsburgh, New York City, Ogdensburg and even Montreal, as well as all points in-between. Indeed, the railroad became the major transportation method for most people between 1850 and the early 1900s. The canal boat industry was prosperous up to early 1900s until the diesel truck was introduced. The railroad in Rouses Point was also a major employer until the 1960s.
Pliny Moore made two survey trips from Kinderhook (near Albany) to Champlain. In late 1785, he traveled to Champlain by way of Vermont and Grand Isle to inspect the land in his grant. He marked the outer perimeter of his grant and returned to his home. In the spring of 1786, he traveled again to the area, but this time laid out 119 lots that were either 80 or 100 acres in size.
On March 7, 1788, the state legislature created Clinton County and the Town of Champlain. On May 23, Pliny Moore and five other men arrived in the Town of Champlain, built a dam, sawmill, huts, roads and started to clear the land. Moore originally called the settlement “Moorsfield on the River Chazy” but it was always referred to as “Champlain Town.” It would be almost 100 years before the town’s two villages, Champlain and Rouses Point, were incorporated.
Pliny Moore was the first judge, postmaster and merchant of Champlain. He served in various judgeships from 1788 to 1819 when he retired at the mandatory age of 60. Moore also owned numerous farms, mills and houses in Champlain and operated several mills in Quebec.
When Pliny Moore settled Champlain, the British army still had a presence at Point au Fer on the lakeshore south of Rouses Point. The land at the point was not available to settlers. The British left the point after 1796 when the Jay Treaty was signed.
The Village and Town of Champlain saw considerable saw considerable activity during the War of 1812. On several occasions, the American army was stationed in the town and staged several raids into Canada. In September of 1814, General George Prevost’s army of 14,000 soldiers camped in the town for several weeks during the Battle of Plattsburgh invasion. On each occasion, Pliny Moore’s house and several other houses in the village were occupied by American or British soldiers. The funeral of Lieut.-Colonel Benjamin Forsyth was held in Pliny’s house in June of 1814 after he was killed by Indians during a raid into Canada. The British captain who led this Indian party, named St. Valier Mailloux (variously spelled Mayhew, Mahew and Mayo), was shot in retaliation and died in the basement of Pliny’s house.
Champlain also saw conflict during the Papineau War in Lower Canada. Between 1837 and 1840, rebellion waged along the border of Canada and New York. Many houses and barns were burned down in Lacolle and Odelltown by supporters of the rebellion. Loyalists also burned down buildings of the rebels (Patriots). The conflict escalated and supporters of both sides in New York and Vermont contributed to the anarchy on both sides of the border. This culminated in the calling of the New York militia from Mooers and Champlain to protect the border. Many rebels (Patriots) fled Quebec and hid in the Champlain and Alburg areas. The rebellion was eventually put down by the British government.
Champlain has grown considerably over the years. In 1790, the town had 149 residents which consisted of 37 families. The houses, buildings and streets have also changed over the years.
In the mid-1800s, the Village of Champlain became the home of a very large iron industry with the establishment of the Champlain Agricultural Works and a second foundry run by David Finley and James Smith that became the Sheridan Iron Works in 1887. The sloop and canal boat industries were also established here on the banks of the Great Chazy River and the town became the second biggest boat building location on Lake Champlain by the late 1800s. Many businessmen in the village of Champlain were also part of the lumber industry. The countryside west of the village furnished pine lumber that was shipped by sloop or canal boat to Whitehall, Troy, New York City, St. Johns and even Montreal. Potash was shipped by boat to Montreal and England. The lumber from Champlain was also used to power the steamboats during the mid-1800s.
Rouses Point, the other village in the Town of Champlain, was strategically placed at the borders of two states and two countries. The railroad, canal boat and steam boat industries were the major providers in that village throughout the 1800s. Multiple railroad companies used Rouses Point as a hub and trains went to Burlington, Boston, Plattsburgh, New York City, Ogdensburg and even Montreal, as well as all points in-between. Indeed, the railroad became the major transportation method for most people between 1850 and the early 1900s. The canal boat industry was prosperous up to early 1900s until the diesel truck was introduced. The railroad in Rouses Point was also a major employer until the 1960s.
Native Americans in New York’s Champlain Valley
Since the end of the ice age thousands of years ago, Native Americans have inhabited New York and Quebec. In New York, the Iroquois Confederacy was divided into six nations and included the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribes. The northern New York Lake Champlain region was inhabited by the Mohawks.
The Mohawks lived all around the Champlain Valley, including in what is now the Town of Champlain. Artifacts such as large and small points, scrapers, amulets, flint chips, pottery and cutting tools have been found on the shores of Point au Fer and along the banks of the Great Chazy River and Little Chazy River, especially near the mouth of the rivers.
In Canada and upstate New York, a large percentage of people with French-Canadian ancestry are related to tribes from New York, Vermont or Canada. Many books have been written about the Native Americans in and around the Champlain Valley and in Canada. The Samuel de Champlain History Center owns many of these books.
Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Northeastern_Woodlands
Mohawk people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohawk_people
The Mohawks lived all around the Champlain Valley, including in what is now the Town of Champlain. Artifacts such as large and small points, scrapers, amulets, flint chips, pottery and cutting tools have been found on the shores of Point au Fer and along the banks of the Great Chazy River and Little Chazy River, especially near the mouth of the rivers.
In Canada and upstate New York, a large percentage of people with French-Canadian ancestry are related to tribes from New York, Vermont or Canada. Many books have been written about the Native Americans in and around the Champlain Valley and in Canada. The Samuel de Champlain History Center owns many of these books.
Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Northeastern_Woodlands
Mohawk people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohawk_people
Wars Witnessed in the Town of Champlain
King's Bay and Point au Fer, Champlain Town. Beers 1869 map.
French and Indian War
The first European conflict in the Town of Champlain occurred at Point au Fer during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Major Robert Rogers was the leader and founder of the famous British military group called “Rogers’ Rangers”. On May 25, 1760, General Amherst, commander in chief of the British army in North America, gave Rogers the order to destroy the French military posts along the Richelieu River in Canada. Rogers had led his men on many skirmishes in the Lake George region and now he was to engage the French at Lake Champlain.
It is believed that Rogers landed his whaleboats at Point au Fer on the Kings Bay shoreline which was opposite Isle la Motte. After landing on the New York shoreline, Rogers was attacked from his left, probably from the shoreline of the former King’s Bay campground. He noted that on his right was a bog which was a large swamp that is virtually impassable on the road leading into Point au Fer. Rogers sent 70 of his men around the bog which is likely the route through the former Scales cornfields and state land. The soldiers passed around the bog and attacked the enemy from behind, probably in the vicinity of Route 9B. Rogers’ troops were outnumbered considerably with a force of 144 Rangers and light infantry compared to the 300 men the French had. During the fight, it was noted that the Indians fighting for the French took cover behind Rogers’ whaleboats as they could not reload their muskets fast enough. They ended up throwing stones at Rogers’ men, who in turn, threw the stones back at them. Again, this must have been at the shoreline of Kings Bay. The enemy escaped by running one mile west. Rogers’ men killed about 32 soldiers including the two commanders of the French forces and had 16 Rangers killed. These soldiers were buried on Isle la Motte.
The first European conflict in the Town of Champlain occurred at Point au Fer during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Major Robert Rogers was the leader and founder of the famous British military group called “Rogers’ Rangers”. On May 25, 1760, General Amherst, commander in chief of the British army in North America, gave Rogers the order to destroy the French military posts along the Richelieu River in Canada. Rogers had led his men on many skirmishes in the Lake George region and now he was to engage the French at Lake Champlain.
It is believed that Rogers landed his whaleboats at Point au Fer on the Kings Bay shoreline which was opposite Isle la Motte. After landing on the New York shoreline, Rogers was attacked from his left, probably from the shoreline of the former King’s Bay campground. He noted that on his right was a bog which was a large swamp that is virtually impassable on the road leading into Point au Fer. Rogers sent 70 of his men around the bog which is likely the route through the former Scales cornfields and state land. The soldiers passed around the bog and attacked the enemy from behind, probably in the vicinity of Route 9B. Rogers’ troops were outnumbered considerably with a force of 144 Rangers and light infantry compared to the 300 men the French had. During the fight, it was noted that the Indians fighting for the French took cover behind Rogers’ whaleboats as they could not reload their muskets fast enough. They ended up throwing stones at Rogers’ men, who in turn, threw the stones back at them. Again, this must have been at the shoreline of Kings Bay. The enemy escaped by running one mile west. Rogers’ men killed about 32 soldiers including the two commanders of the French forces and had 16 Rangers killed. These soldiers were buried on Isle la Motte.
Point au Fer on Lake Champlain. Map extract courtesy NYS Archives Digital Maps. NYSA_A0273-78_826B
Revolutionary War
Point au Fer is surely the most historic location in all of Clinton County. The Point was the site of a French and Indian War skirmish with the famous Rogers Rangers in 1760. It also saw constant activity during the Revolutionary War by both the American and British armies; it was a campground for one of the largest British invasion armies at the time; it was used as a lookout post during the War of 1812; and the Point was one of only a handful of locations in the United States occupied by the British 13 years after the Revolutionary War ended. And many notable American and British dignitaries and military officers set foot on the Point. No other location in Clinton County has seen so many historic events occur on its soil. Only Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga in Essex County have comparable histories. Today, Point au Fer is a residential and farming community.
Point au Fer is a small peninsula of land on the eastern side of the Town of Champlain that borders Lake Champlain. For most of its history, the Point was an island that was sometimes inaccessible from the mainland due to a large cedar swamp that filled when the lake was high. Only since the 1950s has the Point been connected by a high road that is open year-round. This has enabled the Point to transform from a farming and summer camp location to a year-round residential community.
Point au Fer and Kings Bay were first occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years. In 1609, French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed past Point au Fer and camped opposite it on Isle la Motte. He never set foot on the New York side of the lake. The French later claimed land in New York down to Fort Ticonderoga and issued grants for land along the shores of New York and Vermont. They built forts at today’s Fort Ticonderoga (Fort Carillon), Crown Point (Fort St. Frederic) and on Isle la Motte (Fort St. Anne).
In June of 1760, Rogers’ Rangers forced the French out of Point au Fer. France ceded Quebec to Britain in 1763 at the conclusion of the French and Indian War.
In 1774, the British occupied Point au Fer and built a two-story stone and mortar garrison that had white-washed stone walls. It was likely 40x50 feet in size and had embrasures in the basement walls for cannons. Because of its look, it was called the “White House.” The garrison had a small number of soldiers stationed there.
In May of 1775, Crown Point and Ticonderoga were captured from the British by the Americans. By September 1775, the Americans had advanced to Point au Fer and secured the post with little resistance. The Americans fortified the post with a stockade. They continued into Canada and captured Quebec City. British re-enforcements arrived in Canada and forced the American troops back into New York. Many troops came down with small pox and dysentery which made the withdrawal difficult. By June of 1776, the American troops at Point au Fer were evacuating to Crown Point and Ticonderoga. The fort was eventually abandoned.
On October 11, 1776, the Battle of Valcour was fought and the British defeated Benedict Arnold and his small fleet of ships. They now controlled the northern half of Lake Champlain. In June of 1777, Gen. John Burgoyne’s army camped at Point au Fer on their way to Saratoga where they were eventually defeated in the Battle of Saratoga (and several smaller battles). Thousands of troops camped in the fields and forests around the point. Additional soldiers, including the Hessians, camped at Isle la Motte. The British army used Point au Fer as a staging area for troops and supplies that were sent up the lake. After the Revolutionary War ended, the British claimed Point au Fer and land as far south as Chazy. They would continue to control Point au Fer until 1796.
Starting in 1785, New York State granted land to American soldiers who fought in the state militia (including Canadians who aided the Americans) and most of the land in the Town of Champlain was divided into hundreds of lots. The only land that was not included in these grants was Point au Fer.
The British and Americans maintained cordial relations despite the tensions around Point au Fer. For a time, Captain John Steel would travel to the house of Judge Pliny Moore in the Village of Champlain and warn him off the soil. The two would then have dinner together. Steel kept a garden on the shoreline north of Point au Fer and it was called “Steel’s Garden” (today called Stoney Point). He married the daughter of a loyalist from Alburg, Vermont and lived only yards north of the current border. His burial ground can be seen behind a gas station near the Rouses Point & Alburg bridge on the Vermont side.
On June 1, 1796, the Jay Treaty went into effect and the British finally evacuated Point au Fer. In 1805, Champlain settler William Beaumont (the uncle to future doctor William Beaumont) surveyed the point and divided it into three lots. It was around this time that a French refugee named Toussaint Lavarnway burned down the former “White House” garrison. It sat in ruins for decades. Several settlers purchased the lots but little was done with the land.
In the 1840s, Freeman and Bartlett Nye purchased the swamp, the land around King’s Bay and a large farm on today’s Route 9B. The swamp was logged for cedar. In the late 1800s, a shack was placed on the shoreline of King’s Bay and was called “Nye’s Shack.” A local resident in the 2020s still remembered hearing the name.
In the 1880s, Richard Scales came from Quebec and settled on the lot adjacent to the swamp. He built a farmhouse on the ruins of the British White House. He is said to have used the same stone foundation. The Scales family farmed on the Point for the next 140 years and the last Scales to live in the house died in 2009. Scales Point is where the fort used to stand. In the 1960s, John Arnold Scales sold many lake-front lots to the public and the Point became a summer community. Prior to the 1950s, the Point was inaccessible during the high springtime lake level and was sometimes and island. As the road to the Point was raised and improved, year-round residents started to live here. Point au Fer now has a vibrant year-round community. The house that Richard Scales built still stands.
Point au Fer contains the remains of American soldiers who died in the summer of 1776. They had been buried on the lakeshore near the fort. The Saranac Chapter of the DAR installed a boulder and plaque at the grave mounds which were still seen in 1930. On Memorial Day in 2009, a new plaque dedicated to these soldiers was commemorated at a newly created park across the road from the graves. The Woodmen of the World Lodge 462 donated a flagpole. The Town of Champlain Highway Department created the park and maintains it.
Point au Fer is surely the most historic location in all of Clinton County. The Point was the site of a French and Indian War skirmish with the famous Rogers Rangers in 1760. It also saw constant activity during the Revolutionary War by both the American and British armies; it was a campground for one of the largest British invasion armies at the time; it was used as a lookout post during the War of 1812; and the Point was one of only a handful of locations in the United States occupied by the British 13 years after the Revolutionary War ended. And many notable American and British dignitaries and military officers set foot on the Point. No other location in Clinton County has seen so many historic events occur on its soil. Only Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga in Essex County have comparable histories. Today, Point au Fer is a residential and farming community.
Point au Fer is a small peninsula of land on the eastern side of the Town of Champlain that borders Lake Champlain. For most of its history, the Point was an island that was sometimes inaccessible from the mainland due to a large cedar swamp that filled when the lake was high. Only since the 1950s has the Point been connected by a high road that is open year-round. This has enabled the Point to transform from a farming and summer camp location to a year-round residential community.
Point au Fer and Kings Bay were first occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years. In 1609, French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed past Point au Fer and camped opposite it on Isle la Motte. He never set foot on the New York side of the lake. The French later claimed land in New York down to Fort Ticonderoga and issued grants for land along the shores of New York and Vermont. They built forts at today’s Fort Ticonderoga (Fort Carillon), Crown Point (Fort St. Frederic) and on Isle la Motte (Fort St. Anne).
In June of 1760, Rogers’ Rangers forced the French out of Point au Fer. France ceded Quebec to Britain in 1763 at the conclusion of the French and Indian War.
In 1774, the British occupied Point au Fer and built a two-story stone and mortar garrison that had white-washed stone walls. It was likely 40x50 feet in size and had embrasures in the basement walls for cannons. Because of its look, it was called the “White House.” The garrison had a small number of soldiers stationed there.
In May of 1775, Crown Point and Ticonderoga were captured from the British by the Americans. By September 1775, the Americans had advanced to Point au Fer and secured the post with little resistance. The Americans fortified the post with a stockade. They continued into Canada and captured Quebec City. British re-enforcements arrived in Canada and forced the American troops back into New York. Many troops came down with small pox and dysentery which made the withdrawal difficult. By June of 1776, the American troops at Point au Fer were evacuating to Crown Point and Ticonderoga. The fort was eventually abandoned.
On October 11, 1776, the Battle of Valcour was fought and the British defeated Benedict Arnold and his small fleet of ships. They now controlled the northern half of Lake Champlain. In June of 1777, Gen. John Burgoyne’s army camped at Point au Fer on their way to Saratoga where they were eventually defeated in the Battle of Saratoga (and several smaller battles). Thousands of troops camped in the fields and forests around the point. Additional soldiers, including the Hessians, camped at Isle la Motte. The British army used Point au Fer as a staging area for troops and supplies that were sent up the lake. After the Revolutionary War ended, the British claimed Point au Fer and land as far south as Chazy. They would continue to control Point au Fer until 1796.
Starting in 1785, New York State granted land to American soldiers who fought in the state militia (including Canadians who aided the Americans) and most of the land in the Town of Champlain was divided into hundreds of lots. The only land that was not included in these grants was Point au Fer.
The British and Americans maintained cordial relations despite the tensions around Point au Fer. For a time, Captain John Steel would travel to the house of Judge Pliny Moore in the Village of Champlain and warn him off the soil. The two would then have dinner together. Steel kept a garden on the shoreline north of Point au Fer and it was called “Steel’s Garden” (today called Stoney Point). He married the daughter of a loyalist from Alburg, Vermont and lived only yards north of the current border. His burial ground can be seen behind a gas station near the Rouses Point & Alburg bridge on the Vermont side.
On June 1, 1796, the Jay Treaty went into effect and the British finally evacuated Point au Fer. In 1805, Champlain settler William Beaumont (the uncle to future doctor William Beaumont) surveyed the point and divided it into three lots. It was around this time that a French refugee named Toussaint Lavarnway burned down the former “White House” garrison. It sat in ruins for decades. Several settlers purchased the lots but little was done with the land.
In the 1840s, Freeman and Bartlett Nye purchased the swamp, the land around King’s Bay and a large farm on today’s Route 9B. The swamp was logged for cedar. In the late 1800s, a shack was placed on the shoreline of King’s Bay and was called “Nye’s Shack.” A local resident in the 2020s still remembered hearing the name.
In the 1880s, Richard Scales came from Quebec and settled on the lot adjacent to the swamp. He built a farmhouse on the ruins of the British White House. He is said to have used the same stone foundation. The Scales family farmed on the Point for the next 140 years and the last Scales to live in the house died in 2009. Scales Point is where the fort used to stand. In the 1960s, John Arnold Scales sold many lake-front lots to the public and the Point became a summer community. Prior to the 1950s, the Point was inaccessible during the high springtime lake level and was sometimes and island. As the road to the Point was raised and improved, year-round residents started to live here. Point au Fer now has a vibrant year-round community. The house that Richard Scales built still stands.
Point au Fer contains the remains of American soldiers who died in the summer of 1776. They had been buried on the lakeshore near the fort. The Saranac Chapter of the DAR installed a boulder and plaque at the grave mounds which were still seen in 1930. On Memorial Day in 2009, a new plaque dedicated to these soldiers was commemorated at a newly created park across the road from the graves. The Woodmen of the World Lodge 462 donated a flagpole. The Town of Champlain Highway Department created the park and maintains it.
War of 1812
The Village of Champlain has a rich history related to the War of 1812. Although Champlain did not see much fighting or destruction of property, it served as the first step in the invasion of the United States from Canada within the Champlain Valley. On three occasions, American armies of three to five thousand troops used Champlain to invade Canada. A fourth American army camped in the village only days before the Battle of Plattsburgh. The British army of 10-14,000 soldiers also camped in the village on their way to the Battle of Plattsburgh.
On June 18, 1812, Congress declared war with England after several years of building tensions. No barracks or blockhouses existed in Champlain at the start of the war. This made the leading citizens of Champlain uneasy and prompted several of them to form the Champlain Committee of Safety. The leader of the committee, Judge Pliny Moore, recommended that two or three blockhouses be built to house the troops during the winter.
On November 19, 1812, Major General Henry Dearborn assumed command of the Northern Army at Pliny Moore’s house in Champlain. Dearborn's plan was to invade Canada through Champlain and attack Montreal. His army consisted of 3,000 regulars and 2,000 militia for a total force of 5,000 soldiers. Dearborn and his officers stayed in Moore’s house and used it as their headquarters. On November 20, 1812, a battle at the Lacolle Mill in Quebec occurred but the American troops were confused and fired on each other and the army retreated back to Champlain.
The next time Champlain saw major conflict was in August of 1813. British commander Colonel John Murray. He was given an order to destroy military equipment on both sides of Lake Champlain. He eventually came to Champlain and burned down two or three blockhouses that had been built the year before.
In September of 1813, General Wade Hampton marched to Champlain with 3-4,000 troops. His troops went to Odelltown, Quebec but the conditions during the march were poor (there was little water) and he retreated.
In November of 1813, British Major J. Perreault pillaged the Village of Champlain after the American militia attacked his troops at the border. He had previously issued a threat that was printed in a Washington DC paper warning the militia not to attack or harass his troops.
The winter of 1814 was the start of the next round of military campaigns. General James Wilkinson was now in command of the Northern Army and he believed that he could make a successful attack into Canada and conquer Montreal. On March 30, Wilkinson’s troops made a failed attack on a blockhouse at Lacolle Mill. Many of his soldiers were buried at Dewey’s Tavern at today’s Route 276/Prospect St. intersection.
On June 22, 1814, Forsyth and his Riflemen crossed the border into Odelltown but were attacked by British troops. Several days later, Forsyth went across the border again to ambush the British. Forsyth was able to draw Captain St. Valier Mailloux’s troops into the ambush, but unfortunately, he stepped on a log to see the battle and was shot in the chest.
Forsyth was taken to Pliny Moore's house where he died that same day. That next day, he was buried in the Old Burying Yard on Oak Street in an unmarked grave. No one has yet to find Forsyth’s remains. To seek revenge for Forsyth's killing, the American soldiers shot and killed Captain Mailloux.
In July of 1814, General George Izard was placed in command of about 4,500 troops in Champlain. He knew that British Gen. Prevost was massing troops at the border but he was ordered to leave Champlain. He left on August 27, and a few days later, British troops entered Champlain. They camped around Dewey's Tavern and in the Village of Champlain.
Because the British army was so large, the force was divided into two wings and three brigades. It consisted of 3,700 soldiers in the 1st Brigade, 5,600 in the 2nd Brigade, 3,100 in the 3rd Brigade, 2,800 in the Light Brigade, 300 in the Light Dragoons, 400 of the Royal Artillery, and 100 Rocketeers, Sappers and Miners. A total of 10,000 to 14,000 soldiers were now encamped in the village and town.
The British army’s occupation of Champlain in August and September was mostly peaceful in nature. Their goal was not to plunder the village but to march to Plattsburgh and engage the Americans. However, Generals Prevost and Brisbane issued orders urging the Champlain townspeople to abandon their allegiance to the government and invited them to provide provisions to his army. When few villagers came forward, Prevost commandeered wagons and teams and loaded them with baggage and stores.
The British army left Champlain for Plattsburgh on September 4 and it took several days to get to Plattsburgh. The Battle of Plattsburgh occurred on September 11 and the British navy was defeated. The British army marched back to Champlain and then to Canada. Some artillery troops stayed in Champlain until September 25.
The Village of Champlain has a rich history related to the War of 1812. Although Champlain did not see much fighting or destruction of property, it served as the first step in the invasion of the United States from Canada within the Champlain Valley. On three occasions, American armies of three to five thousand troops used Champlain to invade Canada. A fourth American army camped in the village only days before the Battle of Plattsburgh. The British army of 10-14,000 soldiers also camped in the village on their way to the Battle of Plattsburgh.
On June 18, 1812, Congress declared war with England after several years of building tensions. No barracks or blockhouses existed in Champlain at the start of the war. This made the leading citizens of Champlain uneasy and prompted several of them to form the Champlain Committee of Safety. The leader of the committee, Judge Pliny Moore, recommended that two or three blockhouses be built to house the troops during the winter.
On November 19, 1812, Major General Henry Dearborn assumed command of the Northern Army at Pliny Moore’s house in Champlain. Dearborn's plan was to invade Canada through Champlain and attack Montreal. His army consisted of 3,000 regulars and 2,000 militia for a total force of 5,000 soldiers. Dearborn and his officers stayed in Moore’s house and used it as their headquarters. On November 20, 1812, a battle at the Lacolle Mill in Quebec occurred but the American troops were confused and fired on each other and the army retreated back to Champlain.
The next time Champlain saw major conflict was in August of 1813. British commander Colonel John Murray. He was given an order to destroy military equipment on both sides of Lake Champlain. He eventually came to Champlain and burned down two or three blockhouses that had been built the year before.
In September of 1813, General Wade Hampton marched to Champlain with 3-4,000 troops. His troops went to Odelltown, Quebec but the conditions during the march were poor (there was little water) and he retreated.
In November of 1813, British Major J. Perreault pillaged the Village of Champlain after the American militia attacked his troops at the border. He had previously issued a threat that was printed in a Washington DC paper warning the militia not to attack or harass his troops.
The winter of 1814 was the start of the next round of military campaigns. General James Wilkinson was now in command of the Northern Army and he believed that he could make a successful attack into Canada and conquer Montreal. On March 30, Wilkinson’s troops made a failed attack on a blockhouse at Lacolle Mill. Many of his soldiers were buried at Dewey’s Tavern at today’s Route 276/Prospect St. intersection.
On June 22, 1814, Forsyth and his Riflemen crossed the border into Odelltown but were attacked by British troops. Several days later, Forsyth went across the border again to ambush the British. Forsyth was able to draw Captain St. Valier Mailloux’s troops into the ambush, but unfortunately, he stepped on a log to see the battle and was shot in the chest.
Forsyth was taken to Pliny Moore's house where he died that same day. That next day, he was buried in the Old Burying Yard on Oak Street in an unmarked grave. No one has yet to find Forsyth’s remains. To seek revenge for Forsyth's killing, the American soldiers shot and killed Captain Mailloux.
In July of 1814, General George Izard was placed in command of about 4,500 troops in Champlain. He knew that British Gen. Prevost was massing troops at the border but he was ordered to leave Champlain. He left on August 27, and a few days later, British troops entered Champlain. They camped around Dewey's Tavern and in the Village of Champlain.
Because the British army was so large, the force was divided into two wings and three brigades. It consisted of 3,700 soldiers in the 1st Brigade, 5,600 in the 2nd Brigade, 3,100 in the 3rd Brigade, 2,800 in the Light Brigade, 300 in the Light Dragoons, 400 of the Royal Artillery, and 100 Rocketeers, Sappers and Miners. A total of 10,000 to 14,000 soldiers were now encamped in the village and town.
The British army’s occupation of Champlain in August and September was mostly peaceful in nature. Their goal was not to plunder the village but to march to Plattsburgh and engage the Americans. However, Generals Prevost and Brisbane issued orders urging the Champlain townspeople to abandon their allegiance to the government and invited them to provide provisions to his army. When few villagers came forward, Prevost commandeered wagons and teams and loaded them with baggage and stores.
The British army left Champlain for Plattsburgh on September 4 and it took several days to get to Plattsburgh. The Battle of Plattsburgh occurred on September 11 and the British navy was defeated. The British army marched back to Champlain and then to Canada. Some artillery troops stayed in Champlain until September 25.
Dewey’s Tavern and its Role in the War of 1812
Dewey’s Tavern was built on the main road that connects Champlain and Rouses Point to Canada. Only a mile from the border, it served as a tavern (hotel) for people traveling. During the war, it became a central spot for the negotiation of two of the four prisoner of war treaties the Americans had with the British. It also served as an encampment site for both armies. The officers slept in the tavern while their armies camped in the surrounding fields.
Towards the end of the war, both countries had taken many prisoners and were looking for ways to exchange them. The first treaty had been signed in November of 1812. On April 15, 1814, American Brigadier General John Winder, who had been paroled by the British and sent to Washington, met with British Adjutant General Baynes at Dewey’s. Washington did not like their agreement and another was signed on July 16 at the Tavern. This agreement was never ratified but it was still adhered to.
The fields around Dewey’s Tavern served as the encampment area for both armies. In September of 1813, Hampton’s army camped at Dewey’s. The British also camped at Dewey’s on their march to the Battle of Plattsburgh in September of 1814. Local legend says that on the retreat back to Canada, the British left many of their wounded at the tavern. When the soldiers died, they were buried in the Dewey family cemetery in the field across from today’s school. The Town of Champlain now owns this field and it serves as a community park and memorial to the soldiers. Two interpretive panels describe Champlain’s role in the War of 1812 and a blue and yellow historic marker notes the location of the unmarked cemetery. A flagpole was donated by the Woodmen of the World Lodge 462. The Dewey’s Tavern house and log cabin are private property. For nine years (2005-2014) it served as the site of commemoration ceremonies at the start of the Battle of Plattsburgh celebrations in September. The town park will continue to serve this function.
Dewey’s Tavern was built on the main road that connects Champlain and Rouses Point to Canada. Only a mile from the border, it served as a tavern (hotel) for people traveling. During the war, it became a central spot for the negotiation of two of the four prisoner of war treaties the Americans had with the British. It also served as an encampment site for both armies. The officers slept in the tavern while their armies camped in the surrounding fields.
Towards the end of the war, both countries had taken many prisoners and were looking for ways to exchange them. The first treaty had been signed in November of 1812. On April 15, 1814, American Brigadier General John Winder, who had been paroled by the British and sent to Washington, met with British Adjutant General Baynes at Dewey’s. Washington did not like their agreement and another was signed on July 16 at the Tavern. This agreement was never ratified but it was still adhered to.
The fields around Dewey’s Tavern served as the encampment area for both armies. In September of 1813, Hampton’s army camped at Dewey’s. The British also camped at Dewey’s on their march to the Battle of Plattsburgh in September of 1814. Local legend says that on the retreat back to Canada, the British left many of their wounded at the tavern. When the soldiers died, they were buried in the Dewey family cemetery in the field across from today’s school. The Town of Champlain now owns this field and it serves as a community park and memorial to the soldiers. Two interpretive panels describe Champlain’s role in the War of 1812 and a blue and yellow historic marker notes the location of the unmarked cemetery. A flagpole was donated by the Woodmen of the World Lodge 462. The Dewey’s Tavern house and log cabin are private property. For nine years (2005-2014) it served as the site of commemoration ceremonies at the start of the Battle of Plattsburgh celebrations in September. The town park will continue to serve this function.
Papineau War
The Papineau War, also called the Lower Canada Rebellion or the Patriots' Rebellion, was a conflict in Quebec that occurred between 1837 and 1839. The dispute started in the Canadian Parliament with the accusation that one party had too much power in the House of Assembly and that the majority of the people in Quebec, which were mostly French-Canadian, were not represented fairly. The rebellion was led by Louis-Joseph Papineau who was a lawyer and politician as well as brothers and doctors Wolfred and Robert Nelson.
The rebellion started in November of 1837 between the rebels (as viewed by the British; they were also called Patriots or Patriotes (French) by some in Quebec) and the colonial government. The rebellion caused friction between townspeople on both sides of the border and many years afterwards. People were forced by armed groups to renounce their allegiance to the government. Houses, barns, stores and agricultural supplies were targeted by the opposing groups and on both sides of the border. Almost no one in Champlain, Rouses Point and Alburg was safe during these years.
As the conflict escalated, some rebels (Patriots) and their leaders fled to Champlain, Swanton and Alburg, Vermont. They convinced the local population, many of which had family in Canada or did business in Canada, to support their cause. They amassed arms and ammunition from the townspeople and also robbed a U.S. armory. At the same time, American men aided the Canadian loyalists who were supporting the British government. Some Americans were even kidnapped by the loyalists and brought to Canada as they were suspected of aiding the rebels.
On January 5, 1838, President Martin van Buren issued a proclamation of neutrality that stated the United States and its citizens could not interfere in the rebellion. Gen. John E. Wool, who had served valiantly in the War of 1812, was dispatched to the “frontier” that same month to monitor the situation which was deteriorating fast. He made his headquarters in Champlain and Alburg and his job was to protect the New York border opposite “Lower Canada” (Quebec). Gen. Winfield Scott also visited Champlain a few months later to ascertain the situation. He was in charge of the U.S. troops that protected the New York border opposite “Upper Canada” (Ontario).
By late February of 1838, the residents of Alburg were alarmed by the activity north of the border which included houses being burned down. At one time, fires could be seen burning to the east and west of Alburg just north of the border. The residents urged Gen. Wool to protect them. In the early morning hours of February 26, 1,000 muskets were stolen from the United States Arsenal in Essex, New York and taken to Alburg. Later that day, Wool called up the militia from the towns of Champlain and Mooers and quickly marched to Alburg. One company of volunteers was under the command of Capt. Andrew Josiah Calvin Blackmun (1812-1884, buried in Mooers).
On March 1, a large group of Patriot sympathizers crossed from Alburg into Canada where they were confronted by British forces in front of them and Wool’s militia behind them. Over 600 rebels (Patriots) surrendered to Wool and were taken prisoner. This included Robert Nelson who had been distributing copies of a new declaration of independence for Quebec. Blackmun’s militia was discharged on April 7.
A second conflict occurred in November of 1838 and the Champlain area was affected. Rebels (Patriots) had formed a camp in Odelltown and were capturing loyalist volunteers. On November 7, over 400 rebels gathered just north of the border. Many of these men were from Alburgh, Swanton and Champlain. They attacked the British and loyalist volunteers but were repelled. The rebels fled to the Commons at Rouses Point where they were disarmed by Captain Justin Dimick’s First Regiment of Artillery troops who had been stationed on the lakeshore (Dimick retired as Brevet Brigadier-General in 1865).
There were other battles in the coming days and months. Houses and barns on both sides of the border were burned down in revenge by the rebels (Patriots) or loyalists depending on what loyalty the property owner had.
By the winter of 1840, the rebellion was finally put down by the British. The rebel leaders were arrested and tried. Many people were imprisoned, some hanged, and others sent to an Australian penal colony. These exiled prisoners were released in 1844 and most had returned by 1845. The leaders and rebels were eventually pardoned by the government. Papineau had fled to the United States during the war and returned a few years after his amnesty was granted. He was elected again to the Assembly. He died in 1871.
The Papineau War, also called the Lower Canada Rebellion or the Patriots' Rebellion, was a conflict in Quebec that occurred between 1837 and 1839. The dispute started in the Canadian Parliament with the accusation that one party had too much power in the House of Assembly and that the majority of the people in Quebec, which were mostly French-Canadian, were not represented fairly. The rebellion was led by Louis-Joseph Papineau who was a lawyer and politician as well as brothers and doctors Wolfred and Robert Nelson.
The rebellion started in November of 1837 between the rebels (as viewed by the British; they were also called Patriots or Patriotes (French) by some in Quebec) and the colonial government. The rebellion caused friction between townspeople on both sides of the border and many years afterwards. People were forced by armed groups to renounce their allegiance to the government. Houses, barns, stores and agricultural supplies were targeted by the opposing groups and on both sides of the border. Almost no one in Champlain, Rouses Point and Alburg was safe during these years.
As the conflict escalated, some rebels (Patriots) and their leaders fled to Champlain, Swanton and Alburg, Vermont. They convinced the local population, many of which had family in Canada or did business in Canada, to support their cause. They amassed arms and ammunition from the townspeople and also robbed a U.S. armory. At the same time, American men aided the Canadian loyalists who were supporting the British government. Some Americans were even kidnapped by the loyalists and brought to Canada as they were suspected of aiding the rebels.
On January 5, 1838, President Martin van Buren issued a proclamation of neutrality that stated the United States and its citizens could not interfere in the rebellion. Gen. John E. Wool, who had served valiantly in the War of 1812, was dispatched to the “frontier” that same month to monitor the situation which was deteriorating fast. He made his headquarters in Champlain and Alburg and his job was to protect the New York border opposite “Lower Canada” (Quebec). Gen. Winfield Scott also visited Champlain a few months later to ascertain the situation. He was in charge of the U.S. troops that protected the New York border opposite “Upper Canada” (Ontario).
By late February of 1838, the residents of Alburg were alarmed by the activity north of the border which included houses being burned down. At one time, fires could be seen burning to the east and west of Alburg just north of the border. The residents urged Gen. Wool to protect them. In the early morning hours of February 26, 1,000 muskets were stolen from the United States Arsenal in Essex, New York and taken to Alburg. Later that day, Wool called up the militia from the towns of Champlain and Mooers and quickly marched to Alburg. One company of volunteers was under the command of Capt. Andrew Josiah Calvin Blackmun (1812-1884, buried in Mooers).
On March 1, a large group of Patriot sympathizers crossed from Alburg into Canada where they were confronted by British forces in front of them and Wool’s militia behind them. Over 600 rebels (Patriots) surrendered to Wool and were taken prisoner. This included Robert Nelson who had been distributing copies of a new declaration of independence for Quebec. Blackmun’s militia was discharged on April 7.
A second conflict occurred in November of 1838 and the Champlain area was affected. Rebels (Patriots) had formed a camp in Odelltown and were capturing loyalist volunteers. On November 7, over 400 rebels gathered just north of the border. Many of these men were from Alburgh, Swanton and Champlain. They attacked the British and loyalist volunteers but were repelled. The rebels fled to the Commons at Rouses Point where they were disarmed by Captain Justin Dimick’s First Regiment of Artillery troops who had been stationed on the lakeshore (Dimick retired as Brevet Brigadier-General in 1865).
There were other battles in the coming days and months. Houses and barns on both sides of the border were burned down in revenge by the rebels (Patriots) or loyalists depending on what loyalty the property owner had.
By the winter of 1840, the rebellion was finally put down by the British. The rebel leaders were arrested and tried. Many people were imprisoned, some hanged, and others sent to an Australian penal colony. These exiled prisoners were released in 1844 and most had returned by 1845. The leaders and rebels were eventually pardoned by the government. Papineau had fled to the United States during the war and returned a few years after his amnesty was granted. He was elected again to the Assembly. He died in 1871.
The Founding of the Town of Champlain
Pliny Moore on a Hometown Hero banner across from his former estate, corner of Oak and Elm Streets in the Village of Champlain.
During the Revolutionary War, the State of New York authorized the raising of two army regiments on bounties of unappropriated land. For his service, Pliny Moore received a large land grant from the state that became most of today’s Town of Champlain. Towards the end of his enlistment, Moore surveyed this land and organized the settlement of the village and town by fellow soldiers who were allocated similar land bounties. In May of 1788, Pliny established the settlement of Champlain and became one of the first residents of the future village.
Pliny Moore, born in Sheffield, Massachusetts on April 14, 1759, was a descendent of some of the first English settlers of Massachusetts. His family later moved to Spencertown and Kinderhook, New York, where he spent most of his childhood. After the Revolutionary War started, Pliny enlisted into the army in April of 1776 at the age of 17. Pliny had several enlistments and served under various commanders in the Albany area and Mohawk Valley. By 1781, he was a Lieutenant and Adjutant.
New York States Passes the Land Bounty Laws
On March 20, 1781, and March 23, 1782, New York State passed two laws to raise regiments for the defense of the state. The state pledged to give away bounties of unappropriated “wasteland” in the western and northern parts of the state as payment for a soldiers’ service. The amount of land a soldier was given depended on his rank. A non-commissioned officer and private would receive 100 acres, a captain would receive 300 acres and a colonel 500 acres. Sometimes the soldiers re-enlisted after their service ended to earn more land. For his service, each soldier was given a land certificate indicating how much land they were owed. Because Pliny was educated, good at keeping records and was well respected by his fellow soldiers, they appointed him to find and secure the lands that were due them. Twenty-two soldiers signed their first bond (agreement) with Pliny on March 21, 1782.
By the summer of 1782, Pliny Moore worked with Indian agent James Dean to help secure land in western New York. Land was not available and their attention turned to land along northern Lake Champlain. This process took another two years. Finally, Moore was given the "Smith and Graves Patent" which is most of today's town of Champlain. It is also known as the "Moorsfield Grant" or “James Dean’s &c” grant/patent.
Pliny Moore’s Surveys of Champlain – 1785 and 1786
Pliny Moore’s first survey of Champlain was in March of 1785. He hiked through Vermont and up to Champlain. Pliny and his associate, John Savage, found the original 1771 survey placed there by the King of England's survey team. This was supposed to be the 45th parallel but it would not be until 1816 before it was discovered that the survey marker was placed several thousand feet to the north and in Canada. This mistake would later cause the debacle of "Fort Blunder" in Rouses Point and only the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 would settle this. Unfortunately, Pliny Moore started his survey of Champlain in Canada. Moore created a square survey outline that was 4.25 by 4.25 miles square and 11,600 acres which was the size of his grant. The area was not settled except for a few random huts.
In the fall of 1786, Moore came back to Champlain and laid out 119 lots of mostly 100 acres. A few lots were 70 and 80 acres. He noted the condition of the land in each lot. The top lots extended into Canada.
In February of 1787, the "Great Deed" occurred and the 119 lots were divided among 17 soldiers. The lots were divided into good land and bad land and the soldiers were given both types. The Great Chazy River ran through the middle of the grant and prime land was along the river where sawmills or grist mills could be made. Unfortunately, a large amount of land in Champlain had swamp (beaver meadow) and this was not good for farming. Over the years, much of this land has been drained and is farmed now.
Most of the soldiers who were allocated land did not want to settle in Champlain as they lived in the Albany and Kinderhook areas. Pliny purchased considerable land from these soldiers and accumulated thousands of acres of land. Much of this land was in the Village of Champlain or along the Great Chazy River. Pliny would build several dams and mills along the river which were eventually deeded to his sons when he died.
Pliny Moore was an advocate for the creation of Clinton County and the Town of Champlain. Before he settled Champlain, Moore urged his state representatives to create a county and town. On March 7, 1788, “Clinton County” and the “Town of Champlain” were created as well as the towns of Plattsburgh, Willsboro and Crown Point. The law stated, in part, “And that all part of the county of Clinton, laying to the northward of the town of Plattsburgh, …shall be, and hereby is erected into a town by the name of Champlain.” At the time of its creation, Clinton County encompassed the present counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin and St. Lawrence. The Town of Champlain extended from the Vermont side of Lake Champlain (including Alburg and Isle La Motte), and extended west to the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, Vermont was established and New York reluctantly ceded Isle La Motte. In the early 1800s, Clinton County was divided several times and new counties and towns were laid out. Today, the Town of Champlain is much smaller than what it was in 1788.
In May of 1788, Pliny Moore and several former soldiers and workmen came to Champlain to build a sawmill on the Great Chazy River at Perry's Mills. William Beaumont, the uncle to the future Doctor William Beaumont, was one settler. Samuel Ashmun, the future father of Liberia's Jehudi Ashmun, was another settler. Moore’s brother-in-law, Elnathan Rogers, was another. A carpenter and blacksmith also accompanied them. The mill was built by November.
Pliny Moore settled permanently in Champlain in the winter of 1789. He brought his wife, Martha Corbin, and his newborn son Noadiah to Champlain and settled on the upper bank of the Great Chazy River. Today, his property would be at the corner of Elm and Oak Streets in the Village of Champlain. Moore built a Federal-style house in 1801 and lived there until his death in 1822. The property was later willed to his son, Pliny Jr., who continued his businesses. It was then sold to his grandson, John White Moore, and then in 1882, sold to the Charles and Elizabeth McLellan. Elizabeth was the great-granddaughter of Pliny Moore as her grandparents were Noadiah and Caroline Moore, well-known abolitionists. The McLellans owned the property for 100 years. The house standing today is a duplicate of Pliny Moore's original 1801 house. The original house burned down on April 27, 1912 and was rebuilt by Charles McLellan using the architectural drawings made by his son and future architect, Hugh McLellan, in the late 1890s. In the mid-1930s, the McLellans moved into the back cottage (addition) and rented the main house (called the “Big House”) to a funeral home. Today, the house is still used as a funeral home.
The Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugee Tract
When Pliny Moore was searching for land along Lake Champlain, he avoided the contested land in Rouses Point. A British general named Gabriel Christie had been granted this land by the King of England but New York State did not honor the grant after the Revolutionary War ended. Moore decided to start his grant three miles west of the shoreline which had not been claimed.
In the early years of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army invaded Canada and controlled Quebec City. The control was short-lived as British re-enforcements arrived and pushed the Americans back to Point au Fer, and after the Battle of Valcour on October 11, 1776, to Ticonderoga and Crown Point. During the Americans' time in Canada, several hundred Canadian men volunteered to fight the British. They fought under General Moses Hazen who was the uncle of Plattsburgh's Benjamin Mooers (also a Rev. War veteran and later a general of the militia in the War of 1812). These men were French, Scottish, English and Irish and spent time camped near Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, New York. When the war ended, the soldiers were not allowed back into Canada. They were even ex-communicated from the Catholic church. Instead, many settled on the Lake Champlain shoreline or on the banks of the Great Chazy River, the Little Chazy River and Corbeau Creek. Today, this is the eastern sides of the Town of Champlain and the Town of Chazy. These men, with their families, did not own any land and were considered refugees. They were called Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugees by the government. They built log cabins and lived their lives here for a few years.
With no land to call their own, Gen. Moses Hazen worked to get New York State to allocate land for his former soldiers. In 1784, New York State enacted Chapter 63 of the laws of that year which directed the surveyor general to “lay out such a number of townships of unappropriated and unoccupied lands for the Canadian and Nova Scotia refugees.” The allocated land consisted of 231,540 acres and became known as the Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugee Tract. The grant extended from Plattsburgh to the Canadian border and included land in the towns of Plattsburgh, Chazy, Beekmantown, Champlain and Mooers (some of these towns, in name, had not been created then). The land was divided among 252 soldiers and consisted of lots that were 420, 333 and 80 acres in size. All of Rouses Point and land on three sides of the Moorsfield Grant (which was not part of the refugee lots) was part of this grant.
When Pliny Moore came to Champlain in 1785, he encountered several refugee settlers. One was Jacques Rouse who soon established a tavern on a point of land in what is now Rouses Point. He was here only a short time and relocated to the Champlain/Chazy town line where he established a farm on land allocated to him. Prisque Asselin was another early settler. Today, his descendants in Champlain are named ‘Ashline’.
As with the original soldiers who were allocated land in the Moorsfield Grant, some of the Canadians did not settle on their awarded land. Starting in the 1790s, settlers from Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and central New York purchased lots in the refugee tract and established farms and businesses. The buying and selling of land, as well as the division of lots, continued for the first few decades of the 1800s.
Pliny Moore, born in Sheffield, Massachusetts on April 14, 1759, was a descendent of some of the first English settlers of Massachusetts. His family later moved to Spencertown and Kinderhook, New York, where he spent most of his childhood. After the Revolutionary War started, Pliny enlisted into the army in April of 1776 at the age of 17. Pliny had several enlistments and served under various commanders in the Albany area and Mohawk Valley. By 1781, he was a Lieutenant and Adjutant.
New York States Passes the Land Bounty Laws
On March 20, 1781, and March 23, 1782, New York State passed two laws to raise regiments for the defense of the state. The state pledged to give away bounties of unappropriated “wasteland” in the western and northern parts of the state as payment for a soldiers’ service. The amount of land a soldier was given depended on his rank. A non-commissioned officer and private would receive 100 acres, a captain would receive 300 acres and a colonel 500 acres. Sometimes the soldiers re-enlisted after their service ended to earn more land. For his service, each soldier was given a land certificate indicating how much land they were owed. Because Pliny was educated, good at keeping records and was well respected by his fellow soldiers, they appointed him to find and secure the lands that were due them. Twenty-two soldiers signed their first bond (agreement) with Pliny on March 21, 1782.
By the summer of 1782, Pliny Moore worked with Indian agent James Dean to help secure land in western New York. Land was not available and their attention turned to land along northern Lake Champlain. This process took another two years. Finally, Moore was given the "Smith and Graves Patent" which is most of today's town of Champlain. It is also known as the "Moorsfield Grant" or “James Dean’s &c” grant/patent.
Pliny Moore’s Surveys of Champlain – 1785 and 1786
Pliny Moore’s first survey of Champlain was in March of 1785. He hiked through Vermont and up to Champlain. Pliny and his associate, John Savage, found the original 1771 survey placed there by the King of England's survey team. This was supposed to be the 45th parallel but it would not be until 1816 before it was discovered that the survey marker was placed several thousand feet to the north and in Canada. This mistake would later cause the debacle of "Fort Blunder" in Rouses Point and only the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 would settle this. Unfortunately, Pliny Moore started his survey of Champlain in Canada. Moore created a square survey outline that was 4.25 by 4.25 miles square and 11,600 acres which was the size of his grant. The area was not settled except for a few random huts.
In the fall of 1786, Moore came back to Champlain and laid out 119 lots of mostly 100 acres. A few lots were 70 and 80 acres. He noted the condition of the land in each lot. The top lots extended into Canada.
In February of 1787, the "Great Deed" occurred and the 119 lots were divided among 17 soldiers. The lots were divided into good land and bad land and the soldiers were given both types. The Great Chazy River ran through the middle of the grant and prime land was along the river where sawmills or grist mills could be made. Unfortunately, a large amount of land in Champlain had swamp (beaver meadow) and this was not good for farming. Over the years, much of this land has been drained and is farmed now.
Most of the soldiers who were allocated land did not want to settle in Champlain as they lived in the Albany and Kinderhook areas. Pliny purchased considerable land from these soldiers and accumulated thousands of acres of land. Much of this land was in the Village of Champlain or along the Great Chazy River. Pliny would build several dams and mills along the river which were eventually deeded to his sons when he died.
Pliny Moore was an advocate for the creation of Clinton County and the Town of Champlain. Before he settled Champlain, Moore urged his state representatives to create a county and town. On March 7, 1788, “Clinton County” and the “Town of Champlain” were created as well as the towns of Plattsburgh, Willsboro and Crown Point. The law stated, in part, “And that all part of the county of Clinton, laying to the northward of the town of Plattsburgh, …shall be, and hereby is erected into a town by the name of Champlain.” At the time of its creation, Clinton County encompassed the present counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin and St. Lawrence. The Town of Champlain extended from the Vermont side of Lake Champlain (including Alburg and Isle La Motte), and extended west to the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, Vermont was established and New York reluctantly ceded Isle La Motte. In the early 1800s, Clinton County was divided several times and new counties and towns were laid out. Today, the Town of Champlain is much smaller than what it was in 1788.
In May of 1788, Pliny Moore and several former soldiers and workmen came to Champlain to build a sawmill on the Great Chazy River at Perry's Mills. William Beaumont, the uncle to the future Doctor William Beaumont, was one settler. Samuel Ashmun, the future father of Liberia's Jehudi Ashmun, was another settler. Moore’s brother-in-law, Elnathan Rogers, was another. A carpenter and blacksmith also accompanied them. The mill was built by November.
Pliny Moore settled permanently in Champlain in the winter of 1789. He brought his wife, Martha Corbin, and his newborn son Noadiah to Champlain and settled on the upper bank of the Great Chazy River. Today, his property would be at the corner of Elm and Oak Streets in the Village of Champlain. Moore built a Federal-style house in 1801 and lived there until his death in 1822. The property was later willed to his son, Pliny Jr., who continued his businesses. It was then sold to his grandson, John White Moore, and then in 1882, sold to the Charles and Elizabeth McLellan. Elizabeth was the great-granddaughter of Pliny Moore as her grandparents were Noadiah and Caroline Moore, well-known abolitionists. The McLellans owned the property for 100 years. The house standing today is a duplicate of Pliny Moore's original 1801 house. The original house burned down on April 27, 1912 and was rebuilt by Charles McLellan using the architectural drawings made by his son and future architect, Hugh McLellan, in the late 1890s. In the mid-1930s, the McLellans moved into the back cottage (addition) and rented the main house (called the “Big House”) to a funeral home. Today, the house is still used as a funeral home.
The Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugee Tract
When Pliny Moore was searching for land along Lake Champlain, he avoided the contested land in Rouses Point. A British general named Gabriel Christie had been granted this land by the King of England but New York State did not honor the grant after the Revolutionary War ended. Moore decided to start his grant three miles west of the shoreline which had not been claimed.
In the early years of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army invaded Canada and controlled Quebec City. The control was short-lived as British re-enforcements arrived and pushed the Americans back to Point au Fer, and after the Battle of Valcour on October 11, 1776, to Ticonderoga and Crown Point. During the Americans' time in Canada, several hundred Canadian men volunteered to fight the British. They fought under General Moses Hazen who was the uncle of Plattsburgh's Benjamin Mooers (also a Rev. War veteran and later a general of the militia in the War of 1812). These men were French, Scottish, English and Irish and spent time camped near Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, New York. When the war ended, the soldiers were not allowed back into Canada. They were even ex-communicated from the Catholic church. Instead, many settled on the Lake Champlain shoreline or on the banks of the Great Chazy River, the Little Chazy River and Corbeau Creek. Today, this is the eastern sides of the Town of Champlain and the Town of Chazy. These men, with their families, did not own any land and were considered refugees. They were called Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugees by the government. They built log cabins and lived their lives here for a few years.
With no land to call their own, Gen. Moses Hazen worked to get New York State to allocate land for his former soldiers. In 1784, New York State enacted Chapter 63 of the laws of that year which directed the surveyor general to “lay out such a number of townships of unappropriated and unoccupied lands for the Canadian and Nova Scotia refugees.” The allocated land consisted of 231,540 acres and became known as the Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugee Tract. The grant extended from Plattsburgh to the Canadian border and included land in the towns of Plattsburgh, Chazy, Beekmantown, Champlain and Mooers (some of these towns, in name, had not been created then). The land was divided among 252 soldiers and consisted of lots that were 420, 333 and 80 acres in size. All of Rouses Point and land on three sides of the Moorsfield Grant (which was not part of the refugee lots) was part of this grant.
When Pliny Moore came to Champlain in 1785, he encountered several refugee settlers. One was Jacques Rouse who soon established a tavern on a point of land in what is now Rouses Point. He was here only a short time and relocated to the Champlain/Chazy town line where he established a farm on land allocated to him. Prisque Asselin was another early settler. Today, his descendants in Champlain are named ‘Ashline’.
As with the original soldiers who were allocated land in the Moorsfield Grant, some of the Canadians did not settle on their awarded land. Starting in the 1790s, settlers from Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and central New York purchased lots in the refugee tract and established farms and businesses. The buying and selling of land, as well as the division of lots, continued for the first few decades of the 1800s.
Maps courtesy of a private collection.
Champlain in the Early 1800s
The early 1800s saw a large influx of settlers to Champlain. The Town of Champlain was essentially an unsettled wilderness with almost no roads. Paths to log cabins scattered throughout the wilderness became the first roads. When the town was created, officials were appointed or elected, including a highway commissioner. Many roads were surveyed (some by William Beaumont) on settlers’ lots, but other roads were cut by the settlers themselves. Elias Dewey, who purchased several refugee lots near the Canadian border, cut a path from the lakeshore to his house. This three-mile-long road is now called Prospect and Chapman Streets.
Most of the early settlers in Champlain had large families. The first-born sons were usually willed good land by their fathers, but younger children were compelled to move west in search of land and a job. In the 1830s, some Champlain residents moved to Ohio and Illinois. More Champlainers moved away to California during the Gold Rush in 1849. And others moved to the southwestern states in the late 1800s. Jacques Rouse had a couple sons who moved to Minnesota and Samuel Ashmun’s sons moved to Wisconsin. During the Gold Rush of the 1850s, Elias Dewey’s son-in-law and his children went to Marysville in the Shasta Valley in California. Noadiah Moore’s son and a few of his Champlain friends also went to Marysville, CA.
Champlain was a prosperous border town in the 1800s. Some of the residents were operators of sawmills or farms or were merchants downtown. These residents were able to build large mansions around town such as the Nye family’s Locust Hill mansion, later called the Savoy in 1930, built in 1851 by Bartlett Nye. Other large mansions were built on Oak Street north of the Pliny Moore house.
Unlike many homes in other communities in Clinton County, Champlain’s historic houses have not changed much since their construction. This is, in part, due to the building of Interstate 87. The main route to Canada was moved away from Oak Street and Meridian Road, and subsequently, Oak Street never had commercial development on it and remained a quiet residential community.
The early 1800s saw a large influx of settlers to Champlain. The Town of Champlain was essentially an unsettled wilderness with almost no roads. Paths to log cabins scattered throughout the wilderness became the first roads. When the town was created, officials were appointed or elected, including a highway commissioner. Many roads were surveyed (some by William Beaumont) on settlers’ lots, but other roads were cut by the settlers themselves. Elias Dewey, who purchased several refugee lots near the Canadian border, cut a path from the lakeshore to his house. This three-mile-long road is now called Prospect and Chapman Streets.
Most of the early settlers in Champlain had large families. The first-born sons were usually willed good land by their fathers, but younger children were compelled to move west in search of land and a job. In the 1830s, some Champlain residents moved to Ohio and Illinois. More Champlainers moved away to California during the Gold Rush in 1849. And others moved to the southwestern states in the late 1800s. Jacques Rouse had a couple sons who moved to Minnesota and Samuel Ashmun’s sons moved to Wisconsin. During the Gold Rush of the 1850s, Elias Dewey’s son-in-law and his children went to Marysville in the Shasta Valley in California. Noadiah Moore’s son and a few of his Champlain friends also went to Marysville, CA.
Champlain was a prosperous border town in the 1800s. Some of the residents were operators of sawmills or farms or were merchants downtown. These residents were able to build large mansions around town such as the Nye family’s Locust Hill mansion, later called the Savoy in 1930, built in 1851 by Bartlett Nye. Other large mansions were built on Oak Street north of the Pliny Moore house.
Unlike many homes in other communities in Clinton County, Champlain’s historic houses have not changed much since their construction. This is, in part, due to the building of Interstate 87. The main route to Canada was moved away from Oak Street and Meridian Road, and subsequently, Oak Street never had commercial development on it and remained a quiet residential community.
Franco-Americans in Champlain
The Village and Town of Champlain have a large number of residents of Franco-American descent.
During the Revolutionary War, the American army briefly occupied Quebec as far as Quebec City. A small number of men in Canada decided to enlist in the American army. They consisted of people who were of English, Scottish, Irish and French descent and they served under Gen. Moses Hazen near Poughkeepsie, NY. The soldiers had forfeited their allegiance to Canada, and in consequence, lost any property they owned. The Catholics, which consisted of French-speaking people, were excommunicated from the church. After the war, the soldiers were not allowed into Canada and settled on the Lake Champlain shoreline and along the banks of the Great Chazy River and Little Chazy River in the future Town of Champlain. They were known as refugees and were eventually awarded land by New York State. When Pliny Moore received his land grant for the Smith and Graves Patent (Moorsfield Grant), he traveled to Champlain in 1785, 1786 and 1788 to survey the land and build a sawmill. He encountered these former soldiers and their families.
Many of the refugee soldiers did not stay in the area and instead sold their land to English-speaking settlers who came from the Albany region in New York as well as from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. Others did stay and became some of the early pioneers of Champlain. Some of these people were of French descent and brought to Champlain their French-Canadian culture and Catholic religion. The first Catholic church in northern New York was established on the northern bank of the Great Chazy River in the early 1820s and was called St. Joseph’s church. The church still stands today.
Early French families in Champlain included Prisque Asselin (Presque Auseline in the 1825 Balloting Book) who founded the large Ashline family, the Gosselin family headed by Clement Gosselin (he was the recruiter of French-Canadian soldiers in Quebec to aid the Americans, retired as a major), Antoine Paulent (also spelled Paulint and Poulin but the name Poland is on his gravestone) and Jacques Rouse. Other common French refugee names include Boileau, Blanchard, Chartier, Dupre, Godreau, Paul, Trahan and others.
In the late 1830s, the Papineau War or rebellion waged just north of the border. The rebels (Patriots) were aided by the French population in Champlain and Alburg, Vt. After the war, many French families immigrated to the Champlain area. Another wave of French immigrated during the American Civil War and some men even served in the Union Army. By 1869, the Beers map shows the following French names in the town of Champlain: Amlaw, Badeau, Blow/Bleau, Matott, Peltier, St. John, Rock, Trombly as well as the very common name of Ashline. Some of the French names have multiple spellings after being anglicized or spelled phonetically.
The French population in Champlain continued to expand in the late 1800s and during the Great Depression as more families moved from Canada. The Racine family came in the late 1920s and bought a farm in Champlain.
In the early 1800s, many residents of Champlain started to move west when the American frontier opened up. Residents first moved to Ohio in the 1830s and others went to Wisconsin and Minnesota. When the Gold Rush started in California in the 1850s, young men from Champlain went in search of fortunes. Many of these settlers were the children and grandchildren of Champlain’s pioneers. One of Jacques Rouses’s sons moved to Wisconsin. Champlain abolitionist O.B. Ashmun also moved to Wisconsin; his brother Samuel Jr. moved to Michigan and worked for the American Fur Company. Another brother moved to Nebraska (all of the Ashmuns were siblings of missionary Jehudi and their father was Samuel who came with Pliny Moore to Champlain in 1788). And Charles Sailly Moore, a relative of Pliny Moore, moved his entire family to the Shasta Valley in northern California in the mid-1850s. This outflow of English-speaking people opened up land opportunities for recently arrived French-Canadians.
In the 1800s, farming was the primary occupation for most of Champlain’s residents. Many of the French settlers in Champlain were experienced farmers as their families had been farming in Canada for 200 years. They had experience growing crops in the limited time the North Country gave for planting season.
By the late 1800s, new industries had been established. In 1887, the Sheridan Iron Works opened and many men worked at the iron foundry. Common names at Sheridan included Chagnon, Coulumbe, Garceau, Gamelin, Gregoire, Lavoie, Monette, Patrie and Senecal and included multi-generational workers during the plant’s 100 years of operation. The canal boat industry also employed hundreds of workers and many were of French descent. A resident named Joseph Allore built boats and another person named Paquette captained them. Families were raised on the boats as they sailed Lake Champlain. In the winter, they still lived on the boats that were moored in the frozen rivers.
In the Village of Champlain, a large population of French settled on newly available lots in the 1850s. The northern part of Main Street west of the “upper bridge” had been surveyed for Pliny Moore Jr. in 1849 and lots were sold. That section of the village became known as the “French Village.”
Today, the French names in the Village and Town of Champlain are still numerous.
The Samuel de Champlain History Center has a large amount of reference material related to the Franco-American experience. This includes printed genealogies and cemetery record books.
Franco-American Collection: http://www.champlainhistory.org/franco-american-collection.html
During the Revolutionary War, the American army briefly occupied Quebec as far as Quebec City. A small number of men in Canada decided to enlist in the American army. They consisted of people who were of English, Scottish, Irish and French descent and they served under Gen. Moses Hazen near Poughkeepsie, NY. The soldiers had forfeited their allegiance to Canada, and in consequence, lost any property they owned. The Catholics, which consisted of French-speaking people, were excommunicated from the church. After the war, the soldiers were not allowed into Canada and settled on the Lake Champlain shoreline and along the banks of the Great Chazy River and Little Chazy River in the future Town of Champlain. They were known as refugees and were eventually awarded land by New York State. When Pliny Moore received his land grant for the Smith and Graves Patent (Moorsfield Grant), he traveled to Champlain in 1785, 1786 and 1788 to survey the land and build a sawmill. He encountered these former soldiers and their families.
Many of the refugee soldiers did not stay in the area and instead sold their land to English-speaking settlers who came from the Albany region in New York as well as from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. Others did stay and became some of the early pioneers of Champlain. Some of these people were of French descent and brought to Champlain their French-Canadian culture and Catholic religion. The first Catholic church in northern New York was established on the northern bank of the Great Chazy River in the early 1820s and was called St. Joseph’s church. The church still stands today.
Early French families in Champlain included Prisque Asselin (Presque Auseline in the 1825 Balloting Book) who founded the large Ashline family, the Gosselin family headed by Clement Gosselin (he was the recruiter of French-Canadian soldiers in Quebec to aid the Americans, retired as a major), Antoine Paulent (also spelled Paulint and Poulin but the name Poland is on his gravestone) and Jacques Rouse. Other common French refugee names include Boileau, Blanchard, Chartier, Dupre, Godreau, Paul, Trahan and others.
In the late 1830s, the Papineau War or rebellion waged just north of the border. The rebels (Patriots) were aided by the French population in Champlain and Alburg, Vt. After the war, many French families immigrated to the Champlain area. Another wave of French immigrated during the American Civil War and some men even served in the Union Army. By 1869, the Beers map shows the following French names in the town of Champlain: Amlaw, Badeau, Blow/Bleau, Matott, Peltier, St. John, Rock, Trombly as well as the very common name of Ashline. Some of the French names have multiple spellings after being anglicized or spelled phonetically.
The French population in Champlain continued to expand in the late 1800s and during the Great Depression as more families moved from Canada. The Racine family came in the late 1920s and bought a farm in Champlain.
In the early 1800s, many residents of Champlain started to move west when the American frontier opened up. Residents first moved to Ohio in the 1830s and others went to Wisconsin and Minnesota. When the Gold Rush started in California in the 1850s, young men from Champlain went in search of fortunes. Many of these settlers were the children and grandchildren of Champlain’s pioneers. One of Jacques Rouses’s sons moved to Wisconsin. Champlain abolitionist O.B. Ashmun also moved to Wisconsin; his brother Samuel Jr. moved to Michigan and worked for the American Fur Company. Another brother moved to Nebraska (all of the Ashmuns were siblings of missionary Jehudi and their father was Samuel who came with Pliny Moore to Champlain in 1788). And Charles Sailly Moore, a relative of Pliny Moore, moved his entire family to the Shasta Valley in northern California in the mid-1850s. This outflow of English-speaking people opened up land opportunities for recently arrived French-Canadians.
In the 1800s, farming was the primary occupation for most of Champlain’s residents. Many of the French settlers in Champlain were experienced farmers as their families had been farming in Canada for 200 years. They had experience growing crops in the limited time the North Country gave for planting season.
By the late 1800s, new industries had been established. In 1887, the Sheridan Iron Works opened and many men worked at the iron foundry. Common names at Sheridan included Chagnon, Coulumbe, Garceau, Gamelin, Gregoire, Lavoie, Monette, Patrie and Senecal and included multi-generational workers during the plant’s 100 years of operation. The canal boat industry also employed hundreds of workers and many were of French descent. A resident named Joseph Allore built boats and another person named Paquette captained them. Families were raised on the boats as they sailed Lake Champlain. In the winter, they still lived on the boats that were moored in the frozen rivers.
In the Village of Champlain, a large population of French settled on newly available lots in the 1850s. The northern part of Main Street west of the “upper bridge” had been surveyed for Pliny Moore Jr. in 1849 and lots were sold. That section of the village became known as the “French Village.”
Today, the French names in the Village and Town of Champlain are still numerous.
The Samuel de Champlain History Center has a large amount of reference material related to the Franco-American experience. This includes printed genealogies and cemetery record books.
Franco-American Collection: http://www.champlainhistory.org/franco-american-collection.html
Early Education in the Village of Champlain and Champlain Academy
In the early 1800s, residents in the village and town of Champlain established an academy to promote education and spread “useful knowledge”. It was the second academy established in Clinton County, the first being in Plattsburgh.
Champlain's school history starts around 1795 with the establishment of several schools around town. Between 1807 and 1810, William Beaumont (1785-1853) taught at a school house on Oak Street in the Village of Champlain. He then left for St. Albans to study medicine and was a young doctor in Plattsburgh during the War of 1812. He would later become known as the "Father of Gastric Physiology" for his study of human digestion.
In 1833, land on the Moore property on Elm Street was sold to a local group of citizens for the establishment of an academy. Building funds were raised through fundraisers such as dinners on the island ("Island Park" in the Great Chazy River). Starting in 1838, the school building was slowly erected at the corner of Elm and Prospect streets. When it was finished, it was 40x80ft in size and three stories high. It had a library (donated by the Champlain Society Library) as well as rooms for boarding students. The academy was incorporated by the NYS Regents in August of 1842. Its first trustees were Silas Hubbell, Noadiah Moore, Nathan Webb, Jabez Fitch, James M. Burroughs, Julius C. Hubbell, Robert Stetson, Lovel Dunning, Joel Savage, Daniel D.T. Moore, Dwight C. Hitchcock and Ezekiel Brisbin. The building stood for almost 50 years and burned down in January of 1887. No photos have been found of this building.
By February of 1889, a new Champlain Academy building had been erected. This building was 2 1/2 stories tall, 40x76ft in size and had a bell tower which gave it a distinctive look. At the time, the building size was viewed by some citizens as being too large because only a small percentage of the school age children in town attended school, but 15 years later, in 1905, a back addition was added by architect Hugh McLellan (1874-1963). In the 1900s, the Champlain Board of Education converted the academy to a high school. People today may have close relatives who went to this school. The building stood for 51 years and burned down on December 16, 1940. Hugh McLellan was also the architect of the new school built in 1941 across the street (which still stands).
A Timeline of Public Education In Champlain
1796 The first schoolhouse was a log building on the west side of Oak Street.
1805 The second schoolhouse was a frame structure built on Church Street and also used as a place of worship. The building was occupied by American soldiers during the War of 1812 and destroyed by fire
1815 Champlain Town was divided into five school districts. By the 1860s there would be 14 school districts. A brick building was built on the same site (Church Street) and became School No. 1. It was used or 55 years for educational, religious and civic meetings. It was destroyed by fire circa 1870.
1842 Champlain Academy, a three-story brick and stone building, was erected
at the corner of Elm and Prospect Street.
1872 A new brick schoolhouse was built on same location on Church St. but destroyed by fire in 1873. It was re-built shortly thereafter.
1884 The brick building on Church St. was sold for $1,100. to St. Mary’s Church for its parochial school with Mr. Ponchel Narcisse St. Maxens from France as teacher. Eventually this building became known as the Dumont Frozen Locker building and later housed a business called Pampalon which made church vestments. The building was abandoned and eventually needed to be taken down (circa 2010).
1887 Champlain Academy was destroyed by fire and replaced.
1940 Champlain Academy was completely destroyed by fire.
1941 A new building was completed on Elm Street in Champlain. This new school included the former one room school buildings in the Town of Champlain thus becoming Champlain Central School.
1956 Rouses Point School merges with Champlain Central School and classes continue in their respective buildings
Champlain's school history starts around 1795 with the establishment of several schools around town. Between 1807 and 1810, William Beaumont (1785-1853) taught at a school house on Oak Street in the Village of Champlain. He then left for St. Albans to study medicine and was a young doctor in Plattsburgh during the War of 1812. He would later become known as the "Father of Gastric Physiology" for his study of human digestion.
In 1833, land on the Moore property on Elm Street was sold to a local group of citizens for the establishment of an academy. Building funds were raised through fundraisers such as dinners on the island ("Island Park" in the Great Chazy River). Starting in 1838, the school building was slowly erected at the corner of Elm and Prospect streets. When it was finished, it was 40x80ft in size and three stories high. It had a library (donated by the Champlain Society Library) as well as rooms for boarding students. The academy was incorporated by the NYS Regents in August of 1842. Its first trustees were Silas Hubbell, Noadiah Moore, Nathan Webb, Jabez Fitch, James M. Burroughs, Julius C. Hubbell, Robert Stetson, Lovel Dunning, Joel Savage, Daniel D.T. Moore, Dwight C. Hitchcock and Ezekiel Brisbin. The building stood for almost 50 years and burned down in January of 1887. No photos have been found of this building.
By February of 1889, a new Champlain Academy building had been erected. This building was 2 1/2 stories tall, 40x76ft in size and had a bell tower which gave it a distinctive look. At the time, the building size was viewed by some citizens as being too large because only a small percentage of the school age children in town attended school, but 15 years later, in 1905, a back addition was added by architect Hugh McLellan (1874-1963). In the 1900s, the Champlain Board of Education converted the academy to a high school. People today may have close relatives who went to this school. The building stood for 51 years and burned down on December 16, 1940. Hugh McLellan was also the architect of the new school built in 1941 across the street (which still stands).
A Timeline of Public Education In Champlain
1796 The first schoolhouse was a log building on the west side of Oak Street.
1805 The second schoolhouse was a frame structure built on Church Street and also used as a place of worship. The building was occupied by American soldiers during the War of 1812 and destroyed by fire
1815 Champlain Town was divided into five school districts. By the 1860s there would be 14 school districts. A brick building was built on the same site (Church Street) and became School No. 1. It was used or 55 years for educational, religious and civic meetings. It was destroyed by fire circa 1870.
1842 Champlain Academy, a three-story brick and stone building, was erected
at the corner of Elm and Prospect Street.
1872 A new brick schoolhouse was built on same location on Church St. but destroyed by fire in 1873. It was re-built shortly thereafter.
1884 The brick building on Church St. was sold for $1,100. to St. Mary’s Church for its parochial school with Mr. Ponchel Narcisse St. Maxens from France as teacher. Eventually this building became known as the Dumont Frozen Locker building and later housed a business called Pampalon which made church vestments. The building was abandoned and eventually needed to be taken down (circa 2010).
1887 Champlain Academy was destroyed by fire and replaced.
1940 Champlain Academy was completely destroyed by fire.
1941 A new building was completed on Elm Street in Champlain. This new school included the former one room school buildings in the Town of Champlain thus becoming Champlain Central School.
1956 Rouses Point School merges with Champlain Central School and classes continue in their respective buildings
The Churches of the Village of Champlain
Presbyterian Church
The first church to be organized in the Town of Champlain was the Presbyterian and Congregational Church in today’s Village of Champlain. Many of Champlain’s first settlers were Congregationalists from New England and central New York. On July 13, 1802, ten men and women founded the First Presbyterian Congregational Church and Society of Champlain. They were Pliny Moore, William Savage, Martha Savage, David Savage, Ebenezer Dunning, Robert Martin, Sarah Martin, Sarah Hamilton, Jonathan Darrow and Samuel Hicks. The first trustees were Judge Pliny Moore, David Savage, Joseph Corbin, Joseph King, Ebenezer Dunning and Samuel Ashmun.
In the early years of the church, it was difficult to find ministers to preach. Most of the church’s ministers were traveling missionaries who would go from town to town and preach to paying congregations. Between these times, members of the congregation who were well read in the bible preached. This included Pliny Moore, and later, his son Noadiah. Early ministers in the Presbyterian Church were Rev. Benjamin Wooster, Rev. Amos Pettengill, Rev. Joseph Labaree, Rev. Abraham Brinkerhoff, Rev. Horatio Foote and others. Brinkerhoff Street in Plattsburgh derives its name from Abraham Brinkerhoff’s wife (daughter of Plattsburgh founder Zephania Platt) who donated land on today’s Brinkerhoff St. to the Presbyterian Church. Jehudi Ashmun, the son of Samuel Ashmun, went to college and became a Presbyterian minister. In the 1820s, he was the first governor of the country of Liberia, Africa.
Early church services were held in Pliny Moore’s house, the school house on Oak Street where the future Dr. William Beaumont taught and also on today’s Church St. where the village built a school house in 1815. But there was no church building in town that the Presbyterians could call their own. In 1829, the Presbyterians built a church at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets. The building stood until 1844 when it was burned down by an arsonist. The Presbyterians then built the “Session House” (the current Knights of Columbus Hall in the Village of Champlain) and used it for a few years while they planned their new church. The church was built in 1850 at the corner of Main and Church Streets and stood until December of 1927 when it burned down. Around 1848, the Presbyterians sold their Session House to Freeman and Bartlett Nye (F&B Nye) and the family and its descendants, the McLellans, owned it for the next 100 years. The church previously sold their land on Oak Street to Timothy Hoyle who built his house that still stands today.
In the late 1920s, the Village of Champlain’s churches and village hall had a major reshuffle of buildings. The former Champlain Village Hall was built from the ruins of a fire ravaged Presbyterian church.
On December 4, 1927, the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Main and Church Streets in Champlain caught fire and was heavily damaged. In the spring of 1928, the First Presbyterian congregation, after three votes over several weeks, decided not to rebuild their brick church, and instead, agreed to purchase the St. John’s Episcopal stone church on Oak Street where they had been having temporary services. Note that the original St. John’s church building had burned down in 1904 and was rebuilt a year later on the same spot. This is the stone church standing today.
The church building’s sale to the Presbyterians was completed on October 1, 1928 and the price was $8,000. The St. John’s congregation used the proceeds from the sale to immediately build a smaller chapel on Butternut Street which had been designed by Champlain architect Hugh McLellan. The new chapel was consecrated seven months later on May 18, 1929.
In July 1928, three months after the Presbyterians decided not to rebuild, village residents voted to purchase the ruins of the Presbyterian church and rebuild it as the village hall (called a town hall). Hugh McLellan redesigned the building with a large hall, fire station, court and jail. Sealed proposals from contractors were accepted by the village until October 6, 1928.
The new village hall was completed in only eight months and an opening celebration was held May 17, 1929. Note that the brick walls standing today are the original walls of 1849 except for the clock tower bricks which are new. The church had a bell and this was removed after the fire.
The new village hall was used for decades for civic meetings as well as basketball games, dances, parties, dinners and community exhibits. It is believed the village purchased the former Tremblay auto dealership building on Main St. (the current office) in the early 1970s. Interestingly, architect Hugh McLellan had designed this building in 1921 as a garage for Charles H. Roberts years before Tremblay bought it.
So, the Presbyterians lost a church building to fire but gained the St. Johns church stone building, St. Johns built a new chapel and the Champlain Village Hall was built out of the ruins of the original Presbyterian church. All of these buildings are standing today.
The first church to be organized in the Town of Champlain was the Presbyterian and Congregational Church in today’s Village of Champlain. Many of Champlain’s first settlers were Congregationalists from New England and central New York. On July 13, 1802, ten men and women founded the First Presbyterian Congregational Church and Society of Champlain. They were Pliny Moore, William Savage, Martha Savage, David Savage, Ebenezer Dunning, Robert Martin, Sarah Martin, Sarah Hamilton, Jonathan Darrow and Samuel Hicks. The first trustees were Judge Pliny Moore, David Savage, Joseph Corbin, Joseph King, Ebenezer Dunning and Samuel Ashmun.
In the early years of the church, it was difficult to find ministers to preach. Most of the church’s ministers were traveling missionaries who would go from town to town and preach to paying congregations. Between these times, members of the congregation who were well read in the bible preached. This included Pliny Moore, and later, his son Noadiah. Early ministers in the Presbyterian Church were Rev. Benjamin Wooster, Rev. Amos Pettengill, Rev. Joseph Labaree, Rev. Abraham Brinkerhoff, Rev. Horatio Foote and others. Brinkerhoff Street in Plattsburgh derives its name from Abraham Brinkerhoff’s wife (daughter of Plattsburgh founder Zephania Platt) who donated land on today’s Brinkerhoff St. to the Presbyterian Church. Jehudi Ashmun, the son of Samuel Ashmun, went to college and became a Presbyterian minister. In the 1820s, he was the first governor of the country of Liberia, Africa.
Early church services were held in Pliny Moore’s house, the school house on Oak Street where the future Dr. William Beaumont taught and also on today’s Church St. where the village built a school house in 1815. But there was no church building in town that the Presbyterians could call their own. In 1829, the Presbyterians built a church at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets. The building stood until 1844 when it was burned down by an arsonist. The Presbyterians then built the “Session House” (the current Knights of Columbus Hall in the Village of Champlain) and used it for a few years while they planned their new church. The church was built in 1850 at the corner of Main and Church Streets and stood until December of 1927 when it burned down. Around 1848, the Presbyterians sold their Session House to Freeman and Bartlett Nye (F&B Nye) and the family and its descendants, the McLellans, owned it for the next 100 years. The church previously sold their land on Oak Street to Timothy Hoyle who built his house that still stands today.
In the late 1920s, the Village of Champlain’s churches and village hall had a major reshuffle of buildings. The former Champlain Village Hall was built from the ruins of a fire ravaged Presbyterian church.
On December 4, 1927, the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Main and Church Streets in Champlain caught fire and was heavily damaged. In the spring of 1928, the First Presbyterian congregation, after three votes over several weeks, decided not to rebuild their brick church, and instead, agreed to purchase the St. John’s Episcopal stone church on Oak Street where they had been having temporary services. Note that the original St. John’s church building had burned down in 1904 and was rebuilt a year later on the same spot. This is the stone church standing today.
The church building’s sale to the Presbyterians was completed on October 1, 1928 and the price was $8,000. The St. John’s congregation used the proceeds from the sale to immediately build a smaller chapel on Butternut Street which had been designed by Champlain architect Hugh McLellan. The new chapel was consecrated seven months later on May 18, 1929.
In July 1928, three months after the Presbyterians decided not to rebuild, village residents voted to purchase the ruins of the Presbyterian church and rebuild it as the village hall (called a town hall). Hugh McLellan redesigned the building with a large hall, fire station, court and jail. Sealed proposals from contractors were accepted by the village until October 6, 1928.
The new village hall was completed in only eight months and an opening celebration was held May 17, 1929. Note that the brick walls standing today are the original walls of 1849 except for the clock tower bricks which are new. The church had a bell and this was removed after the fire.
The new village hall was used for decades for civic meetings as well as basketball games, dances, parties, dinners and community exhibits. It is believed the village purchased the former Tremblay auto dealership building on Main St. (the current office) in the early 1970s. Interestingly, architect Hugh McLellan had designed this building in 1921 as a garage for Charles H. Roberts years before Tremblay bought it.
So, the Presbyterians lost a church building to fire but gained the St. Johns church stone building, St. Johns built a new chapel and the Champlain Village Hall was built out of the ruins of the original Presbyterian church. All of these buildings are standing today.
Methodist Church
The growth of Church Street started in 1815 after the War of 1812 ended. Champlain's first school was built on the west side of the street in 1815 and was later known as "School No. 1" (the Town of Champlain had 14 school districts in the mid-1800s before they were consolidated). The school building burned down twice, the second time during the great fire of 1873.
Next door to the school was the house of Noadiah Moore (1788-1859), built in the early 1820s after he relocated from Main Street (his first house was where the Champlain Meeting House is today).
Also adjacent to the school house was the Methodist-Episcopal church which was founded in 1822. In 1823, the Methodists built a frame meeting house outside the village but it was physically moved to the present site of the former church building in 1830. In 1846, the building was moved again to the site of St. Mary's church and used as a residence. A new church building was built by the Methodists and stood until 1873.
In 1859, the former wooden Methodist church building was sold to the Catholics and a bell tower was added. A stone church replaced this building in 1884 and this stands today as St. Mary’s Church.
On May 6, 1873, a fire burned down Noadiah Moore's house, the school, the Methodist church and its parsonage. St. Mary's wooden church was also in danger of burning down but residents were able to put out the flying embers. The Methodist church building was rebuilt a year later and stands today (without the steeple which was removed within the past few decades). The school building was rebuilt and used by town residents before it was sold to the Catholic church in 1884 and used as a school. It was later known as the "meat locker" and was removed in 2011. Noadiah's house lot sat empty for many years before it was sold by one of his children.
The hill on Church Street has always been known as Brisbin Hill. It was named after Champlain resident Ezekiel Brisbin (1805-1856) who was a blacksmith. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. In the early days, children would sled down the hill in the winter.
The growth of Church Street started in 1815 after the War of 1812 ended. Champlain's first school was built on the west side of the street in 1815 and was later known as "School No. 1" (the Town of Champlain had 14 school districts in the mid-1800s before they were consolidated). The school building burned down twice, the second time during the great fire of 1873.
Next door to the school was the house of Noadiah Moore (1788-1859), built in the early 1820s after he relocated from Main Street (his first house was where the Champlain Meeting House is today).
Also adjacent to the school house was the Methodist-Episcopal church which was founded in 1822. In 1823, the Methodists built a frame meeting house outside the village but it was physically moved to the present site of the former church building in 1830. In 1846, the building was moved again to the site of St. Mary's church and used as a residence. A new church building was built by the Methodists and stood until 1873.
In 1859, the former wooden Methodist church building was sold to the Catholics and a bell tower was added. A stone church replaced this building in 1884 and this stands today as St. Mary’s Church.
On May 6, 1873, a fire burned down Noadiah Moore's house, the school, the Methodist church and its parsonage. St. Mary's wooden church was also in danger of burning down but residents were able to put out the flying embers. The Methodist church building was rebuilt a year later and stands today (without the steeple which was removed within the past few decades). The school building was rebuilt and used by town residents before it was sold to the Catholic church in 1884 and used as a school. It was later known as the "meat locker" and was removed in 2011. Noadiah's house lot sat empty for many years before it was sold by one of his children.
The hill on Church Street has always been known as Brisbin Hill. It was named after Champlain resident Ezekiel Brisbin (1805-1856) who was a blacksmith. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. In the early days, children would sled down the hill in the winter.
St. John’s Episcopal Church
St. John's Episcopal Church in the Village of Champlain was organized in 1852. In 1854, a wooden church was built on Oak Street (previously Moore St.) at the head of Chestnut Street (previously Matilda St.). Its early trustees included David Finley, James Smith, James Averill Esq. (father of James Averill Jr.), James M. Burroughs and others.
In the 1850s, Finley and Smith created an iron works on Cedar St. A few years later, they built the foundry buildings that would become Sheridan Iron Works (their main foundry building stills stands). Burroughs was also part of this early venture and his son or grandson was part of Sheridan through the early 1900s. James Averill Jr., who was born in 1852 when the church was founded, created the foundry that became Sheridan. He was also a member of St. John's Church.
On December 22, 1904, St. John's Church burned down. A year later, the church built a stone building which stands today. The congregation used this building for the next 25 years.
On December 4, 1927, the Presbyterian Church on Main St. burned down. Presbyterian services were temporarily held in the Episcopal church. It was at this time that a major re-shuffle of church buildings occurred.
The Presbyterians purchased St. John's stone church on October 1, 1928, and used this building for fifty or more years. The St. John's congregation used the proceeds from the sale to build their current church building on Butternut St. The new chapel was consecrated seven months later on May 18, 1929. Architect Hugh McLellan designed the new church. The village voted to buy the ruins of the Presbyterian church building and architect Hugh McLellan designed the new village hall as well. The building was completed in only eight months and an opening celebration was held on May 17, 1929.
St. John's Episcopal Church in the Village of Champlain was organized in 1852. In 1854, a wooden church was built on Oak Street (previously Moore St.) at the head of Chestnut Street (previously Matilda St.). Its early trustees included David Finley, James Smith, James Averill Esq. (father of James Averill Jr.), James M. Burroughs and others.
In the 1850s, Finley and Smith created an iron works on Cedar St. A few years later, they built the foundry buildings that would become Sheridan Iron Works (their main foundry building stills stands). Burroughs was also part of this early venture and his son or grandson was part of Sheridan through the early 1900s. James Averill Jr., who was born in 1852 when the church was founded, created the foundry that became Sheridan. He was also a member of St. John's Church.
On December 22, 1904, St. John's Church burned down. A year later, the church built a stone building which stands today. The congregation used this building for the next 25 years.
On December 4, 1927, the Presbyterian Church on Main St. burned down. Presbyterian services were temporarily held in the Episcopal church. It was at this time that a major re-shuffle of church buildings occurred.
The Presbyterians purchased St. John's stone church on October 1, 1928, and used this building for fifty or more years. The St. John's congregation used the proceeds from the sale to build their current church building on Butternut St. The new chapel was consecrated seven months later on May 18, 1929. Architect Hugh McLellan designed the new church. The village voted to buy the ruins of the Presbyterian church building and architect Hugh McLellan designed the new village hall as well. The building was completed in only eight months and an opening celebration was held on May 17, 1929.
St. Mary's Church in the Village of Champlain
In 1859, St. Mary's church was established after the establishment St. Joseph's Church in Coopersville in 1844 and St. Patrick's Church in Rouses Point in 1859.
The trustees of the new church purchased a wooden building that had been used as the Methodist church in town. The building had been moved two times: first from outside the village to where the old 1873 Methodist Church is today (across the street from today’s St. Mary's church) and then it was moved across the street to the site of today’s church and used as a residence. A few years later, the residence was purchased by St. Mary’s trustees. The new church, now called “St. Mary’s”, was dedicated on August 3, 1860. A wooden bell tower was later added.
The wooden church was used for about 25 years before it was decided that a larger church needed to be built for the growing congregation. The stone church was built in 1884 and dedicated in 1885.
After the establishment of St. Mary's Church, land for a cemetery was purchased on upper Prospect St. The St. Mary's Cemetery was opened in 1861. In later years, the 2.5-acre lot was deemed too small and a second cemetery was established at the corner of Church and South Street in 1910.
In 1859, St. Mary's church was established after the establishment St. Joseph's Church in Coopersville in 1844 and St. Patrick's Church in Rouses Point in 1859.
The trustees of the new church purchased a wooden building that had been used as the Methodist church in town. The building had been moved two times: first from outside the village to where the old 1873 Methodist Church is today (across the street from today’s St. Mary's church) and then it was moved across the street to the site of today’s church and used as a residence. A few years later, the residence was purchased by St. Mary’s trustees. The new church, now called “St. Mary’s”, was dedicated on August 3, 1860. A wooden bell tower was later added.
The wooden church was used for about 25 years before it was decided that a larger church needed to be built for the growing congregation. The stone church was built in 1884 and dedicated in 1885.
After the establishment of St. Mary's Church, land for a cemetery was purchased on upper Prospect St. The St. Mary's Cemetery was opened in 1861. In later years, the 2.5-acre lot was deemed too small and a second cemetery was established at the corner of Church and South Street in 1910.
The Underground Railroad in Champlain
Noadiah Moore's second house was on Church St. and was built in the mid-1820s. He and his wife Caroline were the last link in the Underground Railroad. His house burned down in 1873.
The Town of Champlain was the last link in the Underground Railroad to Canada. A number of leading residents in the town participated in the abolitionist movement and were part of the “Champlain Line” of the Underground Railroad.
The Champlain Line allowed for escaped slaves to flee to Canada through land or sea routes. People came to Champlain from southern New York counties or up through Vermont. People also came by steamboat, canal boat and barge down Lake Champlain. They were taken to Canada by a small network of residents.
In 1837, the abolitionist movement in New York was growing. According to Don Papson, founder of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, a number of men from Champlain signed a petition to form an anti-slavery society. He wrote: "The following men from Champlain signed the petition in 1837 calling for a convention to form a county anti-slavery society: Silas Hubbel, Noadiah Moore, J. S. Lockwood, David Savage, Cyrus Savage, H. D. Savage, George Perry, Lucien Perry, Henry Ketchum, Thos. Whipple, M. P. Perry, Wm. Fox, Ezekiel Brisbin, D. C. Hitchcock, Joel Savage, E. Loomis."
Papson also stated: "The following men were delegates from Champlain when the immediate abolitionists convened at the old stone church in Beekmantown in April of 1837 to organize the Clinton County Anti-Slavery Society: Noadiah Moore, E. Brisbin, Dr. E. S. Loomis, P. Perry, H. D. Savage, S. Ashman [Samuel Ashmun], O. B. Ashman [Orson Branch Ashmun], J. Irvin, L. Kellogg [Lorenzo Kellogg], J. H. Lockwood."
Noadiah Moore was a major participant in the Underground Railroad in Champlain. He was noted in the literature to have spent a considerable sum of his own money supporting this network. He owned a house in the Village of Champlain and conveniently owned a farm that was only hundreds of feet from the Canadian border. He took people to Canada and helped find them housing and work.
Rouses Point is located on the west shore of Lake Champlain and was the last steamboat landing before Canada. Don Papson has revealed that the landing was part of the route of the Underground Railroad. A blue and yellow historic marker was placed on Lake Street near Champlain Street.
More information about the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad can be found at the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association website.
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/champlain-line.php?page=1
More information about Clinton County in the Underground Railroad is found here.
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/clinton-county.php
A selected bibliography of research material on the Underground Railroad in the North Country has been compiled by the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/bibliography.php
Underground Railroad Links (NCUGRHA)
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/news-links.php?section=links
The Champlain Line allowed for escaped slaves to flee to Canada through land or sea routes. People came to Champlain from southern New York counties or up through Vermont. People also came by steamboat, canal boat and barge down Lake Champlain. They were taken to Canada by a small network of residents.
In 1837, the abolitionist movement in New York was growing. According to Don Papson, founder of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, a number of men from Champlain signed a petition to form an anti-slavery society. He wrote: "The following men from Champlain signed the petition in 1837 calling for a convention to form a county anti-slavery society: Silas Hubbel, Noadiah Moore, J. S. Lockwood, David Savage, Cyrus Savage, H. D. Savage, George Perry, Lucien Perry, Henry Ketchum, Thos. Whipple, M. P. Perry, Wm. Fox, Ezekiel Brisbin, D. C. Hitchcock, Joel Savage, E. Loomis."
Papson also stated: "The following men were delegates from Champlain when the immediate abolitionists convened at the old stone church in Beekmantown in April of 1837 to organize the Clinton County Anti-Slavery Society: Noadiah Moore, E. Brisbin, Dr. E. S. Loomis, P. Perry, H. D. Savage, S. Ashman [Samuel Ashmun], O. B. Ashman [Orson Branch Ashmun], J. Irvin, L. Kellogg [Lorenzo Kellogg], J. H. Lockwood."
Noadiah Moore was a major participant in the Underground Railroad in Champlain. He was noted in the literature to have spent a considerable sum of his own money supporting this network. He owned a house in the Village of Champlain and conveniently owned a farm that was only hundreds of feet from the Canadian border. He took people to Canada and helped find them housing and work.
Rouses Point is located on the west shore of Lake Champlain and was the last steamboat landing before Canada. Don Papson has revealed that the landing was part of the route of the Underground Railroad. A blue and yellow historic marker was placed on Lake Street near Champlain Street.
More information about the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad can be found at the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association website.
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/champlain-line.php?page=1
More information about Clinton County in the Underground Railroad is found here.
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/clinton-county.php
A selected bibliography of research material on the Underground Railroad in the North Country has been compiled by the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/bibliography.php
Underground Railroad Links (NCUGRHA)
https://northcountryundergroundrailroad.com/news-links.php?section=links
The Schooner and Canal Boat Industry in Champlain
The Town of Champlain was a major seaway transportation hub for over 100 years. Since the founding of Champlain in May of 1788 by Pliny Moore, Champlain’s residents and businesses used the waterways of the Great Chazy River and Lake Champlain to transport goods between the town and St. John’s in Quebec, Montreal, Whitehall, Troy and even New York City. The North Country’s abundant supply of potash, grain and timber were some of the most traded commodities. Champlain’s potash was even shipped to England in the early 1800s.
The town needed a good transportation system to ship commodities. Long before the railroad and diesel-powered truck, the most economical way to transport large quantities of heavy goods was by water. Fortunately, the Great Chazy River was navigable from Lake Champlain up to the Village of Champlain if the boats had a shallow hull.
In the 1790s and early 1800s, only a few sloops and schooners were available in Champlain as most people used canoes and small boats (called a bateaux). Sloops were also used to move passengers. It took two days to sail from St. Johns to Burlington in 1808. Passengers were also taken further south.
Trade between the US and Canada on the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River waterway prompted the Quebec government to build the 12-mile Chambly Canal to bypass the rapids on the Richelieu River. Since the time of Samuel de Champlain’s expedition to Lake Champlain in 1609, the rapids here prevented direct passage between Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. The six-foot-deep canal was started in 1831 and opened in 1843. Previous to that, the 60-mile Champlain Canal near Whitehall, NY, had opened in 1823 and connected Lake Champlain to the Hudson River. With the two canals opened, goods could be transported from the St. Lawrence River to New York City and to all ports in-between. This opened up markets as far away as Quebec City, Ottawa and New York City. Rouses Point became an important customs port for the import of goods from Canada and several docks were built to house the customs houses there.
The Moore, Nye, Hoyle and Whiteside families were some of Champlain’s earliest boat building people. They operated sawmills, gristmills, owned commercial farms and made many finished products. They needed a good supply of watercraft to move raw materials to their mills and finished products to market.
The earliest commercial boat building project probably dates to 1838. Freeman and Bartlett Nye were merchants and needed boats to ship their products to market. In 1838, they built the schooner “Champlain” and Captain George Brown sailed it between Champlain and Whitehall. It is likely the Nyes built the boat on land they owned on the north bank of the river at the end of River Street in the Village of Champlain (the site of the sewage treatment plant today). Bartlett Nye owned the property across the street where his Locust Hill house was built in 1851 (the future Savoy Hotel) and his property extended down to the north bank of the river. By 1879, this area became Kellogg and Averill’s boat yard.
In 1839, the Nyes built the schooner “General Scott” and named it after General Winfield Scott who had visited Champlain the previous year during the Papineau War in Canada. The schooner was 80 feet in length, 26 feet wide and 5 feet deep and the tonnage was 101 which made it the largest schooner on Lake Champlain at the time. Captain Brown was in command of the boat for 13 years and owned a farm on the lakeshore in Chazy. Afterwards, in 1853, Captain Stoughton was at the helm.
The “General Scott” was used to transport commodities to St. Johns and Whitehall. The boat would sometimes dock at the “Nye Dock” on the Burlington waterfront. This property was owned by Freeman and Bartlett’s brother, Isaac Nye. Isaac owned a store on Battery Street that is now known as the ‘Shanty on the Shore’ restaurant. Nye Dock has been expanded and is now known as King Street Dock.
The age of the schooner lasted from about 1825 to 1845 and coincided with the opening of the canals. By the mid-1800s, canal boats began to replace the schooners. Canal boats could hold more goods and were built to take full advantage of the size of the canals which were about 29 feet wide. The canal boats were usually pulled or pushed by tugboats powered by steam engines and could transport cargo faster than the sailing vessels which relied on a steady wind. Many canal boats were wintered on the Chazy River. The canal boats were used to transport lumber, coal, iron, mined ore, stone and merchandise.
In the 1850s, Royal C. Moore (1795-1867) and Timothy Hoyle (1822-1886) established a boat yard and wharves near the Rapids on the Great Chazy River and built and operated several canal boats. Their wharves were used to load lumber on them for shipment to markets south.
During this time Champlain had become the second largest builder of canal boats and sloops on Lake Champlain, after Essex, NY. Champlain even beat Burlington and Whitehall in the total number of boats built. Canal boats and sloops built in Champlain during this time included the “C.M. Clay” (1847, mastered by F.W. Stoughton); “G.V. Hoyle” (1849, captained by A. Roberts); the “D.D.T. Moore” (1851, captained by N. Sweet); the “J.M. Ransom” (1852, mastered by Israel Lablue); the “Francis Moor” (1852, mastered by Charles Laundry); the “T. Hoyle” (1853, captained by Alvah Sweet); the “W.H. Saxe” (1853, mastered by Harmon Laundrie); “Elmira” (1854, owner Henry C. Boardman, master Edward La Fountain); “Mary Jane” (1854, James McQuillan master), the “T.A. Silvy” (1854, mastered by J.C. Duel); the “A. Whiteside” (1857, mastered by C. Jefferson); the “James Averill” of Burlington (1864, J.W. and H.W. Brown owners, Averill Sr.) along with many other sloops, schooners and canal boats made here. The schooner “Wave” was also built in Champlain and owned and captained by Reynolds Scott. The schooner was 70 feet long, 16 feet wide and was 48 tons. Another well-known schooner seen frequently in Rouses Point was the “Water Witch.”
The biggest boat builder in Champlain in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was industrialist James Averill Jr. (1852-1917) and his business partners. James was the son of the Rouses Point attorney James Averill Esq. (1825-1903). James Jr. entered the boat building business in 1879 at the age of 27 after working as an insurance agent in Champlain. In 1883 he purchased the iron foundry on Elm Street with partner Sylvester Alonzo Kellogg (1838-1904, his wife was Averill’s sister) and the boat yard and iron foundry were both operated by “Kellogg and Averill”. It was at this time that the boat building industry in Champlain exploded. Newspaper accounts list numerous boat orders placed at the “Kellogg and Averill boat yard” in its early years. The same newspapers noted when the boats were built or released as these examples show: “Kellogg and Averill have recently launched at their yard in Champlain a steam yacht for J.G. Saunders, which was christened “Nellie F”. She was planned for fishing service and seaworthiness, and will be quite an addition to Mr. Saunders’ fleet of steam yachts now on Lake Champlain” [1885]; “Two canal boats have been launched at Averill’s boat yard within 10 days;” “G.T. Morhouse & Son: the splendid new canal boat “Chas W. Woodford,” just launched at the yard of Messrs. Kellogg & Averill, at Champlain, arrived at our dock, at Rouses Point, in tow of steam tug “Saratoga” today. The “Chas W. Woodford” is owned by our old friend Captain Moses A. Knowlton, and she is named after the genial and enterprising manager of Essex Horse Nail Co., and Mr. Woodford has reason to feel proud of his namesake, and she is one of the best built boats on the lake. We wish her and her owner, as well as the one whom she is named after, all the success possible.” [1884]
The best time to build boats was in the winter. A December 23, 1881 newspaper article noted this activity: “Boat building is booming at Champlain this winter. Joseph Biglow is building one, Joseph Allore two, and Messrs. Kellogg and Averill, four. It is now conceded by all boatmen that Champlain boats are the best built, carry more freight than any others that float in our waters.”
A December 8, 1893 article described more boat building that coming winter: “Two large barges are in process of construction at Champlain. Also, a handsome steam pleasure yacht is being built for Joseph and Louis LaFountain for use on Lake Champlain next season.” Other articles describe additional boat building: “The new steam ferry boat for the Port Henry Steam Ferry Co., is to be built this winter at Kellogg & Averill’s boat yard at Champlain. It will be 75 feet long and 30 feet beam, and will carry 300 passengers, besides loaded teams.” [1889] Other winter seasons were just as productive. In January of 1895, two barges were to be built. And in 1903, five canal boats were to be built during the winter.
By the late 1800’s, the canal boat industry in Champlain had grown tremendously and many more townspeople were involved in the boat building industry. Ship captains, deck hands and boat loaders lived in town along with the boat builders. The 1880 census listed 14 people (with 77 dependents) in Champlain who worked in boat construction and included the names of Lafountain, Lamountain, LaValley, Robert and Yarrah. These people were carpenters, calkers and sail makers. The same census listed 110 people as boatmen, sailors, captains and engineers. They had 412 dependents which is a significant number of people for a village (and town) the size of Champlain. Names included Allore, Aunchman, Coloumb, Fish, Gates, Hamelin, Lafountain (many), Laundry, Paquette, Robert, Roberts, Senecal, Yarrah and Yondaw, among others.
A 1908 government publication “Merchant Vessels of the United States” listed all of the canal boats and barges registered on Lake Champlain (most of the boats in use had been built between 1880 and 1908). The town of Champlain had 104 canal boats listed as being built since this time with many more built prior to 1880 (many were built by Averill and Kellogg). These boats include the “Henry Hoyle”, “Joseph Lamountain” (1890), “Joseph Allore” (1889), “Leon Robert”, “Armenia Allore” (1882), “J.B. Allore” (1881), “Rosy Allore” (1882), “W.C. Lafountain” (1908), “Frank W. Myers” (1904), “J.R. Myers” (1908) and “F.W. Avery” (1882) shown in a monthly photograph here. Many boats built in Champlain were registered in Plattsburgh or even in Albany and N.Y.C. Joseph A. Allard (spelled “Allore” on the boats) also built several boats including the “T.M. Leonard” (1889), “Annie Gannon” (1892), “Wm. C. Bloomingdale” (1897) and “Laura Allard” (1902). A.B. Spellman, who owned a store on Main Street in downtown Champlain, owned several boats.
In 1900, the canal boat industry in Champlain was doing remarkably well. A newspaper article from 1900 noted the desire for old and new boats: “The outlook in the towing and boating industry is unusually good, and large prices are being paid for old boats as well as new ones. Four boats are being built in the Averill boatyard at Champlain and will be launched this season.” By 1903, the boat yard was referred to as “Averill’s boat yard” as Kellogg had left the business and died a year later. By 1908, Averill was in partnership with John W. Clark (1865-1912) and the boat yard was called the “Averill & Clark Boatyard”. A 1909 newspaper article noted the boat building activity then: “Two canal boats are to be built at Averill and Clark’s boat yard this spring, a portion of the lumber has arrived, a carload of oak having been ordered from Vermont. Ten men are at work on Hon. S.C. Johnson’s houseboat, which is progressing rapidly to completion.”
The “Averill & Clark” boat yards built more than just canal boats. The boat yard also built barges, passenger boats, yachts and houseboats. In 1908, the boat yard built Walter Witherbee’s luxury houseboat “Silouan” which hosted President Taft and his family in July of 1909 during the Tercentenary celebrations in Ticonderoga and Plattsburgh. A primitive gasoline-powered automobile ferry called “The Twins” was also built. The ferry was built in 1905 for William Nelson Sweet and operated between Chazy Landing and Isle la Motte before the Rouses Point bridge was built. The ferry could hold five cars and was named for William’s twin sons Clinton and Gerald. A second 15-car ferry was built in 1916 and he named it the “Twin Boys”. This ferry ran until 1937. A 1910 newspaper article described Sweet’s ferry business: “Capt. Will. Sweet’s gasoline automobile ferry at Chazy Landing is doing a fairly remunerative business. Paring the heavy expenses for advertising and supplies profits would be normal. However, the Captain’s rates are as low as can be expected with an abundant disposition to please all comers.” The ferry was a well-known tourist location and was listed on early car maps.
Between 1910 and 1930, transportation on Lake Champlain changed dramatically. Diesel driven barges began to replace the canal boats which relied on tugs to pull them. These barges were able to transport anything the canal boats could, including oil for automobiles and heating. There was also a demand to increase the size of the vessels, but to do this, the Chambly Canal and Champlain Canal needed to be deepened. The depth of the Champlain Canal was increased from 6 feet to 12 feet but no improvements were made to the Chambly Canal which had a depth of six feet. The shallow canal created a restriction on the size of the vessels passing from the St. Lawrence to the Hudson River. Freight haulers found other ways to transport their goods, including the use of freight trucks on better maintained roads. This hastened the decline of the canal boat industry and by the late 1930s, few were seen on the Great Chazy river. This prompted the state to replace the drawbridge in Coopersville with a suspension bridge in the late 1930’s which effectively blocked large vessels and boats with tall sail masts from ever sailing up the river again. The canal boat industry disappeared completely in Champlain, and today, only a few clues to its 100-year existence remain.
In 1912, John Clark died and James Averill died in 1917 at the age of 65. At the time of his death, Averill was the vice-president and treasurer of Sheridan Iron Works, the owner of the boat yard and president of the First National Bank of Champlain. The Village of Champlain purchased some of the boat building land for the sewage treatment plant.
Averill & Clark’s Boatyard at Champlain. View on the Big Chazy River.
(Reprint from the Plattsburgh Republican, July 18, 1908).
For over a quarter of a century [since about 1883] the making of boats has been an important industry at Champlain, New York, and a large proportion of the canal boats in use on the lake made their first voyages down the big Chazy River from that town.
The boatyard, which is owned by Averill & Clark, is located in the valley on the north bank of the river [probably near Gokey Road; see note below]. During the past winter and spring two canal boats have been built, the house boat owned by Hon. Walter C. Witherbee has been completely overhauled and two gasoline engines installed, enabling her to be propelled under her own power, and a new type of gasoline ferryboat has been completed. From 20 to 30 men had been employed in the building of these boats. The work was done during the dull seasons, so that employment was furnished when it was most acceptable.
While the yards are busiest during the winter, they are in operation throughout the whole year. One boat is no sooner launched than another is ready to take its place, and so it has been for over thirty years ever since the industry was started by Kellogg and Averill.
Long experience in building canal boats has developed a system of completeness in the arrangement of the living quarters of the vessel that would with good reason excite the envy of a city flat dweller. In the few square feet available a kitchen, with its range, pantry and all equipment divides space with bedrooms, dining room and parlor. There is not an inch of space that is not utilize to advantage. The finishing of these cabins is often carried out to suit the individual taste of the owner in case the boat is being built to order, as often happens. Otherwise, the same general plan is carried through all the boats.
The Witherbee houseboat [“Silouan”] is a remarkably fine example of the designer’s skill in getting the most in comfort and convenience into a limited space. This boat is 90 feet overall and 17 feet 4 inches beam. In the center is a passageway which extends from side to side and separates the quarters into two sections. Back of this is the kitchen in the right-hand corner, and in the left-hand corner are two 10 horsepower gasoline engines which were installed during the winter. Large tanks of water are here placed and a system of pure running water extends over the entire boat. A 15 by 17-foot dining room is just forward of the kitchen. In the forward section there are 10 sleeping rooms which are models of convenience. The upper deck, which is a most important part of the houseboat, is equipped with all the appointments of the most charming and comfortable of piazzas. [President Taft was hosted on this boat in July of 1909 during the Tercentenary celebrations.]
The ferry boat built for use at Larabee’s Point is a large vessel capable of transferring two or three teams besides a large amount of freight. It is a large flat-bottomed scow with a 10 horsepower gasoline engine on either side midway of the boat. At each end is a steering paddle shaped along the natural curve of the wood.
The ferry boat was placed in commission the last of April.
The yards are under the general supervision of Mr. John W. Clark, who gives his personal attention to all work that passes through the yard. Edmund Poissant Jr. (probably 1870-1946), is the foreman of the plant and an expert boat builder.
The fact that this yard is located in Champlain makes considerable difference in the population as some fifty odd captains make their home there. Most of them own their houses and are counted as among the best and most substantial citizens of the community.
The town needed a good transportation system to ship commodities. Long before the railroad and diesel-powered truck, the most economical way to transport large quantities of heavy goods was by water. Fortunately, the Great Chazy River was navigable from Lake Champlain up to the Village of Champlain if the boats had a shallow hull.
In the 1790s and early 1800s, only a few sloops and schooners were available in Champlain as most people used canoes and small boats (called a bateaux). Sloops were also used to move passengers. It took two days to sail from St. Johns to Burlington in 1808. Passengers were also taken further south.
Trade between the US and Canada on the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River waterway prompted the Quebec government to build the 12-mile Chambly Canal to bypass the rapids on the Richelieu River. Since the time of Samuel de Champlain’s expedition to Lake Champlain in 1609, the rapids here prevented direct passage between Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. The six-foot-deep canal was started in 1831 and opened in 1843. Previous to that, the 60-mile Champlain Canal near Whitehall, NY, had opened in 1823 and connected Lake Champlain to the Hudson River. With the two canals opened, goods could be transported from the St. Lawrence River to New York City and to all ports in-between. This opened up markets as far away as Quebec City, Ottawa and New York City. Rouses Point became an important customs port for the import of goods from Canada and several docks were built to house the customs houses there.
The Moore, Nye, Hoyle and Whiteside families were some of Champlain’s earliest boat building people. They operated sawmills, gristmills, owned commercial farms and made many finished products. They needed a good supply of watercraft to move raw materials to their mills and finished products to market.
The earliest commercial boat building project probably dates to 1838. Freeman and Bartlett Nye were merchants and needed boats to ship their products to market. In 1838, they built the schooner “Champlain” and Captain George Brown sailed it between Champlain and Whitehall. It is likely the Nyes built the boat on land they owned on the north bank of the river at the end of River Street in the Village of Champlain (the site of the sewage treatment plant today). Bartlett Nye owned the property across the street where his Locust Hill house was built in 1851 (the future Savoy Hotel) and his property extended down to the north bank of the river. By 1879, this area became Kellogg and Averill’s boat yard.
In 1839, the Nyes built the schooner “General Scott” and named it after General Winfield Scott who had visited Champlain the previous year during the Papineau War in Canada. The schooner was 80 feet in length, 26 feet wide and 5 feet deep and the tonnage was 101 which made it the largest schooner on Lake Champlain at the time. Captain Brown was in command of the boat for 13 years and owned a farm on the lakeshore in Chazy. Afterwards, in 1853, Captain Stoughton was at the helm.
The “General Scott” was used to transport commodities to St. Johns and Whitehall. The boat would sometimes dock at the “Nye Dock” on the Burlington waterfront. This property was owned by Freeman and Bartlett’s brother, Isaac Nye. Isaac owned a store on Battery Street that is now known as the ‘Shanty on the Shore’ restaurant. Nye Dock has been expanded and is now known as King Street Dock.
The age of the schooner lasted from about 1825 to 1845 and coincided with the opening of the canals. By the mid-1800s, canal boats began to replace the schooners. Canal boats could hold more goods and were built to take full advantage of the size of the canals which were about 29 feet wide. The canal boats were usually pulled or pushed by tugboats powered by steam engines and could transport cargo faster than the sailing vessels which relied on a steady wind. Many canal boats were wintered on the Chazy River. The canal boats were used to transport lumber, coal, iron, mined ore, stone and merchandise.
In the 1850s, Royal C. Moore (1795-1867) and Timothy Hoyle (1822-1886) established a boat yard and wharves near the Rapids on the Great Chazy River and built and operated several canal boats. Their wharves were used to load lumber on them for shipment to markets south.
During this time Champlain had become the second largest builder of canal boats and sloops on Lake Champlain, after Essex, NY. Champlain even beat Burlington and Whitehall in the total number of boats built. Canal boats and sloops built in Champlain during this time included the “C.M. Clay” (1847, mastered by F.W. Stoughton); “G.V. Hoyle” (1849, captained by A. Roberts); the “D.D.T. Moore” (1851, captained by N. Sweet); the “J.M. Ransom” (1852, mastered by Israel Lablue); the “Francis Moor” (1852, mastered by Charles Laundry); the “T. Hoyle” (1853, captained by Alvah Sweet); the “W.H. Saxe” (1853, mastered by Harmon Laundrie); “Elmira” (1854, owner Henry C. Boardman, master Edward La Fountain); “Mary Jane” (1854, James McQuillan master), the “T.A. Silvy” (1854, mastered by J.C. Duel); the “A. Whiteside” (1857, mastered by C. Jefferson); the “James Averill” of Burlington (1864, J.W. and H.W. Brown owners, Averill Sr.) along with many other sloops, schooners and canal boats made here. The schooner “Wave” was also built in Champlain and owned and captained by Reynolds Scott. The schooner was 70 feet long, 16 feet wide and was 48 tons. Another well-known schooner seen frequently in Rouses Point was the “Water Witch.”
The biggest boat builder in Champlain in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was industrialist James Averill Jr. (1852-1917) and his business partners. James was the son of the Rouses Point attorney James Averill Esq. (1825-1903). James Jr. entered the boat building business in 1879 at the age of 27 after working as an insurance agent in Champlain. In 1883 he purchased the iron foundry on Elm Street with partner Sylvester Alonzo Kellogg (1838-1904, his wife was Averill’s sister) and the boat yard and iron foundry were both operated by “Kellogg and Averill”. It was at this time that the boat building industry in Champlain exploded. Newspaper accounts list numerous boat orders placed at the “Kellogg and Averill boat yard” in its early years. The same newspapers noted when the boats were built or released as these examples show: “Kellogg and Averill have recently launched at their yard in Champlain a steam yacht for J.G. Saunders, which was christened “Nellie F”. She was planned for fishing service and seaworthiness, and will be quite an addition to Mr. Saunders’ fleet of steam yachts now on Lake Champlain” [1885]; “Two canal boats have been launched at Averill’s boat yard within 10 days;” “G.T. Morhouse & Son: the splendid new canal boat “Chas W. Woodford,” just launched at the yard of Messrs. Kellogg & Averill, at Champlain, arrived at our dock, at Rouses Point, in tow of steam tug “Saratoga” today. The “Chas W. Woodford” is owned by our old friend Captain Moses A. Knowlton, and she is named after the genial and enterprising manager of Essex Horse Nail Co., and Mr. Woodford has reason to feel proud of his namesake, and she is one of the best built boats on the lake. We wish her and her owner, as well as the one whom she is named after, all the success possible.” [1884]
The best time to build boats was in the winter. A December 23, 1881 newspaper article noted this activity: “Boat building is booming at Champlain this winter. Joseph Biglow is building one, Joseph Allore two, and Messrs. Kellogg and Averill, four. It is now conceded by all boatmen that Champlain boats are the best built, carry more freight than any others that float in our waters.”
A December 8, 1893 article described more boat building that coming winter: “Two large barges are in process of construction at Champlain. Also, a handsome steam pleasure yacht is being built for Joseph and Louis LaFountain for use on Lake Champlain next season.” Other articles describe additional boat building: “The new steam ferry boat for the Port Henry Steam Ferry Co., is to be built this winter at Kellogg & Averill’s boat yard at Champlain. It will be 75 feet long and 30 feet beam, and will carry 300 passengers, besides loaded teams.” [1889] Other winter seasons were just as productive. In January of 1895, two barges were to be built. And in 1903, five canal boats were to be built during the winter.
By the late 1800’s, the canal boat industry in Champlain had grown tremendously and many more townspeople were involved in the boat building industry. Ship captains, deck hands and boat loaders lived in town along with the boat builders. The 1880 census listed 14 people (with 77 dependents) in Champlain who worked in boat construction and included the names of Lafountain, Lamountain, LaValley, Robert and Yarrah. These people were carpenters, calkers and sail makers. The same census listed 110 people as boatmen, sailors, captains and engineers. They had 412 dependents which is a significant number of people for a village (and town) the size of Champlain. Names included Allore, Aunchman, Coloumb, Fish, Gates, Hamelin, Lafountain (many), Laundry, Paquette, Robert, Roberts, Senecal, Yarrah and Yondaw, among others.
A 1908 government publication “Merchant Vessels of the United States” listed all of the canal boats and barges registered on Lake Champlain (most of the boats in use had been built between 1880 and 1908). The town of Champlain had 104 canal boats listed as being built since this time with many more built prior to 1880 (many were built by Averill and Kellogg). These boats include the “Henry Hoyle”, “Joseph Lamountain” (1890), “Joseph Allore” (1889), “Leon Robert”, “Armenia Allore” (1882), “J.B. Allore” (1881), “Rosy Allore” (1882), “W.C. Lafountain” (1908), “Frank W. Myers” (1904), “J.R. Myers” (1908) and “F.W. Avery” (1882) shown in a monthly photograph here. Many boats built in Champlain were registered in Plattsburgh or even in Albany and N.Y.C. Joseph A. Allard (spelled “Allore” on the boats) also built several boats including the “T.M. Leonard” (1889), “Annie Gannon” (1892), “Wm. C. Bloomingdale” (1897) and “Laura Allard” (1902). A.B. Spellman, who owned a store on Main Street in downtown Champlain, owned several boats.
In 1900, the canal boat industry in Champlain was doing remarkably well. A newspaper article from 1900 noted the desire for old and new boats: “The outlook in the towing and boating industry is unusually good, and large prices are being paid for old boats as well as new ones. Four boats are being built in the Averill boatyard at Champlain and will be launched this season.” By 1903, the boat yard was referred to as “Averill’s boat yard” as Kellogg had left the business and died a year later. By 1908, Averill was in partnership with John W. Clark (1865-1912) and the boat yard was called the “Averill & Clark Boatyard”. A 1909 newspaper article noted the boat building activity then: “Two canal boats are to be built at Averill and Clark’s boat yard this spring, a portion of the lumber has arrived, a carload of oak having been ordered from Vermont. Ten men are at work on Hon. S.C. Johnson’s houseboat, which is progressing rapidly to completion.”
The “Averill & Clark” boat yards built more than just canal boats. The boat yard also built barges, passenger boats, yachts and houseboats. In 1908, the boat yard built Walter Witherbee’s luxury houseboat “Silouan” which hosted President Taft and his family in July of 1909 during the Tercentenary celebrations in Ticonderoga and Plattsburgh. A primitive gasoline-powered automobile ferry called “The Twins” was also built. The ferry was built in 1905 for William Nelson Sweet and operated between Chazy Landing and Isle la Motte before the Rouses Point bridge was built. The ferry could hold five cars and was named for William’s twin sons Clinton and Gerald. A second 15-car ferry was built in 1916 and he named it the “Twin Boys”. This ferry ran until 1937. A 1910 newspaper article described Sweet’s ferry business: “Capt. Will. Sweet’s gasoline automobile ferry at Chazy Landing is doing a fairly remunerative business. Paring the heavy expenses for advertising and supplies profits would be normal. However, the Captain’s rates are as low as can be expected with an abundant disposition to please all comers.” The ferry was a well-known tourist location and was listed on early car maps.
Between 1910 and 1930, transportation on Lake Champlain changed dramatically. Diesel driven barges began to replace the canal boats which relied on tugs to pull them. These barges were able to transport anything the canal boats could, including oil for automobiles and heating. There was also a demand to increase the size of the vessels, but to do this, the Chambly Canal and Champlain Canal needed to be deepened. The depth of the Champlain Canal was increased from 6 feet to 12 feet but no improvements were made to the Chambly Canal which had a depth of six feet. The shallow canal created a restriction on the size of the vessels passing from the St. Lawrence to the Hudson River. Freight haulers found other ways to transport their goods, including the use of freight trucks on better maintained roads. This hastened the decline of the canal boat industry and by the late 1930s, few were seen on the Great Chazy river. This prompted the state to replace the drawbridge in Coopersville with a suspension bridge in the late 1930’s which effectively blocked large vessels and boats with tall sail masts from ever sailing up the river again. The canal boat industry disappeared completely in Champlain, and today, only a few clues to its 100-year existence remain.
In 1912, John Clark died and James Averill died in 1917 at the age of 65. At the time of his death, Averill was the vice-president and treasurer of Sheridan Iron Works, the owner of the boat yard and president of the First National Bank of Champlain. The Village of Champlain purchased some of the boat building land for the sewage treatment plant.
Averill & Clark’s Boatyard at Champlain. View on the Big Chazy River.
(Reprint from the Plattsburgh Republican, July 18, 1908).
For over a quarter of a century [since about 1883] the making of boats has been an important industry at Champlain, New York, and a large proportion of the canal boats in use on the lake made their first voyages down the big Chazy River from that town.
The boatyard, which is owned by Averill & Clark, is located in the valley on the north bank of the river [probably near Gokey Road; see note below]. During the past winter and spring two canal boats have been built, the house boat owned by Hon. Walter C. Witherbee has been completely overhauled and two gasoline engines installed, enabling her to be propelled under her own power, and a new type of gasoline ferryboat has been completed. From 20 to 30 men had been employed in the building of these boats. The work was done during the dull seasons, so that employment was furnished when it was most acceptable.
While the yards are busiest during the winter, they are in operation throughout the whole year. One boat is no sooner launched than another is ready to take its place, and so it has been for over thirty years ever since the industry was started by Kellogg and Averill.
Long experience in building canal boats has developed a system of completeness in the arrangement of the living quarters of the vessel that would with good reason excite the envy of a city flat dweller. In the few square feet available a kitchen, with its range, pantry and all equipment divides space with bedrooms, dining room and parlor. There is not an inch of space that is not utilize to advantage. The finishing of these cabins is often carried out to suit the individual taste of the owner in case the boat is being built to order, as often happens. Otherwise, the same general plan is carried through all the boats.
The Witherbee houseboat [“Silouan”] is a remarkably fine example of the designer’s skill in getting the most in comfort and convenience into a limited space. This boat is 90 feet overall and 17 feet 4 inches beam. In the center is a passageway which extends from side to side and separates the quarters into two sections. Back of this is the kitchen in the right-hand corner, and in the left-hand corner are two 10 horsepower gasoline engines which were installed during the winter. Large tanks of water are here placed and a system of pure running water extends over the entire boat. A 15 by 17-foot dining room is just forward of the kitchen. In the forward section there are 10 sleeping rooms which are models of convenience. The upper deck, which is a most important part of the houseboat, is equipped with all the appointments of the most charming and comfortable of piazzas. [President Taft was hosted on this boat in July of 1909 during the Tercentenary celebrations.]
The ferry boat built for use at Larabee’s Point is a large vessel capable of transferring two or three teams besides a large amount of freight. It is a large flat-bottomed scow with a 10 horsepower gasoline engine on either side midway of the boat. At each end is a steering paddle shaped along the natural curve of the wood.
The ferry boat was placed in commission the last of April.
The yards are under the general supervision of Mr. John W. Clark, who gives his personal attention to all work that passes through the yard. Edmund Poissant Jr. (probably 1870-1946), is the foreman of the plant and an expert boat builder.
The fact that this yard is located in Champlain makes considerable difference in the population as some fifty odd captains make their home there. Most of them own their houses and are counted as among the best and most substantial citizens of the community.
The Iron Working Industry in Champlain
The Town of Champlain has always been a major industrial hub in Clinton County. In its first 100 years since it was founded by Pliny Moore in 1785, the Great Chazy River and Corbeau Creek powered dozens of sawmills, grist mills and flax mills. Between the 1820s and 1840s, the roots of the iron industry were planted. At the same time, boat building commenced along the Great Chazy River.
The most enduring industry in Champlain was the iron foundry business. Two foundries were established in the Village of Champlain: the Champlain Agricultural Works in 1820 and a small iron foundry in 1840 that eventually evolved into the Sheridan Iron Works/Harris Graphics. The Champlain Agricultural Works was in existence for about 90 years and the foundry that became Sheridan was in existence for almost 150 years. Very few companies in the United States today can claim a 150-year existence.
Champlain Agricultural Works
Prior to the 1800s, American and European farmers used plows made of wood. In Champlain as well as throughout New York State, the most popular plow used was the Dutch plow (also called a hog plow). It consisted of a wooden plow built on a small cart with two wheels and dragged by horse or oxen. The first cast-iron plow was invented in England in 1789 and improved in the United States by several people who were issued patents.
The establishment of the iron industry in Champlain coincides with the invention and introduction of the cast-iron plow in town. The first cast-iron plow was introduced in Champlain in 1820 by James Irvin who employed it on his farm. This novel plow design caught the attention of Champlain farmers. That same year, Noadiah Moore (1788-1859), the oldest child of Judge Pliny Moore, established the “Champlain Agricultural Works” in the Village of Champlain. The foundry initially made plows, but as the farming industry became more mechanized, new types of farming implements were manufactured. The foundry was adjacent to today’s Main and Cane Streets and situated on the Great Chazy River. This was convenient as the foundry utilized the river water for power.
In the mid-1850s, Noadiah’s son, Samuel Mattocks Moore (1831-1902), took over the foundry business from his father who was approaching 60. The business was well established and built several types of plows and custom castings, including the Clipper Plow and the Peekskill Plow, both well-known plows at the time. The business later became ‘Moore and Smith’ with the addition of a new partner.
Sometime after 1872, Moore and Smith sold the foundry business to Hiram L. Doolittle (1846-1903). Doolittle operated the business for eight years, and by March of 1880, wanted to sell it. An advertisement in the local paper noted that the works had good water power, the buildings and equipment were in good order and the business was profitable.
Five years would pass before Doolittle found a buyer, and by April 24, 1885, the business was sold to William Graves (1856- ) who was born in Champlain and had a successful merchant business in Wisconsin. Graves continued to develop new types of plows and used the latest metal casting techniques and materials.
By the 1890s, Graves’ business was having difficulties and he was forced to reduce his employees and close temporarily. By the early 1900’s, the foundry manufactured road scrapers, two-horse pulverizers, cultivators, potato hoes and steel plows and feed and litter carriers. It closed shortly afterwards.
The most enduring industry in Champlain was the iron foundry business. Two foundries were established in the Village of Champlain: the Champlain Agricultural Works in 1820 and a small iron foundry in 1840 that eventually evolved into the Sheridan Iron Works/Harris Graphics. The Champlain Agricultural Works was in existence for about 90 years and the foundry that became Sheridan was in existence for almost 150 years. Very few companies in the United States today can claim a 150-year existence.
Champlain Agricultural Works
Prior to the 1800s, American and European farmers used plows made of wood. In Champlain as well as throughout New York State, the most popular plow used was the Dutch plow (also called a hog plow). It consisted of a wooden plow built on a small cart with two wheels and dragged by horse or oxen. The first cast-iron plow was invented in England in 1789 and improved in the United States by several people who were issued patents.
The establishment of the iron industry in Champlain coincides with the invention and introduction of the cast-iron plow in town. The first cast-iron plow was introduced in Champlain in 1820 by James Irvin who employed it on his farm. This novel plow design caught the attention of Champlain farmers. That same year, Noadiah Moore (1788-1859), the oldest child of Judge Pliny Moore, established the “Champlain Agricultural Works” in the Village of Champlain. The foundry initially made plows, but as the farming industry became more mechanized, new types of farming implements were manufactured. The foundry was adjacent to today’s Main and Cane Streets and situated on the Great Chazy River. This was convenient as the foundry utilized the river water for power.
In the mid-1850s, Noadiah’s son, Samuel Mattocks Moore (1831-1902), took over the foundry business from his father who was approaching 60. The business was well established and built several types of plows and custom castings, including the Clipper Plow and the Peekskill Plow, both well-known plows at the time. The business later became ‘Moore and Smith’ with the addition of a new partner.
Sometime after 1872, Moore and Smith sold the foundry business to Hiram L. Doolittle (1846-1903). Doolittle operated the business for eight years, and by March of 1880, wanted to sell it. An advertisement in the local paper noted that the works had good water power, the buildings and equipment were in good order and the business was profitable.
Five years would pass before Doolittle found a buyer, and by April 24, 1885, the business was sold to William Graves (1856- ) who was born in Champlain and had a successful merchant business in Wisconsin. Graves continued to develop new types of plows and used the latest metal casting techniques and materials.
By the 1890s, Graves’ business was having difficulties and he was forced to reduce his employees and close temporarily. By the early 1900’s, the foundry manufactured road scrapers, two-horse pulverizers, cultivators, potato hoes and steel plows and feed and litter carriers. It closed shortly afterwards.
Sheridan Iron Works
The story of the Sheridan Iron Works in the Village of Champlain starts forty-seven years before Sheridan. In 1840, businessman Thomas Whiteside built a small foundry on Cedar Street in downtown Champlain. In 1847, he leased it to David Finley and James Smith and it was known as the "Finley and Smith" foundry. The Samuel de Champlain History Center owns an iron implement with this name forged on it.
In 1854, a fire burned down the foundry and it was rebuilt at the site of the future Sheridan Iron Works on Elm Street. A number of local businessmen funded the rebuilding of the large foundry and machine shop. Today, these men would be called entrepreneurs. This machine shop still stands today and is utilized by a business. It is seen in many photos of the early Sheridan Iron Works.
Over the next 20 years, the iron foundry changed names and ownership. It was "David Finley & Co." for about 15 years and then the "H.W. Clark & Co." In 1880, Clark put the company up for sale as his partners had either died or wanted to exit the business. The foundry was eventually sold in 1883 to James Averill Jr. who was an insurance salesman and canal boat builder in Champlain.
Averill changed the focus of the iron foundry and found a niche in making bookbinding equipment. This caught the eye of the T.W. and C.B. Sheridan Co. in New York City. The Sheridans needed an iron foundry and bought a fifty-percent stake in the company. They soon bought the other half and invested heavily in the Champlain business. The foundry became known as the Sheridan Iron Works. James Averill Jr. continued to work at the foundry as secretary and treasurer until his death in 1917. Several generations of Burroughs also worked for the foundry from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.
The Sheridans employed a Swede named Alfred Bredenberg who had a natural talent with designing mechanical equipment. It was said that he came from a family who worked with iron for 300 years. He quickly became Chief Engineer in Champlain. Other Bredenberg relatives worked at Sheridan including Isaac Bredenberg and his son Oscar Bredenberg who later became the plant manager for 20 years. He had worked at Sheridan for 49 years. A Victor Bredenberg was an engineer.
The Sheridan company made many types of book binding equipment, presses and paper cutters. These machines were huge and weighed thousands of pounds. One of its heavily advertised products was the Sheridan Perfection paper cutter. It was billed as a “rapid, powerful and accurate” paper cutter that was less expensive than a second paper cutter the company manufactured. Another machine that was heavily marketed in 1910 was the “Sheridan Perfect Binder.” Alfred Bredenberg and Charles W. Lovell had patented an early version of this machine in 1892, eighteen years earlier. This was a similar machine and was operated by three people standing at various points along the 18 ft. long machine. A series of 30 jaws moved through the machine and one operator placed the set of papers in between these jaws where it was clamped. Small circular saws then roughed up the edge of the paper and glue was applied to the seam. A cover was pressed onto the spine and the magazine or book was later trimmed. The machine was supposed to be able to bind up to 2,000 magazines or books per hour. In 1910, Sheridan also made well-known folding machines, rotary cutting machines, a case-making machine (which made cloth cases up to 11x17 in size, and 1,000 cases per hour). Interestingly, a description of the machine said it was operated by one man and a boy or girl helper. Sheridan also made a quality arch book press. This was a machine that compressed a cover onto a book using glue and very high pressure. It was also able to emboss designs on the covers which gave the lettering a raised look.
During World War II, Sheridan’s mission changed. Instead of making bookbinding equipment, the company was retooled to make presses, stretching machines and sheet metal benders for use in the aircraft industry. Oscar Bredenberg was plant manager at the time. A young engineer named John T. Zurlo also worked at the plant and was quickly rising through the management ranks.
In June of 1958, Oscar Bredenberg retired and John T. Zurlo became plant manager. He would continue in this position until his retirement in 1972.
In 1964, Harris-Intertype Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, purchased Sheridan. The plant was now part of the Bindery Systems Division and became known as Harris Graphics or Harris Bindery. The plant was still unofficially called Sheridan as newspaper stories from the 1970’s indicate. Harris was a worldwide leader in bookbinding equipment and now the Champlain plant had access to Harris’ engineering expertise and worldwide network of sales sites and customers.
The complexity and speed of the book binding machines increased rapidly during the 100 years the Sheridan/Harrris plant made binders. When Averill made book binders in 1887, they were operated by hand. In the early 1900s, they were belt driven and more automated but still required up to three people to run the machine. By the mid-1900s, the binders were driven by compressed air, hydraulics and AC motors. And by the late 1970s, when Harris owned the foundry, the binders were computer controlled and had jam sensors throughout the machine that could detect and eject a defective item without slowing the machine. These modern machines could bind 10,000 books per hour instead of the 2,000 books processed by a 1910 machine.
By 1979, the Harris bindery in Champlain made several types of binders. It built a 6,000 book per hour perfect binder that was used to bind the National Geographic, Reader’s Digest and large city telephone books. A book and magazine saddle stitch binder were built that could bind 13,000 items per hour. This system primarily bound TV Guide and many popular magazines. Harris also made a newspaper inserter that could insert five fliers in up to 40,000 newspapers per hour. The New York Times, Washington Post and other large city newspapers used these inserters. Almost every major newspaper and magazine publication in the United States was bound using Sheridan equipment.
In 1987, Harris Corp. was bought by several banks and the Champlain division was shut down over a period of a year. Employees were offered jobs in the smaller Ohio plant which made the same equipment but the workers here said it was not the same environment.
Today, several tenants rent different parts of the old Sheridan/Harris complex, including Modern Mechanical. The original 1854 machine shop building is still in use today.
The story of the Sheridan Iron Works in the Village of Champlain starts forty-seven years before Sheridan. In 1840, businessman Thomas Whiteside built a small foundry on Cedar Street in downtown Champlain. In 1847, he leased it to David Finley and James Smith and it was known as the "Finley and Smith" foundry. The Samuel de Champlain History Center owns an iron implement with this name forged on it.
In 1854, a fire burned down the foundry and it was rebuilt at the site of the future Sheridan Iron Works on Elm Street. A number of local businessmen funded the rebuilding of the large foundry and machine shop. Today, these men would be called entrepreneurs. This machine shop still stands today and is utilized by a business. It is seen in many photos of the early Sheridan Iron Works.
Over the next 20 years, the iron foundry changed names and ownership. It was "David Finley & Co." for about 15 years and then the "H.W. Clark & Co." In 1880, Clark put the company up for sale as his partners had either died or wanted to exit the business. The foundry was eventually sold in 1883 to James Averill Jr. who was an insurance salesman and canal boat builder in Champlain.
Averill changed the focus of the iron foundry and found a niche in making bookbinding equipment. This caught the eye of the T.W. and C.B. Sheridan Co. in New York City. The Sheridans needed an iron foundry and bought a fifty-percent stake in the company. They soon bought the other half and invested heavily in the Champlain business. The foundry became known as the Sheridan Iron Works. James Averill Jr. continued to work at the foundry as secretary and treasurer until his death in 1917. Several generations of Burroughs also worked for the foundry from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.
The Sheridans employed a Swede named Alfred Bredenberg who had a natural talent with designing mechanical equipment. It was said that he came from a family who worked with iron for 300 years. He quickly became Chief Engineer in Champlain. Other Bredenberg relatives worked at Sheridan including Isaac Bredenberg and his son Oscar Bredenberg who later became the plant manager for 20 years. He had worked at Sheridan for 49 years. A Victor Bredenberg was an engineer.
The Sheridan company made many types of book binding equipment, presses and paper cutters. These machines were huge and weighed thousands of pounds. One of its heavily advertised products was the Sheridan Perfection paper cutter. It was billed as a “rapid, powerful and accurate” paper cutter that was less expensive than a second paper cutter the company manufactured. Another machine that was heavily marketed in 1910 was the “Sheridan Perfect Binder.” Alfred Bredenberg and Charles W. Lovell had patented an early version of this machine in 1892, eighteen years earlier. This was a similar machine and was operated by three people standing at various points along the 18 ft. long machine. A series of 30 jaws moved through the machine and one operator placed the set of papers in between these jaws where it was clamped. Small circular saws then roughed up the edge of the paper and glue was applied to the seam. A cover was pressed onto the spine and the magazine or book was later trimmed. The machine was supposed to be able to bind up to 2,000 magazines or books per hour. In 1910, Sheridan also made well-known folding machines, rotary cutting machines, a case-making machine (which made cloth cases up to 11x17 in size, and 1,000 cases per hour). Interestingly, a description of the machine said it was operated by one man and a boy or girl helper. Sheridan also made a quality arch book press. This was a machine that compressed a cover onto a book using glue and very high pressure. It was also able to emboss designs on the covers which gave the lettering a raised look.
During World War II, Sheridan’s mission changed. Instead of making bookbinding equipment, the company was retooled to make presses, stretching machines and sheet metal benders for use in the aircraft industry. Oscar Bredenberg was plant manager at the time. A young engineer named John T. Zurlo also worked at the plant and was quickly rising through the management ranks.
In June of 1958, Oscar Bredenberg retired and John T. Zurlo became plant manager. He would continue in this position until his retirement in 1972.
In 1964, Harris-Intertype Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, purchased Sheridan. The plant was now part of the Bindery Systems Division and became known as Harris Graphics or Harris Bindery. The plant was still unofficially called Sheridan as newspaper stories from the 1970’s indicate. Harris was a worldwide leader in bookbinding equipment and now the Champlain plant had access to Harris’ engineering expertise and worldwide network of sales sites and customers.
The complexity and speed of the book binding machines increased rapidly during the 100 years the Sheridan/Harrris plant made binders. When Averill made book binders in 1887, they were operated by hand. In the early 1900s, they were belt driven and more automated but still required up to three people to run the machine. By the mid-1900s, the binders were driven by compressed air, hydraulics and AC motors. And by the late 1970s, when Harris owned the foundry, the binders were computer controlled and had jam sensors throughout the machine that could detect and eject a defective item without slowing the machine. These modern machines could bind 10,000 books per hour instead of the 2,000 books processed by a 1910 machine.
By 1979, the Harris bindery in Champlain made several types of binders. It built a 6,000 book per hour perfect binder that was used to bind the National Geographic, Reader’s Digest and large city telephone books. A book and magazine saddle stitch binder were built that could bind 13,000 items per hour. This system primarily bound TV Guide and many popular magazines. Harris also made a newspaper inserter that could insert five fliers in up to 40,000 newspapers per hour. The New York Times, Washington Post and other large city newspapers used these inserters. Almost every major newspaper and magazine publication in the United States was bound using Sheridan equipment.
In 1987, Harris Corp. was bought by several banks and the Champlain division was shut down over a period of a year. Employees were offered jobs in the smaller Ohio plant which made the same equipment but the workers here said it was not the same environment.
Today, several tenants rent different parts of the old Sheridan/Harris complex, including Modern Mechanical. The original 1854 machine shop building is still in use today.
Downtown Main Street, Village of Champlain
Champlain Hall, Nye Block
This is the oldest known photograph of Main Street and was taken in 1872. It shows the two Nye Block buildings in their original form. A description of the signage on each building is noted starting from the left: A large flag hangs on the building to the left of the Doolittle building and reads “Grant & Wilson”. This refers to the election of 1872 when Ulysses S. Grant ran for president with Henry Wilson (they won). To the right of the flag is a smaller sign hanging: “GRANT AND WILSON / CLUB ROOMS.” Below this sign are smaller signs: “J. H. WILSON / DENTIST”, “J. H. MOORE & Co.” (awning), and the pyramid style barber pole of Henry S. Milliette. In the Champlain Hall building is the law office of Averill and Kellogg (ground floor). This was the law office of Sylvester Alonzo Kellogg and James Averill (Sr.). Kellogg and Averill's son, James Averill Jr., were the investors of the machine shop that became Sheridan Iron Works in 1887. Averill Jr. was also a canal boat builder and insurance salesman. Also shown is “S. McDOWELL / AUCTIONEER”. The Nye building on the right shows the “CHANNELL & SMITH” store which sold groceries and provisions. Also shown is the business of “JOHN PATNODE / HAIR DRESSING SALOON.”
This is the oldest known photograph of Main Street and was taken in 1872. It shows the two Nye Block buildings in their original form. A description of the signage on each building is noted starting from the left: A large flag hangs on the building to the left of the Doolittle building and reads “Grant & Wilson”. This refers to the election of 1872 when Ulysses S. Grant ran for president with Henry Wilson (they won). To the right of the flag is a smaller sign hanging: “GRANT AND WILSON / CLUB ROOMS.” Below this sign are smaller signs: “J. H. WILSON / DENTIST”, “J. H. MOORE & Co.” (awning), and the pyramid style barber pole of Henry S. Milliette. In the Champlain Hall building is the law office of Averill and Kellogg (ground floor). This was the law office of Sylvester Alonzo Kellogg and James Averill (Sr.). Kellogg and Averill's son, James Averill Jr., were the investors of the machine shop that became Sheridan Iron Works in 1887. Averill Jr. was also a canal boat builder and insurance salesman. Also shown is “S. McDOWELL / AUCTIONEER”. The Nye building on the right shows the “CHANNELL & SMITH” store which sold groceries and provisions. Also shown is the business of “JOHN PATNODE / HAIR DRESSING SALOON.”
Left: Champlain Hall and its twin building show several stores on the ground floor.
Right: In the early 1920s, the Champlain Masonic Lodge #237 purchased the Champlain Hall building and converted the upstairs hall to a meeting room. The Masons owned this building until their chapter disbanded due to the death of its members, possibly in the 2000s.
Right: In the early 1920s, the Champlain Masonic Lodge #237 purchased the Champlain Hall building and converted the upstairs hall to a meeting room. The Masons owned this building until their chapter disbanded due to the death of its members, possibly in the 2000s.
Champlain House
The 'Champlain House' on Main St. in the Village of Champlain. The hotel was built by brothers Freeman and Bartlett Nye (the firm of F&B Nye) in 1848-1849 and was open by 1850. This coincided with the arrival of the railroad in Champlain. The building stood until the early 2000s. This is another good photo of the hotel, taken c1904-1909. Several other photos of the hotel have been posted.
Freeman Nye (1791-1877) was a War of 1812 veteran who came from Burlington prior to 1820. His younger brother Bartlett (1799-1857) arrived a few years later. Their father Elias was a Revolutionary War. The family came from Plympton/Plymouth, Mass. c1806 and were descendants of Richard Warren who sailed on the Mayflower. The Elias Nye house is supposed to still stand in Burlington on Champlain Street and is one of the oldest houses in Burlington. Elias had owned waterfront property and a dock called "Nye Dock" which has been expanded and is now named "King Street Dock." A son inherited this property. Elias and his wife are buried in Burlington.
Freeman lived in a large estate in Lacolle where the I-87 border crossing is today. His house, store and barns stood for 80 years and were removed or burned down in the early 1900s. In 1851, Bartlett Nye built the brick house on Elm St. that was called "Locust Hill." In the 1930s, it became the "Savoy Hotel" and many Sheridan parties were held in the main house and former horse barn (later a bar).
The firm of F&B Nye owned many farms and properties in the village and town of Champlain as well as in Lacolle. Bartlett Nye built Champlain's first schooners at the end of River Street (where the sewage treatment plant is today.) The schooners "Champlain," "Wave" and "Gen. Scott" (built in 1839) transported lumber and goods to and from Champlain, St. John's (Quebec) and Whitehall, NY. and the operation employed many Champlain residents. Years later, Champlain became a major canal boat building site when James Averill Jr. entered the business.
Freeman and Bartlett Nye's sister Ruth also lived in Champlain and Lacolle and a brother named Thomas was a lawyer in Montreal all of his life (he was an early graduate of UVM). Another sister named Elizabeth lived in Lacolle and married Lieut. Col. Robert Hoyle and brother Isaac was a merchant in Burlington who ran a wharf. All of the Nye siblings are buried in Champlain.
The 'Champlain House' on Main St. in the Village of Champlain. The hotel was built by brothers Freeman and Bartlett Nye (the firm of F&B Nye) in 1848-1849 and was open by 1850. This coincided with the arrival of the railroad in Champlain. The building stood until the early 2000s. This is another good photo of the hotel, taken c1904-1909. Several other photos of the hotel have been posted.
Freeman Nye (1791-1877) was a War of 1812 veteran who came from Burlington prior to 1820. His younger brother Bartlett (1799-1857) arrived a few years later. Their father Elias was a Revolutionary War. The family came from Plympton/Plymouth, Mass. c1806 and were descendants of Richard Warren who sailed on the Mayflower. The Elias Nye house is supposed to still stand in Burlington on Champlain Street and is one of the oldest houses in Burlington. Elias had owned waterfront property and a dock called "Nye Dock" which has been expanded and is now named "King Street Dock." A son inherited this property. Elias and his wife are buried in Burlington.
Freeman lived in a large estate in Lacolle where the I-87 border crossing is today. His house, store and barns stood for 80 years and were removed or burned down in the early 1900s. In 1851, Bartlett Nye built the brick house on Elm St. that was called "Locust Hill." In the 1930s, it became the "Savoy Hotel" and many Sheridan parties were held in the main house and former horse barn (later a bar).
The firm of F&B Nye owned many farms and properties in the village and town of Champlain as well as in Lacolle. Bartlett Nye built Champlain's first schooners at the end of River Street (where the sewage treatment plant is today.) The schooners "Champlain," "Wave" and "Gen. Scott" (built in 1839) transported lumber and goods to and from Champlain, St. John's (Quebec) and Whitehall, NY. and the operation employed many Champlain residents. Years later, Champlain became a major canal boat building site when James Averill Jr. entered the business.
Freeman and Bartlett Nye's sister Ruth also lived in Champlain and Lacolle and a brother named Thomas was a lawyer in Montreal all of his life (he was an early graduate of UVM). Another sister named Elizabeth lived in Lacolle and married Lieut. Col. Robert Hoyle and brother Isaac was a merchant in Burlington who ran a wharf. All of the Nye siblings are buried in Champlain.
Allason Block
The American House was one of several houses or hotels on Main St. in the Village of Champlain that was built when the railroad opened around 1850. The building block was known as the "Allason Block" and Jane Allason owned it in the early 1860s. After the St. Albans Raid during the Civil War, Union soldiers were quartered in the unoccupied building as there was a belief that Champlain would see a similar raid. Afterwards, the Masonic Lodge #237 rented the third story. In the 1890s, the “H.C. Deal” store, the “W. Graves” store and William Maynard’s meat market were in the building (the meat market was in the basement, see basement door now sealed). Deal also sold insurance and furniture. After Prohibition ended, the building hosted cocktails and dancing into the 1960s. In the 1990’s, a fire damaged the third floor and it was partially removed. The building now has apartments.
The American House was one of several houses or hotels on Main St. in the Village of Champlain that was built when the railroad opened around 1850. The building block was known as the "Allason Block" and Jane Allason owned it in the early 1860s. After the St. Albans Raid during the Civil War, Union soldiers were quartered in the unoccupied building as there was a belief that Champlain would see a similar raid. Afterwards, the Masonic Lodge #237 rented the third story. In the 1890s, the “H.C. Deal” store, the “W. Graves” store and William Maynard’s meat market were in the building (the meat market was in the basement, see basement door now sealed). Deal also sold insurance and furniture. After Prohibition ended, the building hosted cocktails and dancing into the 1960s. In the 1990’s, a fire damaged the third floor and it was partially removed. The building now has apartments.
Left: The circa 1890 photograph shows the “H.C. Deal” store, the “W. Graves” store and William Maynard’s meat market in the building’s basement. The business was run by William Willis Maynard (1841-1904) who was the great-grandfather of Marshall and Beverly Maynard. Perhaps he is standing at the doorway.
Right: A very good view of the Allason Block on Main Street at Cedar Street in the late 1800s. In the mid-1900s, it was known as the “American House.” The building was one of several houses or hotels on Main St. in the Village of Champlain that was built when the railroad opened around 1850. The building was built before 1862 by William B. Allason (1820-1862). After he died, his wife Jane Allason managed the building. After the St. Albans Raid during the Civil War, Union soldiers were quartered in the unoccupied building as there was a belief that Champlain would see a similar raid. Afterwards, the Masonic Lodge #237 rented the third story. In the 1890s, the “H.C. Deal” store, the “W. Graves” store and William Maynard’s meat market were in the building (the meat market was in the basement, see basement door now sealed). Deal also sold insurance and furniture. After Prohibition ended, the building hosted cocktails and dancing into the 1960s. In the 1990’s, a fire damaged the third floor and it was partially removed. The building now has apartments.
Right: A very good view of the Allason Block on Main Street at Cedar Street in the late 1800s. In the mid-1900s, it was known as the “American House.” The building was one of several houses or hotels on Main St. in the Village of Champlain that was built when the railroad opened around 1850. The building was built before 1862 by William B. Allason (1820-1862). After he died, his wife Jane Allason managed the building. After the St. Albans Raid during the Civil War, Union soldiers were quartered in the unoccupied building as there was a belief that Champlain would see a similar raid. Afterwards, the Masonic Lodge #237 rented the third story. In the 1890s, the “H.C. Deal” store, the “W. Graves” store and William Maynard’s meat market were in the building (the meat market was in the basement, see basement door now sealed). Deal also sold insurance and furniture. After Prohibition ended, the building hosted cocktails and dancing into the 1960s. In the 1990’s, a fire damaged the third floor and it was partially removed. The building now has apartments.
The Pliny Fiske Dunning House and Business
This Venetian Villa house stands today at the corner of Oak and Maple Streets in the Village of Champlain. The late author, Prof. Allan Everest, stated in a book that a similar looking house on Oak Street (the Loring Hubbell brick house that stood across from Glenwood Cemetery, now removed) was of the Italianate style. Both houses have/had a double window cupola and elaborately carved cornice supported by single or double brackets. According to folklore, this house may have been built by the same builder. In 1869, the house was owned by Pliny Fiske Dunning (1833-1875), a.k.a., P.F. Dunning.
Pliny was the son of Lovell Dunning (1798-1879) and Sarah Daily Dunning (1801-1872) who are both buried in Glenwood Cemetery. Lovell lived on a 100-acre farm on the west side of Rt. 9 (lots 92 & 93) just north of McCrea Rd where Deso Concrete is today. He also owned a house on Church St. near Pine St. in 1856. In 1842, he was one of the first trustees to establish the Champlain Academy on Elm St.
Lovell's father was Capt. Ebenezer Dunning (1761-1838) who moved from Connecticut to Saratoga before coming to Champlain in 1797 where son Lovell was born. Ebenezer was part of a large migration of settlers who came to Champlain from central New York, Vermont and Connecticut in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Ebenezer also had sons Uriah H., who was a doctor, and Ira, who was a minister. Ebenezer was one of the first trustees of the Champlain Congregational-Presbyterian Church which was established in 1802. He was also a militia captain in the brigade of Gen. Benjamin Mooers in 1804. Ebenezer moved back to Saratoga (Milton, NY) after the War of 1812 and died there. His father, also a Revolutionary War soldier, is buried in nearby Malta in a large cemetery called Dunning Cemetery on Dunning Street. This cemetery is between I-87 and Rt. 9. Ebenezer might be buried here but there is no record of it. His wife died a year later in Castleton, Vt. and it is unknown where she is buried.
P.F. Dunning had at least two siblings, including George E. Dunning who was five years older. George operated a successful hardware store on either Cedar St. (Second St.) or Main St. (where the shop of Ma Dupee was at during the 1950s) and his business was called "G.E. Dunning & Co." On April 4, 1863, George dissolved his business and reformed it with his brother. It was now called "G.E. & P.F. Dunning." The hardware business did well and the brothers prospered. This enabled Pliny to build the stately brick house on Oak Street. George’s house still stands at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets and is of a different style.
In 1862, P.F. Dunning was the town clerk. Brother George E. was the town supervisor starting in 1860.
In February of 1871, P.F. Dunning lost his left hand when his gun accidently discharged. Doctors William S. Daggett and Julius Churchill (who was profiled recently) performed the amputation.
P.F. Dunning died on September 2, 1875, at the young age of 43. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. His brother George E. died in 1881 and is also in Glenwood.
In 1876, P.F. Dunning's estate, administered by his wife Margaret (1837-1913) and brother George E., advertised the property to be sold. The estate included a number of highly prized horses and colts as well as cattle. In 1883, the house was sold at foreclosure at the office of attorney W.H. Dunn.
As noted, P.F. Dunning’s house still stands on Oak St. The large barn shown behind the house was removed over 10 years ago and a modern garage was built.
This Venetian Villa house stands today at the corner of Oak and Maple Streets in the Village of Champlain. The late author, Prof. Allan Everest, stated in a book that a similar looking house on Oak Street (the Loring Hubbell brick house that stood across from Glenwood Cemetery, now removed) was of the Italianate style. Both houses have/had a double window cupola and elaborately carved cornice supported by single or double brackets. According to folklore, this house may have been built by the same builder. In 1869, the house was owned by Pliny Fiske Dunning (1833-1875), a.k.a., P.F. Dunning.
Pliny was the son of Lovell Dunning (1798-1879) and Sarah Daily Dunning (1801-1872) who are both buried in Glenwood Cemetery. Lovell lived on a 100-acre farm on the west side of Rt. 9 (lots 92 & 93) just north of McCrea Rd where Deso Concrete is today. He also owned a house on Church St. near Pine St. in 1856. In 1842, he was one of the first trustees to establish the Champlain Academy on Elm St.
Lovell's father was Capt. Ebenezer Dunning (1761-1838) who moved from Connecticut to Saratoga before coming to Champlain in 1797 where son Lovell was born. Ebenezer was part of a large migration of settlers who came to Champlain from central New York, Vermont and Connecticut in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Ebenezer also had sons Uriah H., who was a doctor, and Ira, who was a minister. Ebenezer was one of the first trustees of the Champlain Congregational-Presbyterian Church which was established in 1802. He was also a militia captain in the brigade of Gen. Benjamin Mooers in 1804. Ebenezer moved back to Saratoga (Milton, NY) after the War of 1812 and died there. His father, also a Revolutionary War soldier, is buried in nearby Malta in a large cemetery called Dunning Cemetery on Dunning Street. This cemetery is between I-87 and Rt. 9. Ebenezer might be buried here but there is no record of it. His wife died a year later in Castleton, Vt. and it is unknown where she is buried.
P.F. Dunning had at least two siblings, including George E. Dunning who was five years older. George operated a successful hardware store on either Cedar St. (Second St.) or Main St. (where the shop of Ma Dupee was at during the 1950s) and his business was called "G.E. Dunning & Co." On April 4, 1863, George dissolved his business and reformed it with his brother. It was now called "G.E. & P.F. Dunning." The hardware business did well and the brothers prospered. This enabled Pliny to build the stately brick house on Oak Street. George’s house still stands at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets and is of a different style.
In 1862, P.F. Dunning was the town clerk. Brother George E. was the town supervisor starting in 1860.
In February of 1871, P.F. Dunning lost his left hand when his gun accidently discharged. Doctors William S. Daggett and Julius Churchill (who was profiled recently) performed the amputation.
P.F. Dunning died on September 2, 1875, at the young age of 43. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery. His brother George E. died in 1881 and is also in Glenwood.
In 1876, P.F. Dunning's estate, administered by his wife Margaret (1837-1913) and brother George E., advertised the property to be sold. The estate included a number of highly prized horses and colts as well as cattle. In 1883, the house was sold at foreclosure at the office of attorney W.H. Dunn.
As noted, P.F. Dunning’s house still stands on Oak St. The large barn shown behind the house was removed over 10 years ago and a modern garage was built.
The Angell & Spelman Store, Nye Block
The Angell & Spelman store was in the Nye Block building on Main Street in Champlain Village in the 1880s. In August of 1888, the partnership was dissolved and A.B. Angell continued the store by himself. This building has been removed but its twin building still stands.
The Angell & Spelman store was in the Nye Block building on Main Street in Champlain Village in the 1880s. In August of 1888, the partnership was dissolved and A.B. Angell continued the store by himself. This building has been removed but its twin building still stands.
Wiley and Bertrand Store, Nye Block
Seen in many photos of the Nye Block on Main Street, Village of Champlain, is the Bertrand store, known as “Wiley and Bertrand”. The store was in the left building which still stands today (it is the only old building on that side of the block that stands). The store was under "Champlain Hall" which was used as a village meeting place for over 100 years. The Nye Block building was built in 1848 when Champlain started to grow due to the arrival of the railroad.
Bertrand's store was run by Henry Maxim Bertrand (1846-1931). Henry was born in Champlain to Isaac C. Bertrand (1815-1876) and Adeline Sweet Bertrand (1824-1908). Henry had a brother named Charles (1850-1930) and a sister named Margaret who married Robert Wiley of Champlain. She died in December of 1929. Brother Charles lived on a farm in Coopersville for 60 years and had two daughters. The extended Bertrand family had a reunion in 1902 but most of the family did not live in the area.
Henry's mother was a member of the very large Sweet family which settled Champlain in the early 1800s. The first Sweet was James who was born in Rhode Island and moved to Alburg, Vt., before coming to Champlain. James is the grandfather of Adeline. The former Sweet farm and a small, abandoned cemetery is on Leggett Rd. It was opposite the Pettinger farm and cemetery.
Henry married Susan Mussen (1850-1924) who was born in Lacolle. They might not have had any children. Their 50th wedding anniversary was in 1922.
Henry M. Bertrand was a merchant for almost 50 years. His store sold household and personal items. An 1883 ad reveals it sold "dry goods, boots and shoes, hats and caps, notions, and Gents' furnishing goods." It also sold clothing of all types. In the early 1900s, he may have been in business with his sister’s husband, Robert Wiley, as his store was called “Wiley and Bertrand.”
Henry and brother Charles were involved with town politics in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Henry Bertrand died in Utica at the Masonic Home where he resided the last few years of his life. He was buried with his parents and wife at Glenwood Cemetery.
Seen in many photos of the Nye Block on Main Street, Village of Champlain, is the Bertrand store, known as “Wiley and Bertrand”. The store was in the left building which still stands today (it is the only old building on that side of the block that stands). The store was under "Champlain Hall" which was used as a village meeting place for over 100 years. The Nye Block building was built in 1848 when Champlain started to grow due to the arrival of the railroad.
Bertrand's store was run by Henry Maxim Bertrand (1846-1931). Henry was born in Champlain to Isaac C. Bertrand (1815-1876) and Adeline Sweet Bertrand (1824-1908). Henry had a brother named Charles (1850-1930) and a sister named Margaret who married Robert Wiley of Champlain. She died in December of 1929. Brother Charles lived on a farm in Coopersville for 60 years and had two daughters. The extended Bertrand family had a reunion in 1902 but most of the family did not live in the area.
Henry's mother was a member of the very large Sweet family which settled Champlain in the early 1800s. The first Sweet was James who was born in Rhode Island and moved to Alburg, Vt., before coming to Champlain. James is the grandfather of Adeline. The former Sweet farm and a small, abandoned cemetery is on Leggett Rd. It was opposite the Pettinger farm and cemetery.
Henry married Susan Mussen (1850-1924) who was born in Lacolle. They might not have had any children. Their 50th wedding anniversary was in 1922.
Henry M. Bertrand was a merchant for almost 50 years. His store sold household and personal items. An 1883 ad reveals it sold "dry goods, boots and shoes, hats and caps, notions, and Gents' furnishing goods." It also sold clothing of all types. In the early 1900s, he may have been in business with his sister’s husband, Robert Wiley, as his store was called “Wiley and Bertrand.”
Henry and brother Charles were involved with town politics in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Henry Bertrand died in Utica at the Masonic Home where he resided the last few years of his life. He was buried with his parents and wife at Glenwood Cemetery.
Doolittle Block
Extract from a newspaper article printed in 1874:
Among the numerous business establishments in Champlain highly creditable to the place, is that of Doolittle Brothers. Mr. Lucius Doolittle, the father, and the founder of the business, came to Champlain about the year 1840, and sold goods in a small way for quite a number of years, until the town and village commenced to develop in population, wealth and enterprise, when he extended his business to meet the wants of his customers.
In the year 1858, his son, H. M. Doolittle, entered into partnership with his father. Their business increased to such an extent that in 1868 they had to build a brick block, 65 by 80 feet, which was a great improvement to the village. [The Doolittle building stood until the early 1970s and was torn down; it was later known as the Mauer building]
In 1870, Mr. Hiram L. Doolittle having returned from William's College, the old firm of L. Doolittle & Son was dissolved, and the firm of Doolittle Brothers was established, H.M. Doolittle looking after the dry goods and ladies' department, and Mr. H.L. Doolittle the grocery department. There are four apartments on the first floor—dry goods grocery, boots and shoes; and millinery, dress making, and ladies' fancy goods. They also have on their second floor a large assortment of carpets and ready-made clothing; also a custom-made clothing department.
(Plattsburgh Sentinel, February 13, 1874)
Extract from a newspaper article printed in 1874:
Among the numerous business establishments in Champlain highly creditable to the place, is that of Doolittle Brothers. Mr. Lucius Doolittle, the father, and the founder of the business, came to Champlain about the year 1840, and sold goods in a small way for quite a number of years, until the town and village commenced to develop in population, wealth and enterprise, when he extended his business to meet the wants of his customers.
In the year 1858, his son, H. M. Doolittle, entered into partnership with his father. Their business increased to such an extent that in 1868 they had to build a brick block, 65 by 80 feet, which was a great improvement to the village. [The Doolittle building stood until the early 1970s and was torn down; it was later known as the Mauer building]
In 1870, Mr. Hiram L. Doolittle having returned from William's College, the old firm of L. Doolittle & Son was dissolved, and the firm of Doolittle Brothers was established, H.M. Doolittle looking after the dry goods and ladies' department, and Mr. H.L. Doolittle the grocery department. There are four apartments on the first floor—dry goods grocery, boots and shoes; and millinery, dress making, and ladies' fancy goods. They also have on their second floor a large assortment of carpets and ready-made clothing; also a custom-made clothing department.
(Plattsburgh Sentinel, February 13, 1874)
W.C. Lafountain Block
Downtown Main Street in the Village of Champlain contains a block of buildings that date to the mid-1850s, if not earlier. The buildings are located on Main Street at the corner of Cedar Street and have been used for businesses and apartments for over 169 years. It is not known who the builder of the buildings was but the block was composed of three three-story buildings that were built adjacent to each other. Today, the buildings still stand but two of the buildings have been reduced to two-stories.
The buildings are shown in 1856 and 1869 maps. The 1869 Beers map shows three stores and indicates that the post office was in the space closest to the Cedar St. corner. In 1890, a hardware store was in the left building, a clothing store in the middle building and a drug store was in the right building.
In the early 1900s, the block may have been owned by William C. Lafountain (1871-1910) and was known as the "W.C. Lafountain block." He owned another building on Main Street and a few houses in the village. Lafountain enjoyed going to car shows in New York City. He owned a Franklin Touring car and a gasoline powered yacht that he raced on Lake Champlain in 1907 (he won a silver cup). Few people in Champlain owned cars at the time.
The earliest known images of these three buildings dates to late 1910 or after. Two postcard photos were taken at the same time from different angles. The building on the left housed William Broder's hardware store and his store sign is visible. In April of 1906, Broder (1872-1922) bought out the interest of his business partner, Thomas H. Dickinson (1853-1918). Dickinson had been in the hardware business for 25 years and was also the Champlain postmaster for 22 years before this. He had previously partnered with George Dunning (1828-1881) and their firm was called "Dunning & Dickinson." Broder sold Buick roadsters, touring cars, sedans and coupes in 1918. He was also the Champlain Town Clerk for many years.
In 1909, the middle building contained a clothing store run by Abel J. Glode and others. W.C. Lafountain also opened a clothing store in an unused part of Broder's store in the back. He had Glode run this store too. In late 1910, the building housed the business of Duquette & Painchaud. The business sold clothing, hats and caps as well as boots and shoes. Newspaper ads called the business a "new clothing store" in October of 1910.
In July of 1907, the right building housed Noster M. Pecor's hardware store at the same time William Broder's hardware store was in the left building. Pecor was a well-off merchant and also owned a car. He was the Village of Champlain tax collector for many years. He may not have been in the building long as he moved to the Chaleloux Block (across the street) by 1912. Afterwards, the building housed Severe Legendre's (1861-1921) store. Legendre was a merchant and tailor. Miss M. St. Jean was a milliner (a designer and seller of women's hats and headwear) at the same location.
William Paquette (1890-1965) was an employee in William Broder's hardware store for about 17 years. When he was a teenager, he worked on canal boats along with members of his family. In 1910, at the age of 20, he became a clerk in Broder's store and worked alongside Alfred J. Babbie. That same year, building owner W.C. Lafountain became ill and died at the young age of 39. Paquette eventually married Lafountain’s widow, Margaret Matott.
By the early 1920s, Broder’s store was successful and occupied all three buildings. Unfortunately, he died in 1922 and the store was run by Paquette and Babbie. It was at this time that Paquette started to sell insurance in a small section of the store. Around 1927, Broder’s business was sold to Ralph Lewis (1893-1983) and he decided to occupy only the left building. Paquette moved to the middle building and incorporated his insurance business in 1927. Paquette’s son Larry joined him in the mid-1940s and continued the business for decades. In the early 1980s, Larry moved his office to a house at the corner of Main St. and Rt. 11 where his wife, Celine Racine Paquette, continued the business until her retirement in 2008. Paquette’s Insurance was in business for 81 years.
Ralph Lewis’s new hardware store was known as ‘Champlain Hardware’ and he advertised heavily in the newspaper starting in June of 1928. Alfred J. Babbie continued to work at the hardware store for another 18 years. Lewis owned the store for over 35 years and sold it in October of 1964 to Robert Bredenberg who already ran a feed and grain business. The store continued to be called Champlain Hardware and was a member of the Sentry Hardware Stores group. The store closed in the winter of 1975 after many downtown businesses had moved to the new plaza on Rt. 11. The left building has housed hardware stores since the late 1800s, including ones owned by Dunning & Dickinson, T.H. Dickinson, William Broder, Ralph Lewis and Robert Bredenberg. There is still 25 years of early history that is not known about this building.
Prior to the 1940s, the middle and right buildings were reduced from three stories to two after a fire.
In 1945, the Central Tavern bar and restaurant opened in the right building. It was owned and managed by Albina Bodette and her husband Fred. The bar was a popular location in Champlain and it sponsored a bowling league for decades. In the 1970s and '80s, it sponsored a softball and baseball league.
In recent years, the former hardware store building on the left was converted to apartments. It was here that a large Fairbanks platform scale was found and donated to the Samuel de Champlain History Center. A platform scale had been installed on Cedar St. as early as 1904 (it is seen in the 1904 and 1923 Sanborn insurance maps). The scale was used to weigh trucks and loads up to 30,000 pounds. This particular Fairbanks scale was patented in 1921 and a 1937 newspaper note stated that Ralph Lewis had installed a platform scale at his store.
Recently, the right building housed a second bar in the 2000s, a beverage store called Central Nutrition and it now hosts the Vinyl Destination Record Store and Champlain Village Arts studio. The record shop sells vinyl albums, CDs, T-shirts and studio art from a resident glass artist. Check out the store's Facebook pages.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559948713386
It is interesting to note that many people that owned or worked in these three buildings on Main St. were all civic-minded. T.H. Dickinson was postmaster for 22 years and William Broder was the Champlain Town Clerk. Severe Legendre was active in his political party and was nominated to run for Overseer. Noster M. Pecor was the Village of Champlain tax collector. Ralph Lewis was supervisor for the Town of Mooers in 1930 and was a candidate for member of the State Assembly in 1932 (he was profiled here in September of 2024). Robert Bredenberg was Champlain Town Supervisor for many years, Justice of the Peace for six years and a member of the town board. He was also president of the Supervisors and County Legislators Association of the State of New York, county legislator and was appointed to the Clinton County Board of Elections.
William Paquette was an insurance agent for decades but also served in village, town and county elected offices. He was elected Champlain Village and Town Clerk starting in 1918 and served 30 years as Village Clerk and 20 years as Town Clerk. He resigned the town clerk position in 1936 to run for Clinton County Clerk (he won by nearly 600 votes in his first election and was endorsed by both parties in his second election). He held this position until 1951. Paquette also served 15 years on the Champlain school board, with five years as president, and worked to centralize the district. Alfred J. Babbie followed in Paquette's footsteps and was elected Champlain Town Clerk when Paquette was elected county clerk. Babbie had worked in the town clerk’s office for Paquette before his election and had years of experience. Larry Paquette was also the Champlain Village and Town Clerk for many years and was endorsed by both parties. Larry was on the boards of the North Country Medical Center, Champlain Telephone Co. and CVPH hospital. Robert Bredenberg, Larry Paquette and Celine Paquette, who all had a connection to these buildings, were county legislators who represented Area 1 in Clinton County. Calvin Castine now represents this area.
Downtown Main Street in the Village of Champlain contains a block of buildings that date to the mid-1850s, if not earlier. The buildings are located on Main Street at the corner of Cedar Street and have been used for businesses and apartments for over 169 years. It is not known who the builder of the buildings was but the block was composed of three three-story buildings that were built adjacent to each other. Today, the buildings still stand but two of the buildings have been reduced to two-stories.
The buildings are shown in 1856 and 1869 maps. The 1869 Beers map shows three stores and indicates that the post office was in the space closest to the Cedar St. corner. In 1890, a hardware store was in the left building, a clothing store in the middle building and a drug store was in the right building.
In the early 1900s, the block may have been owned by William C. Lafountain (1871-1910) and was known as the "W.C. Lafountain block." He owned another building on Main Street and a few houses in the village. Lafountain enjoyed going to car shows in New York City. He owned a Franklin Touring car and a gasoline powered yacht that he raced on Lake Champlain in 1907 (he won a silver cup). Few people in Champlain owned cars at the time.
The earliest known images of these three buildings dates to late 1910 or after. Two postcard photos were taken at the same time from different angles. The building on the left housed William Broder's hardware store and his store sign is visible. In April of 1906, Broder (1872-1922) bought out the interest of his business partner, Thomas H. Dickinson (1853-1918). Dickinson had been in the hardware business for 25 years and was also the Champlain postmaster for 22 years before this. He had previously partnered with George Dunning (1828-1881) and their firm was called "Dunning & Dickinson." Broder sold Buick roadsters, touring cars, sedans and coupes in 1918. He was also the Champlain Town Clerk for many years.
In 1909, the middle building contained a clothing store run by Abel J. Glode and others. W.C. Lafountain also opened a clothing store in an unused part of Broder's store in the back. He had Glode run this store too. In late 1910, the building housed the business of Duquette & Painchaud. The business sold clothing, hats and caps as well as boots and shoes. Newspaper ads called the business a "new clothing store" in October of 1910.
In July of 1907, the right building housed Noster M. Pecor's hardware store at the same time William Broder's hardware store was in the left building. Pecor was a well-off merchant and also owned a car. He was the Village of Champlain tax collector for many years. He may not have been in the building long as he moved to the Chaleloux Block (across the street) by 1912. Afterwards, the building housed Severe Legendre's (1861-1921) store. Legendre was a merchant and tailor. Miss M. St. Jean was a milliner (a designer and seller of women's hats and headwear) at the same location.
William Paquette (1890-1965) was an employee in William Broder's hardware store for about 17 years. When he was a teenager, he worked on canal boats along with members of his family. In 1910, at the age of 20, he became a clerk in Broder's store and worked alongside Alfred J. Babbie. That same year, building owner W.C. Lafountain became ill and died at the young age of 39. Paquette eventually married Lafountain’s widow, Margaret Matott.
By the early 1920s, Broder’s store was successful and occupied all three buildings. Unfortunately, he died in 1922 and the store was run by Paquette and Babbie. It was at this time that Paquette started to sell insurance in a small section of the store. Around 1927, Broder’s business was sold to Ralph Lewis (1893-1983) and he decided to occupy only the left building. Paquette moved to the middle building and incorporated his insurance business in 1927. Paquette’s son Larry joined him in the mid-1940s and continued the business for decades. In the early 1980s, Larry moved his office to a house at the corner of Main St. and Rt. 11 where his wife, Celine Racine Paquette, continued the business until her retirement in 2008. Paquette’s Insurance was in business for 81 years.
Ralph Lewis’s new hardware store was known as ‘Champlain Hardware’ and he advertised heavily in the newspaper starting in June of 1928. Alfred J. Babbie continued to work at the hardware store for another 18 years. Lewis owned the store for over 35 years and sold it in October of 1964 to Robert Bredenberg who already ran a feed and grain business. The store continued to be called Champlain Hardware and was a member of the Sentry Hardware Stores group. The store closed in the winter of 1975 after many downtown businesses had moved to the new plaza on Rt. 11. The left building has housed hardware stores since the late 1800s, including ones owned by Dunning & Dickinson, T.H. Dickinson, William Broder, Ralph Lewis and Robert Bredenberg. There is still 25 years of early history that is not known about this building.
Prior to the 1940s, the middle and right buildings were reduced from three stories to two after a fire.
In 1945, the Central Tavern bar and restaurant opened in the right building. It was owned and managed by Albina Bodette and her husband Fred. The bar was a popular location in Champlain and it sponsored a bowling league for decades. In the 1970s and '80s, it sponsored a softball and baseball league.
In recent years, the former hardware store building on the left was converted to apartments. It was here that a large Fairbanks platform scale was found and donated to the Samuel de Champlain History Center. A platform scale had been installed on Cedar St. as early as 1904 (it is seen in the 1904 and 1923 Sanborn insurance maps). The scale was used to weigh trucks and loads up to 30,000 pounds. This particular Fairbanks scale was patented in 1921 and a 1937 newspaper note stated that Ralph Lewis had installed a platform scale at his store.
Recently, the right building housed a second bar in the 2000s, a beverage store called Central Nutrition and it now hosts the Vinyl Destination Record Store and Champlain Village Arts studio. The record shop sells vinyl albums, CDs, T-shirts and studio art from a resident glass artist. Check out the store's Facebook pages.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559948713386
It is interesting to note that many people that owned or worked in these three buildings on Main St. were all civic-minded. T.H. Dickinson was postmaster for 22 years and William Broder was the Champlain Town Clerk. Severe Legendre was active in his political party and was nominated to run for Overseer. Noster M. Pecor was the Village of Champlain tax collector. Ralph Lewis was supervisor for the Town of Mooers in 1930 and was a candidate for member of the State Assembly in 1932 (he was profiled here in September of 2024). Robert Bredenberg was Champlain Town Supervisor for many years, Justice of the Peace for six years and a member of the town board. He was also president of the Supervisors and County Legislators Association of the State of New York, county legislator and was appointed to the Clinton County Board of Elections.
William Paquette was an insurance agent for decades but also served in village, town and county elected offices. He was elected Champlain Village and Town Clerk starting in 1918 and served 30 years as Village Clerk and 20 years as Town Clerk. He resigned the town clerk position in 1936 to run for Clinton County Clerk (he won by nearly 600 votes in his first election and was endorsed by both parties in his second election). He held this position until 1951. Paquette also served 15 years on the Champlain school board, with five years as president, and worked to centralize the district. Alfred J. Babbie followed in Paquette's footsteps and was elected Champlain Town Clerk when Paquette was elected county clerk. Babbie had worked in the town clerk’s office for Paquette before his election and had years of experience. Larry Paquette was also the Champlain Village and Town Clerk for many years and was endorsed by both parties. Larry was on the boards of the North Country Medical Center, Champlain Telephone Co. and CVPH hospital. Robert Bredenberg, Larry Paquette and Celine Paquette, who all had a connection to these buildings, were county legislators who represented Area 1 in Clinton County. Calvin Castine now represents this area.
The Sanborn insurance maps give a good overview of the businesses in the buildings at the corner of Main St. and Cedar St. that were recently profiled. The maps date to 1884, 1890, 1904 and 1923 and show how the businesses in each building changed over the years.
1884 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the 'Dunning and Dickinson' hardware store, later the T.H. Dickinson hardware store.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This building housed a store that sold hats and caps (H&C) and boots and shoes (B&S) as well as clothes.
RIGHT BUILDING - This building was a millinery (a maker and seller of women's hats). The right and middle buildings had an inside door that connected them.
1891 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the T.H. Dickinson hardware store.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This building housed a store that sold hats and caps (H&C) and boots and shoes (B&S), as well as clothes.
RIGHT BUILDING - This building was a drug store. The right and middle buildings had an inside door that connected them.
1904 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the T.H. Dickinson hardware store. It sold paints and oils and had a tin shop on the second floor.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This building housed a store that sold carpets and wallpaper.
RIGHT BUILDING - This building was a drug store (unknown owner).
1923 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the William Broder hardware store.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This was part of Broder's store. Broder died a year earlier but the business was still in operation.
RIGHT BUILDING - Part of Broder's store. All three buildings were connected inside.
In the early 1920s, the William Broder's hardware store had expanded and occupied all three buildings. Unfortunately, Broder died in 1922 and the hardware store was run by employees Paquette and Alfred J. Babbie for the next few years. There was a lot of uncertainty then and Paquette started to sell insurance as a side business. Broder’s death created the opportunity for Ralph Lewis to buy the business, probably by 1927, as he advertised the store in 1928. Also in 1927, Paquette’s insurance business was incorporated as “Paquette’s Insurance” and he took over the middle building for his office. Paquette’s business occupied this building for the next 56 years until it was moved to the corner of Main St. and Rt. 11 in the early 1980s by his son Larry.
It is interesting to note that the 1904 and 1923 maps show a platform scale on Cedar St. adjacent to the hardware store. The scale was used to weigh trailers and trucks with loads. The scale was first installed by T.H. Dickinson and later used by William Broder (1872-1922). When Ralph Lewis owned the store, he installed a Fairbanks scale in 1937. This scale is now at the Samuel de Champlain History Center.
1884 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the 'Dunning and Dickinson' hardware store, later the T.H. Dickinson hardware store.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This building housed a store that sold hats and caps (H&C) and boots and shoes (B&S) as well as clothes.
RIGHT BUILDING - This building was a millinery (a maker and seller of women's hats). The right and middle buildings had an inside door that connected them.
1891 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the T.H. Dickinson hardware store.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This building housed a store that sold hats and caps (H&C) and boots and shoes (B&S), as well as clothes.
RIGHT BUILDING - This building was a drug store. The right and middle buildings had an inside door that connected them.
1904 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the T.H. Dickinson hardware store. It sold paints and oils and had a tin shop on the second floor.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This building housed a store that sold carpets and wallpaper.
RIGHT BUILDING - This building was a drug store (unknown owner).
1923 MAP
LEFT BUILDING - This building housed the William Broder hardware store.
MIDDLE BUILDING - This was part of Broder's store. Broder died a year earlier but the business was still in operation.
RIGHT BUILDING - Part of Broder's store. All three buildings were connected inside.
In the early 1920s, the William Broder's hardware store had expanded and occupied all three buildings. Unfortunately, Broder died in 1922 and the hardware store was run by employees Paquette and Alfred J. Babbie for the next few years. There was a lot of uncertainty then and Paquette started to sell insurance as a side business. Broder’s death created the opportunity for Ralph Lewis to buy the business, probably by 1927, as he advertised the store in 1928. Also in 1927, Paquette’s insurance business was incorporated as “Paquette’s Insurance” and he took over the middle building for his office. Paquette’s business occupied this building for the next 56 years until it was moved to the corner of Main St. and Rt. 11 in the early 1980s by his son Larry.
It is interesting to note that the 1904 and 1923 maps show a platform scale on Cedar St. adjacent to the hardware store. The scale was used to weigh trailers and trucks with loads. The scale was first installed by T.H. Dickinson and later used by William Broder (1872-1922). When Ralph Lewis owned the store, he installed a Fairbanks scale in 1937. This scale is now at the Samuel de Champlain History Center.
The Branch and Hogge Drug Stores
Two photos taken in the early 1900s show different businesses in both sections of the building.
The business to the right had two different drug stores in it. The first was owned by William F. Branch (1873-1961) who ran it as early as 1911 and into the 1920s. It was later acquired by William J. Hogge (1877-1955) and was called Hogge's Drug Store in the 1930s and to William’s death in 1955. William Hogge's wife was Nellie Gettys Hogge. Upstairs to the first business was milliner (hatter) C. Poissant.
In the left half of the building was the store of "A. Glode & Co." The business may have been operated by Arsene J. Glode (1898-1960) in the 1920s. By the 1930s or '40s the Champlain Post Office was in the space.
A small addition housed a barbershop as early as 1890. The barbershop was present for many decades.
The brick building to the far left is the former Champlain House, built c1850 and removed in the early 2000s. Between the two buildings was an entranceway sign for Empire Garage. The wooden house on the far right was the house of Foster Strickland.
Two photos taken in the early 1900s show different businesses in both sections of the building.
The business to the right had two different drug stores in it. The first was owned by William F. Branch (1873-1961) who ran it as early as 1911 and into the 1920s. It was later acquired by William J. Hogge (1877-1955) and was called Hogge's Drug Store in the 1930s and to William’s death in 1955. William Hogge's wife was Nellie Gettys Hogge. Upstairs to the first business was milliner (hatter) C. Poissant.
In the left half of the building was the store of "A. Glode & Co." The business may have been operated by Arsene J. Glode (1898-1960) in the 1920s. By the 1930s or '40s the Champlain Post Office was in the space.
A small addition housed a barbershop as early as 1890. The barbershop was present for many decades.
The brick building to the far left is the former Champlain House, built c1850 and removed in the early 2000s. Between the two buildings was an entranceway sign for Empire Garage. The wooden house on the far right was the house of Foster Strickland.
Beers 1869 Map of Main Street, Champlain
A history of a few buildings and lots on Main Street in the Village of Champlain, shown on Beers 1869 map. This is not a comprehensive list.
1 – “Nye Block” built by Freeman (1791-1877) and Bartlett Nye (1799-1857) under their firm name of ‘F&B Nye’, twin brick buildings built c1850. One building still stands. Freeman served in the War of 1812. His younger brother Bartlett arrived a few years after Freeman. They lived in Burlington before moving to Champlain.
2 – residence of Lucas Doolittle (1797-1879). He served in the War of 1812 as a teenager. It was him or his son named Hiram Lucas Doolittle (1846-1903) who built the three-story building that stood until 1975. This building is seen in many Main St. photos. Hiram ran a store in this building. The building was known as the ‘Mauer building’ in the 1970s.
3 – Silas P. Hubbell (1831-1913) law office. His father was also named Silas.
4 – Mansion House.
5 – Property of Joel Savage (-1872).
6 – The Presbyterian Church, built in 1850 and destroyed by fire in 1928. Rebuilt as the former Champlain Village Hall in 1929.
7 – The former property of Noadiah Moore (1788-1859). He lived here in 1815 and up to the early 1820s before building a new house on Church St. across from St. Mary's church His old house stood into the 1870s, and afterwards, a vacant lot was present. The lot was inherited by daughter Laura (Moore) Nye (under F&B Nye as she was the widow of Bartlett). Laura died in 1907 and the lot was sold by her estate. The current white house on it was built in 1910 (now the Champlain Meeting House).
8 – Benjamin Corbin Moore drug store. This 1869 map indicates Moore’s drug store was present on this lot before he built the still standing brick drug store in 1873, now the Red Canoe Coffee and Books .
9 – Dr. William N. Coit (1834-1886). His wife was Matilda Brinkerhoff Moore Coit.
10 – The ‘Champlain House’ built by Freeman and Bartlett Nye. The house was Champlain’s first hotel and was built in 1850. It was later apartments and stood into the 2000s.
11– property of Hascall D. Savage (-1871)
12 - property of Hascall D. Savage (-1871)
A history of a few buildings and lots on Main Street in the Village of Champlain, shown on Beers 1869 map. This is not a comprehensive list.
1 – “Nye Block” built by Freeman (1791-1877) and Bartlett Nye (1799-1857) under their firm name of ‘F&B Nye’, twin brick buildings built c1850. One building still stands. Freeman served in the War of 1812. His younger brother Bartlett arrived a few years after Freeman. They lived in Burlington before moving to Champlain.
2 – residence of Lucas Doolittle (1797-1879). He served in the War of 1812 as a teenager. It was him or his son named Hiram Lucas Doolittle (1846-1903) who built the three-story building that stood until 1975. This building is seen in many Main St. photos. Hiram ran a store in this building. The building was known as the ‘Mauer building’ in the 1970s.
3 – Silas P. Hubbell (1831-1913) law office. His father was also named Silas.
4 – Mansion House.
5 – Property of Joel Savage (-1872).
6 – The Presbyterian Church, built in 1850 and destroyed by fire in 1928. Rebuilt as the former Champlain Village Hall in 1929.
7 – The former property of Noadiah Moore (1788-1859). He lived here in 1815 and up to the early 1820s before building a new house on Church St. across from St. Mary's church His old house stood into the 1870s, and afterwards, a vacant lot was present. The lot was inherited by daughter Laura (Moore) Nye (under F&B Nye as she was the widow of Bartlett). Laura died in 1907 and the lot was sold by her estate. The current white house on it was built in 1910 (now the Champlain Meeting House).
8 – Benjamin Corbin Moore drug store. This 1869 map indicates Moore’s drug store was present on this lot before he built the still standing brick drug store in 1873, now the Red Canoe Coffee and Books .
9 – Dr. William N. Coit (1834-1886). His wife was Matilda Brinkerhoff Moore Coit.
10 – The ‘Champlain House’ built by Freeman and Bartlett Nye. The house was Champlain’s first hotel and was built in 1850. It was later apartments and stood into the 2000s.
11– property of Hascall D. Savage (-1871)
12 - property of Hascall D. Savage (-1871)
First National Bank of Champlain
The First National Bank of Champlain was founded on February 20, 1864 after congress passed the National Banking Act in 1863. The bank was first located on Main St. where the "Kaufman Block" was.
In 1880, the bank built a new building on the north bank of the Great Chazy. In 1905, a second story was added on it by architect Hugh McLellan. In 1921, the bank opened a branch in Rouses Point. The two banks collapsed in March of 1931 when residents made a run on the bank and withdrew their savings (this was before FDIC insurance, established in 1933). A plan was made to offer bonds to raise capital but this had been tried around the country without success as many banks were failing during the Great Depression.
In March of 1946, 14 years after the banks closed, branches were to open again in Champlain and Rouses Point. The branches were part of the Plattsburgh National Bank and Trust Co. which had been issued charters for the new branches. President John P. Myers hoped the bank branches would be open by May 1, 1946. It was noted in an article that Champlain and Rouses Point were doing well economically and it was hoped the branches would aid in the "industrial and agricultural growth of the entire section." To help encourage residents to open accounts at the branches, two well-known local businessmen were elected as directors: Champlain resident Walter H. Doolittle and Rouses Point resident William R. Casey were to head the branches.
The lack of a bank in the Town of Champlain after 1931 was exasperated by several factors. When the Champlain and Rouses Point banks failed in March of 1931, many banks in the United States had been failing due to the Great Depression. Ten years later, World War II started and it was difficult to find competent personnel to work at the banks. After the war ended, approval was given by government regulators to open the branches in Champlain and Rouses Point.
The Champlain bank was opened in the same stone building as the original bank. In 1970, the bank left the stone building and opened a branch on the side of the A&P grocery store which was built in 1965 on Main Street where the basketball court is today.
In 2002, the former bank building was purchased by Champlain resident Celine Racine Paquette and renovated into museum and archive space with the help of the late architect John McKenna. Paquette had worked in the bank as a teller in the summer of 1956 between high school and college. She worked for manager Taney Deloria and her co-workers were Mary Proulx and Grace Hamel. She remembers the layout of the bank on the first floor where museum displays are now present.
After the building was renovated, the Samuel de Champlain History Center was established and is now a permanently chartered 501c3 organization dedicated to preserving the village and town of Champlain's history.
In 1880, the bank built a new building on the north bank of the Great Chazy. In 1905, a second story was added on it by architect Hugh McLellan. In 1921, the bank opened a branch in Rouses Point. The two banks collapsed in March of 1931 when residents made a run on the bank and withdrew their savings (this was before FDIC insurance, established in 1933). A plan was made to offer bonds to raise capital but this had been tried around the country without success as many banks were failing during the Great Depression.
In March of 1946, 14 years after the banks closed, branches were to open again in Champlain and Rouses Point. The branches were part of the Plattsburgh National Bank and Trust Co. which had been issued charters for the new branches. President John P. Myers hoped the bank branches would be open by May 1, 1946. It was noted in an article that Champlain and Rouses Point were doing well economically and it was hoped the branches would aid in the "industrial and agricultural growth of the entire section." To help encourage residents to open accounts at the branches, two well-known local businessmen were elected as directors: Champlain resident Walter H. Doolittle and Rouses Point resident William R. Casey were to head the branches.
The lack of a bank in the Town of Champlain after 1931 was exasperated by several factors. When the Champlain and Rouses Point banks failed in March of 1931, many banks in the United States had been failing due to the Great Depression. Ten years later, World War II started and it was difficult to find competent personnel to work at the banks. After the war ended, approval was given by government regulators to open the branches in Champlain and Rouses Point.
The Champlain bank was opened in the same stone building as the original bank. In 1970, the bank left the stone building and opened a branch on the side of the A&P grocery store which was built in 1965 on Main Street where the basketball court is today.
In 2002, the former bank building was purchased by Champlain resident Celine Racine Paquette and renovated into museum and archive space with the help of the late architect John McKenna. Paquette had worked in the bank as a teller in the summer of 1956 between high school and college. She worked for manager Taney Deloria and her co-workers were Mary Proulx and Grace Hamel. She remembers the layout of the bank on the first floor where museum displays are now present.
After the building was renovated, the Samuel de Champlain History Center was established and is now a permanently chartered 501c3 organization dedicated to preserving the village and town of Champlain's history.
The Samuel de Champlain History Center today. It was established in the former First National Bank of Champlain building in the early 2000s by Champlain resident Celine Racine Paquette.
Famous People in the Village of Champlain’s Early History
Pliny Moore, - Plattsburgh Sentinel, Jan 16, 1891.
Judge Pliny Moore
The founding of the Town of Champlain was initiated when Pliny Moore was granted land by the State of New York for himself and his fellow soldiers who served with him during the Revolutionary War.
Pliny Moore was born in Sheffield, Mass. on April 14, 1759 and moved to Spencertown, New York when he was a child. He was given a good education and became a proficient writer.
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed and Pliny and his family supported America's independence from Britain. With war clouds brewing before this time, Pliny enlisted in the New York militia in April of 1776 when he was 17. He served in Colonel Marinus Willett’s Regiment of Regular Levies which was part of Captain Job Wright’s Company. He was a Lieutenant and Adjutant in this regiment (a job which required good writing skills). He also served under other leaders and re-enlisted several times.
In 1781 and 1782, New York State raised militias for the defense of the state. Pliny Moore enlisted twice and earned a large amount of land.
Towards the end of his enlistment, Moore hired Indian agent James Dean to help find land for him and his soldiers. Dean eventually found land in upstate New York which is now in the Town of Champlain. Moore surveyed the land twice and built a sawmill in 1788. He settled there in 1789.
Pliny Moore owned thousands of acres of land in Champlain. He built numerous sawmills and dams along the Great Chazy River. He also owned several mills in Canada. When Moore died, he owned over 5,000 acres of land in Champlain. During his lifetime, he had owned land in Champlain, Mooers, Plattsburgh, Isle la Motte and Crown Point. Pliny Moore and Levi Platt were the owners of land in Plattsburgh that was sold to the Federal Government in 1816 after three forts had been built on it by the American Army in the War of 1812. This land was on the lakeshore and was used as an army barracks and later was part of Plattsburgh Air Force Base (the “Old Base”).
When Pliny Moore settled Champlain, he was nominated to be county judge in the Court of Common Pleas. He retired from this position at the required age of 60 in 1819. Moore was also the first postmaster of Champlain, having been appointed in 1797.
Moore was a Federalist and was active in town politics. He was not in favor of America declaring war on Britain in 1812 because he owned land and businesses in Canada. When the war started, it was difficult or impossible to enter Canada without an official pass.
Moore was one of a small group of citizens who founded the Presbyterian-Congregational Church in Champlain. The founding occurred in 1802 and Moore gave land for the church which was located at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets. In 1816, he helped to found the Clinton County Bible Society. In 1799, he donated an acre of land on Oak Street for a burial ground. In the 1870s, the burial ground, including Pliny and his wife, were moved to the newly established Glenwood Cemetery.
During the War of 1812 (1812-1815), Moore's house was frequented by generals and officers of both the American and British armies. The farm and stone house behind his main residence had troops from both armies camped there. Moore was one of the few people in Champlain who did not flee when the British invaded the town in August of 1814. Pliny’s wife and other residents fled to the Quaker settlement in Peru.
When Pliny Moore died in August of 1822, he willed his land, farms, dams and mills to his four sons. His three daughters received additional land and property. The sons were able to continue their father's businesses for another generation and up into the 1860s and 1870s.
The founding of the Town of Champlain was initiated when Pliny Moore was granted land by the State of New York for himself and his fellow soldiers who served with him during the Revolutionary War.
Pliny Moore was born in Sheffield, Mass. on April 14, 1759 and moved to Spencertown, New York when he was a child. He was given a good education and became a proficient writer.
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed and Pliny and his family supported America's independence from Britain. With war clouds brewing before this time, Pliny enlisted in the New York militia in April of 1776 when he was 17. He served in Colonel Marinus Willett’s Regiment of Regular Levies which was part of Captain Job Wright’s Company. He was a Lieutenant and Adjutant in this regiment (a job which required good writing skills). He also served under other leaders and re-enlisted several times.
In 1781 and 1782, New York State raised militias for the defense of the state. Pliny Moore enlisted twice and earned a large amount of land.
Towards the end of his enlistment, Moore hired Indian agent James Dean to help find land for him and his soldiers. Dean eventually found land in upstate New York which is now in the Town of Champlain. Moore surveyed the land twice and built a sawmill in 1788. He settled there in 1789.
Pliny Moore owned thousands of acres of land in Champlain. He built numerous sawmills and dams along the Great Chazy River. He also owned several mills in Canada. When Moore died, he owned over 5,000 acres of land in Champlain. During his lifetime, he had owned land in Champlain, Mooers, Plattsburgh, Isle la Motte and Crown Point. Pliny Moore and Levi Platt were the owners of land in Plattsburgh that was sold to the Federal Government in 1816 after three forts had been built on it by the American Army in the War of 1812. This land was on the lakeshore and was used as an army barracks and later was part of Plattsburgh Air Force Base (the “Old Base”).
When Pliny Moore settled Champlain, he was nominated to be county judge in the Court of Common Pleas. He retired from this position at the required age of 60 in 1819. Moore was also the first postmaster of Champlain, having been appointed in 1797.
Moore was a Federalist and was active in town politics. He was not in favor of America declaring war on Britain in 1812 because he owned land and businesses in Canada. When the war started, it was difficult or impossible to enter Canada without an official pass.
Moore was one of a small group of citizens who founded the Presbyterian-Congregational Church in Champlain. The founding occurred in 1802 and Moore gave land for the church which was located at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Streets. In 1816, he helped to found the Clinton County Bible Society. In 1799, he donated an acre of land on Oak Street for a burial ground. In the 1870s, the burial ground, including Pliny and his wife, were moved to the newly established Glenwood Cemetery.
During the War of 1812 (1812-1815), Moore's house was frequented by generals and officers of both the American and British armies. The farm and stone house behind his main residence had troops from both armies camped there. Moore was one of the few people in Champlain who did not flee when the British invaded the town in August of 1814. Pliny’s wife and other residents fled to the Quaker settlement in Peru.
When Pliny Moore died in August of 1822, he willed his land, farms, dams and mills to his four sons. His three daughters received additional land and property. The sons were able to continue their father's businesses for another generation and up into the 1860s and 1870s.
Dr. Benjamin Moore
Dr. Benjamin Moore was the first doctor in the town of Champlain. He arrived in Champlain after his older brother Pliny settled there in 1788.
Benjamin was born in Spencertown, New York on November 12, 1772 and was 13 years younger than Pliny. After Pliny settled Champlain, numerous relatives came to town including his father-in-law, John Corbin, and his sister Olive who had married Pliny's associate, Elnathan Rogers. Several brothers, sons and daughters of John Corbin settled in Champlain as well. Benjamin and his wife Martha had eight children.
Benjamin Moore studied medicine with an established doctor and became a doctor in due time. He later taught the practice of medicine to his son, Edward J. Moore.
Dr. Benjamin Moore died of heart disease at the age of 58 on September 19, 1831. His brother Pliny also died of heart problems at the age of 63 in August of 1822.
Benjamin's son was Edward J. Moore (1806-1851) and he took over his father's practice. Edward was a well-liked doctor and tended to the needs of Champlain residents that other doctors would not care for. In 1851, Edward died of typhus after caring for sick Irish workers who were working on the railroad bed near Dewey's Tavern.
Dr. Edward J. Moore had several children, including two sons who became pharmacists. One pharmacist was named Benjamin Corbin Moore. In 1873, he built a two-story office building on Main Street in the Village of Champlain. The building is one of the few early downtown buildings in Champlain still standing. Today, it has been renovated by the village mayor and is a coffee and book shop. Benjamin was a Village of Champlain trustee and mayor. Edward had another son named Edward who was a pharmacist in New York City.
Dr. Benjamin Moore was the first doctor in the town of Champlain. He arrived in Champlain after his older brother Pliny settled there in 1788.
Benjamin was born in Spencertown, New York on November 12, 1772 and was 13 years younger than Pliny. After Pliny settled Champlain, numerous relatives came to town including his father-in-law, John Corbin, and his sister Olive who had married Pliny's associate, Elnathan Rogers. Several brothers, sons and daughters of John Corbin settled in Champlain as well. Benjamin and his wife Martha had eight children.
Benjamin Moore studied medicine with an established doctor and became a doctor in due time. He later taught the practice of medicine to his son, Edward J. Moore.
Dr. Benjamin Moore died of heart disease at the age of 58 on September 19, 1831. His brother Pliny also died of heart problems at the age of 63 in August of 1822.
Benjamin's son was Edward J. Moore (1806-1851) and he took over his father's practice. Edward was a well-liked doctor and tended to the needs of Champlain residents that other doctors would not care for. In 1851, Edward died of typhus after caring for sick Irish workers who were working on the railroad bed near Dewey's Tavern.
Dr. Edward J. Moore had several children, including two sons who became pharmacists. One pharmacist was named Benjamin Corbin Moore. In 1873, he built a two-story office building on Main Street in the Village of Champlain. The building is one of the few early downtown buildings in Champlain still standing. Today, it has been renovated by the village mayor and is a coffee and book shop. Benjamin was a Village of Champlain trustee and mayor. Edward had another son named Edward who was a pharmacist in New York City.
Jehudi Ashmun. Source is wikipedia: Nathaniel Jocelyn 1796-1881 - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c26136.
Jehudi Ashmun
Jehudi Ashmun was the first governor of Liberia, Africa. His parents were some of the original settlers of Champlain, New York in the 1780s.
In the summer of 1788, Samuel Ashmun (1765-1846) accompanied Pliny Moore (1759-1822) and a small number of settlers and workmen to the wilderness of Champlain to build its first sawmill. Both men had served in the New York State militia during the Revolutionary War and earned land for their service. The sawmill was completed by November and was located in Perry’s Mills on the bank of the Great Chazy River.
Samuel settled on upper Oak Street on the outskirts of today's Village of Champlain. He and his wife Parthenia Raymond (1770-1852) had 10 children, including Jehudi (1794-1828) and Orson Branch, also called O.B. (1806-1873). Samuel was active in town politics and served as the town clerk from 1793 to 1798 and from 1804 to 1805. He was also one of the founders of the Presbyterian-Congregational Church which was established in 1802 on Oak Street at the corner of Chestnut Street. He and his children, including Jehudi, were baptized here.
Jehudi Ashmun was born on April 21, 1794 and was educated in Champlain. He attended Middlebury College and the University of Vermont (UVM) where he graduated in 1816. After graduation, he lived in Bangor, Maine where he was a teacher, a principal and a minister at the Theological Seminary. He later moved to Washington, D.C where he founded a short-lived newspaper.
In 1816, the African Colonization Society was formed and Jehudi Ashmun joined the group. The society's goal was to send freed or escaped slaves to the newly formed colony of Liberia, Africa. In 1822, Jehudi sailed to Monrovia, Liberia and worked to create a functioning colony and government. He served as the governor of the colony and represented the United States. He even helped to write Liberia’s constitution. It was a difficult time as there was warfare and disease. His wife died in Liberia of a disease and he also became sick. When he was severely ill, he sailed back to America and was taken to New Haven, Connecticut. He lived for only two weeks after his arrival and died at the age of 34 on August 25, 1828. His aged mother traveled from Champlain to New Haven and arrived near the end of his funeral.
Jehudi Ashmun had a brother named Orson Branch [O.B.] Ashmun. O.B. and Noadiah Moore, among others, were active in the abolitionist movement in Champlain. O.B. and a brother named Raymond later went west to Waupaca, Wisconsin. They are buried in a cemetery in Waupaca. Interestingly, O.B. named a son Jehudi (1833-1919). This Jehudi was a doctor, had several children and was buried in Waupaca. Parents Samuel and Parthenia Ashmun, as well as other family members, are buried in Glenwood Cemetery which is off of Oak Street in the Village of Champlain. The entrance is very near where the Ashmuns lived.
The Village of Champlain has commemorated Jehudi Ashmun on three occasions. In August of 1938 a blue and yellow New York State historic marker was placed on Oak Street near the site of Ashmun's house. The log cabin or house disappeared sometime in the 1800s.
In August of 1959, a large bronze plaque in honor of Jehudi Ashmun was dedicated in front of the former Champlain Elementary School on Elm Street. A Liberian diplomat named Francis A. Dennis attended the event which was part of the 350th Sesquicentennial celebrations of Lake Champlain in New York State. In 2014, the plaque and boulder were moved to Paquette Park on Main Street and a small ceremony was held.
Numerous postage stamps have been issued for Jehudi Ashmun. In the mid-1900s the U.S. issued a stamp. Liberia has also issued several stamps to commemorate him.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehudi_Ashmun
The Sun Community News: https://suncommunitynews.com/news/103671/column-the-extraordinary-life-of-jehudi-ashmun-1794-1828/
Francis A. Dennis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_A._Dennis
Jehudi Ashmun was the first governor of Liberia, Africa. His parents were some of the original settlers of Champlain, New York in the 1780s.
In the summer of 1788, Samuel Ashmun (1765-1846) accompanied Pliny Moore (1759-1822) and a small number of settlers and workmen to the wilderness of Champlain to build its first sawmill. Both men had served in the New York State militia during the Revolutionary War and earned land for their service. The sawmill was completed by November and was located in Perry’s Mills on the bank of the Great Chazy River.
Samuel settled on upper Oak Street on the outskirts of today's Village of Champlain. He and his wife Parthenia Raymond (1770-1852) had 10 children, including Jehudi (1794-1828) and Orson Branch, also called O.B. (1806-1873). Samuel was active in town politics and served as the town clerk from 1793 to 1798 and from 1804 to 1805. He was also one of the founders of the Presbyterian-Congregational Church which was established in 1802 on Oak Street at the corner of Chestnut Street. He and his children, including Jehudi, were baptized here.
Jehudi Ashmun was born on April 21, 1794 and was educated in Champlain. He attended Middlebury College and the University of Vermont (UVM) where he graduated in 1816. After graduation, he lived in Bangor, Maine where he was a teacher, a principal and a minister at the Theological Seminary. He later moved to Washington, D.C where he founded a short-lived newspaper.
In 1816, the African Colonization Society was formed and Jehudi Ashmun joined the group. The society's goal was to send freed or escaped slaves to the newly formed colony of Liberia, Africa. In 1822, Jehudi sailed to Monrovia, Liberia and worked to create a functioning colony and government. He served as the governor of the colony and represented the United States. He even helped to write Liberia’s constitution. It was a difficult time as there was warfare and disease. His wife died in Liberia of a disease and he also became sick. When he was severely ill, he sailed back to America and was taken to New Haven, Connecticut. He lived for only two weeks after his arrival and died at the age of 34 on August 25, 1828. His aged mother traveled from Champlain to New Haven and arrived near the end of his funeral.
Jehudi Ashmun had a brother named Orson Branch [O.B.] Ashmun. O.B. and Noadiah Moore, among others, were active in the abolitionist movement in Champlain. O.B. and a brother named Raymond later went west to Waupaca, Wisconsin. They are buried in a cemetery in Waupaca. Interestingly, O.B. named a son Jehudi (1833-1919). This Jehudi was a doctor, had several children and was buried in Waupaca. Parents Samuel and Parthenia Ashmun, as well as other family members, are buried in Glenwood Cemetery which is off of Oak Street in the Village of Champlain. The entrance is very near where the Ashmuns lived.
The Village of Champlain has commemorated Jehudi Ashmun on three occasions. In August of 1938 a blue and yellow New York State historic marker was placed on Oak Street near the site of Ashmun's house. The log cabin or house disappeared sometime in the 1800s.
In August of 1959, a large bronze plaque in honor of Jehudi Ashmun was dedicated in front of the former Champlain Elementary School on Elm Street. A Liberian diplomat named Francis A. Dennis attended the event which was part of the 350th Sesquicentennial celebrations of Lake Champlain in New York State. In 2014, the plaque and boulder were moved to Paquette Park on Main Street and a small ceremony was held.
Numerous postage stamps have been issued for Jehudi Ashmun. In the mid-1900s the U.S. issued a stamp. Liberia has also issued several stamps to commemorate him.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehudi_Ashmun
The Sun Community News: https://suncommunitynews.com/news/103671/column-the-extraordinary-life-of-jehudi-ashmun-1794-1828/
Francis A. Dennis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_A._Dennis
Dr. William Beaumont. Source: Wikipedia, NYPL Digital Gallery
Dr. William Beaumont
Dr. William Beaumont was a famous doctor of the 19th century who studied human gastric physiology. He is considered the "Father of Gastric Physiology." Many books, pamphlets and articles have been written about Beaumont and his studies. Beaumont lived in the Village of Champlain, New York for three years and had two uncles who also lived here. This article will focus on Beaumont’s Champlain connection.
William Beaumont was born in Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut on November 21, 1785 to parents Samuel and Lucretia Abel. When William turned 21 in 1806, he left Connecticut and moved to the Village of Champlain, New York which was only one mile from the Canadian border and three miles from Lake Champlain. William moved to Champlain because he had an uncle named William Beaumont who was one of the original 1788 settlers of the town. The uncle was a surveyor who laid out lots, roads and even surveyed Point au Fer in 1805 after the British left.
The young William Beaumont was a school teacher on Oak Street from 1807 to 1810. A blue and yellow New York State historic marker notes the location of the school.
In 1810, William Beaumont moved to St. Albans, Vermont and studied under Dr. Truman Powell. In 1812, he was appointed a doctor by the Third Medical Society of the State of Vermont.
During the War of 1812, Beaumont was stationed in Plattsburgh, New York and was an army surgeon. He later married Deborah Green Platt whose father Israel ran a tavern. Today's Battle of Plattsburgh celebrations recreate Israel Green's Tavern in downtown Plattsburgh.
In 1822, Dr. William Beaumont was transferred to Fort Mackinac which was on an island in Lake Huron off the coast of Michigan. In June of 1822, a resident there accidently shot himself in the stomach. Beaumont treated the victim and assumed he was going to die, but he did not. The gun injury was so severe that the wound healed in an unusual way and left a visible hole in the victim’s chest and stomach. This led Beaumont to observe how food was digested. A number of experiments were made by him, including holding meat on a string and observing how it was dissolved by stomach acid. In 1838, 13 years after the accident and his experiments, Beaumont published the book, "Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice, and the Physiology of Digestion." The gunshot victim lived to 1880 and died at the age of 78.
Dr. William Beaumont died on April 25, 1853 in St. Louis, Missouri where he is buried. He had two children who lived into the early 1900s.
Several institutions in the U.S. are named after Dr. William Beaumont, including the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, Texas. Plattsburgh State's "Beaumont Hall" is a local building.
Dr. William Beaumont had two other relatives who lived in the town of Champlain. As noted, his uncle was William Beaumont who settled Champlain in May of 1788. He was a surveyor and was active in Champlain and Mooers for about 20 years. He is supposed to be buried in Chazy, New York. The doctor also had another uncle named Daniel Beaumont (1763-1845) who lived in Champlain. He was born in Lebanon, New London, Connecticut like many Beaumont siblings and relatives. It is not known when he came to town. Daniel’s son was Aurelius (1791-1856) and he was active in Champlain town affairs. Daniel, Aurelius, their spouses and some of their families are buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Champlain. Aurelius is supposed to have had 11 children.
Findagrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9315/william-beaumont
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beaumont
Dr. William Beaumont was a famous doctor of the 19th century who studied human gastric physiology. He is considered the "Father of Gastric Physiology." Many books, pamphlets and articles have been written about Beaumont and his studies. Beaumont lived in the Village of Champlain, New York for three years and had two uncles who also lived here. This article will focus on Beaumont’s Champlain connection.
William Beaumont was born in Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut on November 21, 1785 to parents Samuel and Lucretia Abel. When William turned 21 in 1806, he left Connecticut and moved to the Village of Champlain, New York which was only one mile from the Canadian border and three miles from Lake Champlain. William moved to Champlain because he had an uncle named William Beaumont who was one of the original 1788 settlers of the town. The uncle was a surveyor who laid out lots, roads and even surveyed Point au Fer in 1805 after the British left.
The young William Beaumont was a school teacher on Oak Street from 1807 to 1810. A blue and yellow New York State historic marker notes the location of the school.
In 1810, William Beaumont moved to St. Albans, Vermont and studied under Dr. Truman Powell. In 1812, he was appointed a doctor by the Third Medical Society of the State of Vermont.
During the War of 1812, Beaumont was stationed in Plattsburgh, New York and was an army surgeon. He later married Deborah Green Platt whose father Israel ran a tavern. Today's Battle of Plattsburgh celebrations recreate Israel Green's Tavern in downtown Plattsburgh.
In 1822, Dr. William Beaumont was transferred to Fort Mackinac which was on an island in Lake Huron off the coast of Michigan. In June of 1822, a resident there accidently shot himself in the stomach. Beaumont treated the victim and assumed he was going to die, but he did not. The gun injury was so severe that the wound healed in an unusual way and left a visible hole in the victim’s chest and stomach. This led Beaumont to observe how food was digested. A number of experiments were made by him, including holding meat on a string and observing how it was dissolved by stomach acid. In 1838, 13 years after the accident and his experiments, Beaumont published the book, "Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice, and the Physiology of Digestion." The gunshot victim lived to 1880 and died at the age of 78.
Dr. William Beaumont died on April 25, 1853 in St. Louis, Missouri where he is buried. He had two children who lived into the early 1900s.
Several institutions in the U.S. are named after Dr. William Beaumont, including the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, Texas. Plattsburgh State's "Beaumont Hall" is a local building.
Dr. William Beaumont had two other relatives who lived in the town of Champlain. As noted, his uncle was William Beaumont who settled Champlain in May of 1788. He was a surveyor and was active in Champlain and Mooers for about 20 years. He is supposed to be buried in Chazy, New York. The doctor also had another uncle named Daniel Beaumont (1763-1845) who lived in Champlain. He was born in Lebanon, New London, Connecticut like many Beaumont siblings and relatives. It is not known when he came to town. Daniel’s son was Aurelius (1791-1856) and he was active in Champlain town affairs. Daniel, Aurelius, their spouses and some of their families are buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Champlain. Aurelius is supposed to have had 11 children.
Findagrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9315/william-beaumont
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beaumont
The Nye Family
The Nye family of Champlain, New York were instrumental to the Town of Champlain’s early growth. Brothers Freeman and Bartlett Nye formed the partnership of F&B Nye and owned numerous tenant farms in Champlain and Quebec. They also built several commercial buildings on Main Street in the Village of Champlain that hosted businesses and a hotel. They owned various mills on the Great Chazy River and used their own dam to power them. Timber on their land was shipped north and south on Lake Champlain using sloops that were built by them. Indeed, the impact of the Nye family on the growth of the Village and Town of Champlain, as well as Lower Quebec, during the 1800s cannot be underestimated. Their economic influence covers a period of about 100 years, from 1817 to 1917.
The Nyes of Champlain derive from Plympton (near Plymouth), Mass. and were descended from Richard Warren who arrived on the Mayflower. Elias Nye (1752-1838) was born in Plympton and married there. All of his children, save one, were born in Plympton and included Ruth (1787-1880, unmarried), Freeman (1791-1877, married with no children), Elizabeth (1793-1864, married with children), Isaac (born in Boston, 1796-1871, unmarried), Thomas (1801-1877, married with no children) and Bartlett (1799-1857, married with many children).
Elias Nye and his family came to Burlington, Vermont around 1806 and was one of its earliest settlers. Over the years, he acquired valuable property which included waterfront land. He built a dock on the waterfront called "Nye Dock." This dock is now expanded and called "King Street Dock."
According to old deeds, Elias owned a house at 184 South Champlain Street in Burlington which still stands today (see the UVM history link). The property was originally owned by John Norton Pomeroy. This name is important as the Nyes were closely related to the Pomeroys. Elias's sister Sarah (1741-1837) married Dr. Francis Pomeroy and had a son named Dr. John Pomeroy (1764-1844). John's third child was named John Norton Pomeroy (1792-1881) and was of the same generation as Elias's children. The Nyes of Champlain were close to their Pomeroy relatives in Burlington and these close relations extended into the late 1800s. The extended Pomeroy family figures prominently in early Burlington history. Sarah Pomeroy and her family and descendants, as well as brother Elias Nye and his wife, are buried in Elmwood Cemetery in downtown Burlington.
https://www.uvm.edu/histpres/HPJ/burl1830/streets/king/184schamplain.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23224061/john_norton-pomeroy
When the War of 1812 started Freeman Nye volunteered for the local militia. After the war, he settled in Champlain. He was a first lieutenant in the New York 15th Regiment of Calvary in 1819. He soon made his home north of the border where the I-87 border crossing is today. He built an estate called "The Lines" and operated a store. He owned tenant farms around Lacolle and Roxham and even two farms closer to Montreal.
A few years after Freeman arrived in Champlain, his younger brother Bartlett arrived. They soon established a partnership called "F&B Nye" and started to purchase land and buildings around the town. The 1869 Beers map shows F&B Nye's numerous holdings.
In the mid-1840s, they bought Judge Pliny Moore's stone farm house and land on Prospect St. from Pliny's daughter Matilda who had inherited it 20 years earlier. The property later went to Bartlett Nye (Jr.) who owned it until his death in 1917. The brothers purchased about 540 acres of land around Point au Fer which included the cedar swamp, stone farm house on Route 9B (which is still standing) and the campground. The late Jim Rochester of Rouses Point remembered "Nye's Shack" on the lakeshore of King's Bay. The shack was a run-down shelter that was built on the rocks of the shoreline. The Nye and McLellan families often spent time here in the early 1900s while picnicking or hunting.
F&B Nye owned at least one dam in the Great Chazy River. The dam powered their mills that were at the end of Canal St.
F&B Nye also purchased lots on Main Street in the Village of Champlain. Around 1848, they started to build two twin brick buildings (known as the "Nye Block") as well as the "Champlain House" hotel. This coincided with the opening of the railroad in 1850. Only one of the twin buildings stands today (the other was removed in the early 2000s). The Champlain House burned down in 2005.
Bartlett Nye was Champlain's first boat builder. He built sloops before the age of the canal boat. He built the sloops "Champlain," "Wave" and "General Scott." The Gen. Scott was built in 1839 and named after Gen. Winfield Scott who came to Champlain to assess border security during the Papineau War. The boats were built on land at the end of River St. (where the Champlain Village sewage plant is today). The sloops transported commodities such as timber between Champlain, Burlington, Whitehall and St. John's, Quebec. Brother Isaac owned the wharf (Nye Dock) in Burlington where boats could be moored. Decades later, Champlain became a major canal boat building location when James Averill Jr. entered the business.
In 1851, Bartlett Nye built a house on Elm Street called the "Locust Hill" estate. It was named Locust Hill because he planted Locust trees on the hill where his house was. The trees survived into the 1980s. In the mid-1930s, the house became known as the "Savoy Hotel." In the 1950s and 1960s many Sheridan parties were held here and at the bar in the former horse barn. In the 1980s, the house was gutted and converted to 11 apartments. The house burned down in February of 2003. Only the former horse barn remains and contains two apartments.
Freeman Nye married Cornelia Schuyler but had no children. Cornelia was related to Gen. Philip Schuyler who was a major general for New York during the Revolutionary War. Cornelia’s sister was Sarah Schuyler and she married Englishman Henry Hoyle. The Hoyles lived only yards north of the border on Meridian Road (Oak St.). Their house was called the "Manor House of Lacolle." Sarah's sons were the Hoyles of Champlain.
Freeman's older sister Ruth was unmarried and moved from Burlington to Lacolle to live with her brother and his wife.
Bartlett Nye married Lucy Matilda Moore in 1839. She was the daughter of Noadiah and Caroline Moore. She gave birth to daughter Elizabeth in 1840 but she and her daughter contracted measles. The mother died and the baby lived. A year later, Bartlett married Lucy's sister Laura and had seven more children.
Freeman and Bartlett's sister was named Elizabeth and she married Robert Hoyle. Robert was the brother of Henry Hoyle. Elizabeth and her family resided in Lacolle and the Van Vliets are descendants.
Brother Isaac Nye inherited his father's land at Burlington's waterfront. The Nye Dock was here and Isaac received money from shippers who used his wharf to load and unload freight. In the 1830s, Isaac built a store and sold provisions. He also lived in the building and had a tenant family who gave him his meals. When he died, his property went to the nieces and nephews of Bartlett and Elizabeth as he was unmarried. His store building is now the "Shanty on the Shore" restaurant.
Brother Thomas went to UVM and graduated in 1824. He moved to Montreal and became an attorney. Thomas married but had no children.
Some of Bartlett's family and his descendants remained in Champlain. Daughter Elizabeth, who survived measles at the age of six months and lost her mother, was raised for a time by grandfather Noadiah and his wife Caroline. She soon had seven more siblings, with the last one, Bartlett (Jr.) being born only a year before his father died. After the untimely death of Bartlett in 1857 at the age of 58, uncle Freeman managed the affairs of F&B Nye for the next 20 years and provided for his brother's family. Nephews Charles and Bartlett Jr. managed Freeman's estate when he died and ran his farms for several more decades. Two of Freeman's Quebec farms went to niece Elizabeth.
In 1870, Elizabeth Nye married Charles Woodberry McLellan of New York City and East Boston. They had met in NYC only because Charles' roommate was from Champlain and his relative came to visit with her friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Charles settled in New York City where Charles eventually owned a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1882, they bought the original Judge Pliny Moore house from the grandson of Pliny Moore and used it as their summer home. This meant the house was still in the extended Moore family as Elizabeth was the great-granddaughter of Pliny Moore. Charles retired in 1906 and moved to Champlain permanently where he lived until 1918. He managed Elizabeth's two farms in Quebec which she had inherited from her uncle Freeman.
Charles and Elizabeth McLellan had sons Hugh and Malcom. Hugh became a prominent architect after graduating from Columbia University in 1898 and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1904. After his father died in 1918, Hugh permanently moved to Champlain to manage his father's estate, including two farms in Quebec that his mother had inherited. In 1919, he established the Moorfield Press to print family historical documents related to Champlain. He continued his architectural business in Champlain and designed three schools (all still standing), several movie theaters, numerous houses and businesses and planned major renovations of resident’s homes. In the early 1920s, Hugh and his brother sold the Quebec farms as they were too far away and too expensive to manage. They bought the "Border Farm" on upper Oak Street in the Village of Champlain and owned it for a few years.
Malcolm McLellan was a stock broker in New York City. In 1926, he relocated to Champlain and lived in the family house with his brother. Hugh had daughter Dorothy and son Woody who later took over the press and continued it until the early 1980s. Malcolm had two children but one died at the age of 16 after an accident. His daughter's grandson has continued to work on Hugh McLellan's projects related to chronicling the village and town of Champlain's early history.
As noted, the Nyes were related to Richard Warren of the Mayflower. Richard's daughter Mary, who was also on the boat, married Joseph Bartlett who came a few years later on a different boat. The name of Bartlett went from a last name (five generations) to a first name (1799 and 1856, father and son), and finally, to a middle name (1909). The person with the middle name, Patricia Bartlett Nye, died in 1998. The Champlain branch of the Nyes were close to the Bartlett family of Plymouth as their mother was a Bartlett.
All of the Nye and McLellan family members are buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Champlain. The Nyes have a large vault and every family member is buried there.
The Nye family of Champlain, New York were instrumental to the Town of Champlain’s early growth. Brothers Freeman and Bartlett Nye formed the partnership of F&B Nye and owned numerous tenant farms in Champlain and Quebec. They also built several commercial buildings on Main Street in the Village of Champlain that hosted businesses and a hotel. They owned various mills on the Great Chazy River and used their own dam to power them. Timber on their land was shipped north and south on Lake Champlain using sloops that were built by them. Indeed, the impact of the Nye family on the growth of the Village and Town of Champlain, as well as Lower Quebec, during the 1800s cannot be underestimated. Their economic influence covers a period of about 100 years, from 1817 to 1917.
The Nyes of Champlain derive from Plympton (near Plymouth), Mass. and were descended from Richard Warren who arrived on the Mayflower. Elias Nye (1752-1838) was born in Plympton and married there. All of his children, save one, were born in Plympton and included Ruth (1787-1880, unmarried), Freeman (1791-1877, married with no children), Elizabeth (1793-1864, married with children), Isaac (born in Boston, 1796-1871, unmarried), Thomas (1801-1877, married with no children) and Bartlett (1799-1857, married with many children).
Elias Nye and his family came to Burlington, Vermont around 1806 and was one of its earliest settlers. Over the years, he acquired valuable property which included waterfront land. He built a dock on the waterfront called "Nye Dock." This dock is now expanded and called "King Street Dock."
According to old deeds, Elias owned a house at 184 South Champlain Street in Burlington which still stands today (see the UVM history link). The property was originally owned by John Norton Pomeroy. This name is important as the Nyes were closely related to the Pomeroys. Elias's sister Sarah (1741-1837) married Dr. Francis Pomeroy and had a son named Dr. John Pomeroy (1764-1844). John's third child was named John Norton Pomeroy (1792-1881) and was of the same generation as Elias's children. The Nyes of Champlain were close to their Pomeroy relatives in Burlington and these close relations extended into the late 1800s. The extended Pomeroy family figures prominently in early Burlington history. Sarah Pomeroy and her family and descendants, as well as brother Elias Nye and his wife, are buried in Elmwood Cemetery in downtown Burlington.
https://www.uvm.edu/histpres/HPJ/burl1830/streets/king/184schamplain.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23224061/john_norton-pomeroy
When the War of 1812 started Freeman Nye volunteered for the local militia. After the war, he settled in Champlain. He was a first lieutenant in the New York 15th Regiment of Calvary in 1819. He soon made his home north of the border where the I-87 border crossing is today. He built an estate called "The Lines" and operated a store. He owned tenant farms around Lacolle and Roxham and even two farms closer to Montreal.
A few years after Freeman arrived in Champlain, his younger brother Bartlett arrived. They soon established a partnership called "F&B Nye" and started to purchase land and buildings around the town. The 1869 Beers map shows F&B Nye's numerous holdings.
In the mid-1840s, they bought Judge Pliny Moore's stone farm house and land on Prospect St. from Pliny's daughter Matilda who had inherited it 20 years earlier. The property later went to Bartlett Nye (Jr.) who owned it until his death in 1917. The brothers purchased about 540 acres of land around Point au Fer which included the cedar swamp, stone farm house on Route 9B (which is still standing) and the campground. The late Jim Rochester of Rouses Point remembered "Nye's Shack" on the lakeshore of King's Bay. The shack was a run-down shelter that was built on the rocks of the shoreline. The Nye and McLellan families often spent time here in the early 1900s while picnicking or hunting.
F&B Nye owned at least one dam in the Great Chazy River. The dam powered their mills that were at the end of Canal St.
F&B Nye also purchased lots on Main Street in the Village of Champlain. Around 1848, they started to build two twin brick buildings (known as the "Nye Block") as well as the "Champlain House" hotel. This coincided with the opening of the railroad in 1850. Only one of the twin buildings stands today (the other was removed in the early 2000s). The Champlain House burned down in 2005.
Bartlett Nye was Champlain's first boat builder. He built sloops before the age of the canal boat. He built the sloops "Champlain," "Wave" and "General Scott." The Gen. Scott was built in 1839 and named after Gen. Winfield Scott who came to Champlain to assess border security during the Papineau War. The boats were built on land at the end of River St. (where the Champlain Village sewage plant is today). The sloops transported commodities such as timber between Champlain, Burlington, Whitehall and St. John's, Quebec. Brother Isaac owned the wharf (Nye Dock) in Burlington where boats could be moored. Decades later, Champlain became a major canal boat building location when James Averill Jr. entered the business.
In 1851, Bartlett Nye built a house on Elm Street called the "Locust Hill" estate. It was named Locust Hill because he planted Locust trees on the hill where his house was. The trees survived into the 1980s. In the mid-1930s, the house became known as the "Savoy Hotel." In the 1950s and 1960s many Sheridan parties were held here and at the bar in the former horse barn. In the 1980s, the house was gutted and converted to 11 apartments. The house burned down in February of 2003. Only the former horse barn remains and contains two apartments.
Freeman Nye married Cornelia Schuyler but had no children. Cornelia was related to Gen. Philip Schuyler who was a major general for New York during the Revolutionary War. Cornelia’s sister was Sarah Schuyler and she married Englishman Henry Hoyle. The Hoyles lived only yards north of the border on Meridian Road (Oak St.). Their house was called the "Manor House of Lacolle." Sarah's sons were the Hoyles of Champlain.
Freeman's older sister Ruth was unmarried and moved from Burlington to Lacolle to live with her brother and his wife.
Bartlett Nye married Lucy Matilda Moore in 1839. She was the daughter of Noadiah and Caroline Moore. She gave birth to daughter Elizabeth in 1840 but she and her daughter contracted measles. The mother died and the baby lived. A year later, Bartlett married Lucy's sister Laura and had seven more children.
Freeman and Bartlett's sister was named Elizabeth and she married Robert Hoyle. Robert was the brother of Henry Hoyle. Elizabeth and her family resided in Lacolle and the Van Vliets are descendants.
Brother Isaac Nye inherited his father's land at Burlington's waterfront. The Nye Dock was here and Isaac received money from shippers who used his wharf to load and unload freight. In the 1830s, Isaac built a store and sold provisions. He also lived in the building and had a tenant family who gave him his meals. When he died, his property went to the nieces and nephews of Bartlett and Elizabeth as he was unmarried. His store building is now the "Shanty on the Shore" restaurant.
Brother Thomas went to UVM and graduated in 1824. He moved to Montreal and became an attorney. Thomas married but had no children.
Some of Bartlett's family and his descendants remained in Champlain. Daughter Elizabeth, who survived measles at the age of six months and lost her mother, was raised for a time by grandfather Noadiah and his wife Caroline. She soon had seven more siblings, with the last one, Bartlett (Jr.) being born only a year before his father died. After the untimely death of Bartlett in 1857 at the age of 58, uncle Freeman managed the affairs of F&B Nye for the next 20 years and provided for his brother's family. Nephews Charles and Bartlett Jr. managed Freeman's estate when he died and ran his farms for several more decades. Two of Freeman's Quebec farms went to niece Elizabeth.
In 1870, Elizabeth Nye married Charles Woodberry McLellan of New York City and East Boston. They had met in NYC only because Charles' roommate was from Champlain and his relative came to visit with her friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Charles settled in New York City where Charles eventually owned a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1882, they bought the original Judge Pliny Moore house from the grandson of Pliny Moore and used it as their summer home. This meant the house was still in the extended Moore family as Elizabeth was the great-granddaughter of Pliny Moore. Charles retired in 1906 and moved to Champlain permanently where he lived until 1918. He managed Elizabeth's two farms in Quebec which she had inherited from her uncle Freeman.
Charles and Elizabeth McLellan had sons Hugh and Malcom. Hugh became a prominent architect after graduating from Columbia University in 1898 and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1904. After his father died in 1918, Hugh permanently moved to Champlain to manage his father's estate, including two farms in Quebec that his mother had inherited. In 1919, he established the Moorfield Press to print family historical documents related to Champlain. He continued his architectural business in Champlain and designed three schools (all still standing), several movie theaters, numerous houses and businesses and planned major renovations of resident’s homes. In the early 1920s, Hugh and his brother sold the Quebec farms as they were too far away and too expensive to manage. They bought the "Border Farm" on upper Oak Street in the Village of Champlain and owned it for a few years.
Malcolm McLellan was a stock broker in New York City. In 1926, he relocated to Champlain and lived in the family house with his brother. Hugh had daughter Dorothy and son Woody who later took over the press and continued it until the early 1980s. Malcolm had two children but one died at the age of 16 after an accident. His daughter's grandson has continued to work on Hugh McLellan's projects related to chronicling the village and town of Champlain's early history.
As noted, the Nyes were related to Richard Warren of the Mayflower. Richard's daughter Mary, who was also on the boat, married Joseph Bartlett who came a few years later on a different boat. The name of Bartlett went from a last name (five generations) to a first name (1799 and 1856, father and son), and finally, to a middle name (1909). The person with the middle name, Patricia Bartlett Nye, died in 1998. The Champlain branch of the Nyes were close to the Bartlett family of Plymouth as their mother was a Bartlett.
All of the Nye and McLellan family members are buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Champlain. The Nyes have a large vault and every family member is buried there.
Henry Falcon in front of his pharmacy. This building was built in 1873 by Benjamin Corbin Moore for a pharmacy.
Benjamin Corbin Moore
Benjamin Corbin Moore was a longtime pharmacist in the Village of Champlain in the late 1800s. In 1873, he built a two-story brick building (formerly 15 Main St.) adjacent to the former Presbyterian Church. This building stands today and the exterior has changed little over the past 150 years. The building has been recently renovated and is now called the Red Canoe Coffee and Books.
Benjamin Corbin Moore was born in Champlain on May 9, 1834. He was the grandson of Champlain's first doctor, Dr. Benjamin Moore. His father was Dr. Edward J. Moore who succumbed to typhus at age 45 when he treated Irish railroad workers working near Dewey's Tavern in 1851.
Moore operated his pharmacy for many decades. He was a Champlain village trustee for seven years and Champlain president (mayor) in 1886 and 1887.
Moore died in 1906. In the mid-1900s druggist Henry W. Falcon (born in 1873) operated his pharmacy in the same building. A business sign notes "Pharmacie Francaise" (the History Center also has a mirror with Falcon’s business name on it). Old photos show the drug store during Falcon's ownership.
The Plattsburgh Sentinel of February 13, 1874, had a short note about Benjamin C. Moore’s new drug store:
MOORE’S NEW DRUG STORE
This building was completed and occupied last fall, and being made expressly for a drug store, is a model establishment. It is built of brick, 34 by 50 feet on the ground, two stories high. It has a glass front, which in the evening, when illuminated, is decidedly attractive. The interior is richly finished in ash and black walnut. It has a convenient laboratory, a cozy little business office, &c., and all the modern appliances, conveniences, attractions, & c., of a first-class drug store. It has also a very obliging clerk in the person of Mr. Hamilton.
Benjamin Corbin Moore was a longtime pharmacist in the Village of Champlain in the late 1800s. In 1873, he built a two-story brick building (formerly 15 Main St.) adjacent to the former Presbyterian Church. This building stands today and the exterior has changed little over the past 150 years. The building has been recently renovated and is now called the Red Canoe Coffee and Books.
Benjamin Corbin Moore was born in Champlain on May 9, 1834. He was the grandson of Champlain's first doctor, Dr. Benjamin Moore. His father was Dr. Edward J. Moore who succumbed to typhus at age 45 when he treated Irish railroad workers working near Dewey's Tavern in 1851.
Moore operated his pharmacy for many decades. He was a Champlain village trustee for seven years and Champlain president (mayor) in 1886 and 1887.
Moore died in 1906. In the mid-1900s druggist Henry W. Falcon (born in 1873) operated his pharmacy in the same building. A business sign notes "Pharmacie Francaise" (the History Center also has a mirror with Falcon’s business name on it). Old photos show the drug store during Falcon's ownership.
The Plattsburgh Sentinel of February 13, 1874, had a short note about Benjamin C. Moore’s new drug store:
MOORE’S NEW DRUG STORE
This building was completed and occupied last fall, and being made expressly for a drug store, is a model establishment. It is built of brick, 34 by 50 feet on the ground, two stories high. It has a glass front, which in the evening, when illuminated, is decidedly attractive. The interior is richly finished in ash and black walnut. It has a convenient laboratory, a cozy little business office, &c., and all the modern appliances, conveniences, attractions, & c., of a first-class drug store. It has also a very obliging clerk in the person of Mr. Hamilton.
Dr. Julius Churchill's house near the corner of Church St. and South St.
Dr. Julius Churchill
The Churchill family of Champlain, New York are descendants of Hubbardton, Vermont residents Samuel and Thankful Churchill. The Churchills of Champlain were farmers and participated in town affairs. One family member was a prominent doctor who contributed to many social, religious and scientific causes of the mid-1800s.
On July 7, 1777, the Battle of Hubbardton occurred and Samuel Churchill was captured by the British and sent to Fort Ticonderoga to boat wood across Lake Champlain. His 14-year-old son William (1763-1828) had an injured foot and was unable to go with the British troops and was left in Hubbardton along with a younger brother. For the next three weeks, Samuel’s wife, Thankful, and her children, including William, trekked to Sheffield, Massachusetts by way of New Hampshire. It is interesting to note that these British troops had been camped at Point au Fer only a month before. Years later, William was a lieutenant in the Continental Army.
In the early 1800s, many settlers from Vermont moved to Champlain and bought land. At the time, almost all of the town was wilderness and only a few crude roads (sometimes just a path) existed. William Churchill, now age 43, came to Champlain in 1804 and bought a 100-acre farm on the road to Chazy. He built a log cabin, cleared the land, and in 1881, his property was known as the "old Junior Churchill place.” This lot may have been on Rt. 9 at the corner of today’s Laporte Rd.
William Churchill died in 1828 and was buried in the Shute Cemetery off of Rapid’s Road. Twelve of William’s family members are in this cemetery, including his wife, five siblings and their families. Two of William’s sons in this cemetery served in the War of 1812. The Shute Cemetery contains several soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, including veteran Antoine Paulin (1734-1813) who was born in France.
Most of William’s children were born before he arrived in Champlain. One son was named Julius (1802-1881) and he was born in Hubbardton. He arrived in Champlain when he was only two years old. He helped to farm his father’s land when he was older. When Julius was 21, he desired to become a doctor and studied under Dr. Miles Stevenson of Chazy and Dr. Benjamin Moore (1772-1831) of Champlain. Moore was the first doctor in Champlain, and his grandson, Benjamin Corbin Moore (1834-1906), built a red brick pharmacy on Main Street. Julius studied at the Medical University at Castleton in Rutland, Vt. In August 1828, he was given a diploma by the Clinton County Medical Society. This was three months after his father died.
Dr. Julius Churchill had a house and office in the Village of Champlain. In 1840, he built an office on Church St. near Main St. mostly by himself and used it until he died in 1881. The office would be around #104 Church St. and it is unknown if the house there (with modifications) is old or not. He also built his residence on upper Church St. near the corner of South St. and it is now #32 Church St.
Dr. Churchill was interested in the physical sciences and questioned some of the teachings of his church. He collected military arms, photos, fossils and minerals and had a greenhouse attached to his office that contained plants, cactuses and live birds. He also had a large collection of books and was well read. Julius was interested in geology and mineralogy, and in the 1840s, accompanied Sir Charles Lyell, a Scottish geologist, on his exploration of the Mississippi Valley. Lyell was studying the geological processes that formed the land features on earth. Churchill’s eclectic collection was sold at auction by his estate administrator.
Dr. Churchill was postmaster of Champlain for 10 years and resigned in 1840 to devote himself to his medical practice. He practiced all over the town of Champlain as well as in Quebec. He was later a village trustee.
Dr. Churchill married Nancy Fillmore who was a cousin to the 13th U.S. president, Millard Filmore. She had been born in Chazy (father Septa Fillmore is buried in Chazy). Julius and Nancy had four children. He was likely good friends with Freeman Nye (of F&B Nye). In 1835, he named a daughter Cornelia Schuyler Churchill after Freeman’s wife, Cornelia Schuyler Nye. He was also friends with Benjamin Corbin Moore and his brother Edward J. of NYC who were both pharmacists.
Dr. Julius Churchill and some of his siblings and children are buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Champlain Village. Most of his siblings are in the Shute Cemetery. His wife is buried in Springfield, Illinois, where their son Russell lived and is buried.
In 1919, the Catelli family owned the Churchill house. A military funeral was held for Armand Catelli who died on November 25, 1919 from the effects of poison gas he was exposed to while serving in the trenches of France during World War I. He is buried across the street in St. Mary’s Cemetery, along with other family members.
Source: The Churchill Family in America by Gardner Churchill and Nathaniel Churchill, 1904; archive.org.
Source: Plattsburgh Sentinel, Feb. 11 & 18, 1881 and Plattsburgh Republican editions.
More FB information about Samuel and Thankful Churchill:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1035021528436357&set=a.455773806361135
The Churchill family of Champlain, New York are descendants of Hubbardton, Vermont residents Samuel and Thankful Churchill. The Churchills of Champlain were farmers and participated in town affairs. One family member was a prominent doctor who contributed to many social, religious and scientific causes of the mid-1800s.
On July 7, 1777, the Battle of Hubbardton occurred and Samuel Churchill was captured by the British and sent to Fort Ticonderoga to boat wood across Lake Champlain. His 14-year-old son William (1763-1828) had an injured foot and was unable to go with the British troops and was left in Hubbardton along with a younger brother. For the next three weeks, Samuel’s wife, Thankful, and her children, including William, trekked to Sheffield, Massachusetts by way of New Hampshire. It is interesting to note that these British troops had been camped at Point au Fer only a month before. Years later, William was a lieutenant in the Continental Army.
In the early 1800s, many settlers from Vermont moved to Champlain and bought land. At the time, almost all of the town was wilderness and only a few crude roads (sometimes just a path) existed. William Churchill, now age 43, came to Champlain in 1804 and bought a 100-acre farm on the road to Chazy. He built a log cabin, cleared the land, and in 1881, his property was known as the "old Junior Churchill place.” This lot may have been on Rt. 9 at the corner of today’s Laporte Rd.
William Churchill died in 1828 and was buried in the Shute Cemetery off of Rapid’s Road. Twelve of William’s family members are in this cemetery, including his wife, five siblings and their families. Two of William’s sons in this cemetery served in the War of 1812. The Shute Cemetery contains several soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, including veteran Antoine Paulin (1734-1813) who was born in France.
Most of William’s children were born before he arrived in Champlain. One son was named Julius (1802-1881) and he was born in Hubbardton. He arrived in Champlain when he was only two years old. He helped to farm his father’s land when he was older. When Julius was 21, he desired to become a doctor and studied under Dr. Miles Stevenson of Chazy and Dr. Benjamin Moore (1772-1831) of Champlain. Moore was the first doctor in Champlain, and his grandson, Benjamin Corbin Moore (1834-1906), built a red brick pharmacy on Main Street. Julius studied at the Medical University at Castleton in Rutland, Vt. In August 1828, he was given a diploma by the Clinton County Medical Society. This was three months after his father died.
Dr. Julius Churchill had a house and office in the Village of Champlain. In 1840, he built an office on Church St. near Main St. mostly by himself and used it until he died in 1881. The office would be around #104 Church St. and it is unknown if the house there (with modifications) is old or not. He also built his residence on upper Church St. near the corner of South St. and it is now #32 Church St.
Dr. Churchill was interested in the physical sciences and questioned some of the teachings of his church. He collected military arms, photos, fossils and minerals and had a greenhouse attached to his office that contained plants, cactuses and live birds. He also had a large collection of books and was well read. Julius was interested in geology and mineralogy, and in the 1840s, accompanied Sir Charles Lyell, a Scottish geologist, on his exploration of the Mississippi Valley. Lyell was studying the geological processes that formed the land features on earth. Churchill’s eclectic collection was sold at auction by his estate administrator.
Dr. Churchill was postmaster of Champlain for 10 years and resigned in 1840 to devote himself to his medical practice. He practiced all over the town of Champlain as well as in Quebec. He was later a village trustee.
Dr. Churchill married Nancy Fillmore who was a cousin to the 13th U.S. president, Millard Filmore. She had been born in Chazy (father Septa Fillmore is buried in Chazy). Julius and Nancy had four children. He was likely good friends with Freeman Nye (of F&B Nye). In 1835, he named a daughter Cornelia Schuyler Churchill after Freeman’s wife, Cornelia Schuyler Nye. He was also friends with Benjamin Corbin Moore and his brother Edward J. of NYC who were both pharmacists.
Dr. Julius Churchill and some of his siblings and children are buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Champlain Village. Most of his siblings are in the Shute Cemetery. His wife is buried in Springfield, Illinois, where their son Russell lived and is buried.
In 1919, the Catelli family owned the Churchill house. A military funeral was held for Armand Catelli who died on November 25, 1919 from the effects of poison gas he was exposed to while serving in the trenches of France during World War I. He is buried across the street in St. Mary’s Cemetery, along with other family members.
Source: The Churchill Family in America by Gardner Churchill and Nathaniel Churchill, 1904; archive.org.
Source: Plattsburgh Sentinel, Feb. 11 & 18, 1881 and Plattsburgh Republican editions.
More FB information about Samuel and Thankful Churchill:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1035021528436357&set=a.455773806361135
The Abijah and Lemuel North Families
A large extended family that lived in Champlain in the 1800s were father and son Abijah and Lemuel North. The name of Lemuel has been a cause of confusion as there were five different Lemuels who lived at various times and were all related.
Abijah North was from Shoreham, Vt. and was born in 1772 a few years before the Revolutionary War started. He came to Champlain in 1800 with his brother Lemuel. It was at this time that many settlers from Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and the capital region of New York came to Champlain. The brothers purchased Lot 111 which was part of the land grant that Pliny Moore acquired in 1785. This is today near the McCrea Road and Rapids Road intersection. The Shute Cemetery is nearby.
Abijah married Pamelia Churchill (1791-1853) in Champlain. She was born in Hubbardton, Vt. and her father William Churchill was the boy who was kidnapped by British troops when they raided Hubbardton during the Revolutionary War. William and some of his siblings settled in Champlain and he and his daughter Pamelia, as well as her husband Abijah, are buried in the Shute Cemetery. Abijah's sister Elizabeth (1781-1861) also came to Champlain and married Daniel Moore (1777-1864), another early settler. They are also buried in the Shute Cemetery.
Abijah was a successful farmer and active in politics. He raised show horses and entered them in contests. He entered his prized cattle in the Clinton County Agricultural Cattle Show and Fair in Plattsburgh in 1820 (best pair of 3-year-old Steers). He was a War of 1812 veteran, a town supervisor and NYS assemblyman.
Abijah North's brother was Lemuel (#1) (1779-1847) who came with him to Champlain. Lemuel later moved to Chazy and is buried in Riverview Cemetery with other family members. Another person named Lemuel Fayette North (#2) (1889-1939) is distantly related and is buried in Riverview.
Abijah had five children, including Russell (1814-1868), Lemuel (#3) (1816-1890) and Ezekiel Abijah North (1831-1870). Son Russell moved to Chazy and had a son named Lemuel (#4) (1847-1872) and both are buried in Riverview Cemetery. Abijah's son Lemuel worked on the farm and later moved to Rouses Point where he married Gen. Ezra Thurber's daughter, Melvina Louise Thurber. His property is seen on the lakeshore in Rouses Point in 1869. Lemuel was a successful farmer, lumberman, merchant and owned many prized racing and show horses. A colored drawing of his farm is presented here. Abijah's son Ezekiel lived on his father's land (Lot 111) in 1869. His name derives from his mother's family, the Churchills.
Abijah's son Lemuel (#3) owned land on Lot 91 which is off of Rapids Road today (in 1869 there was no road here). His farm was called "Cold Spring Farm" and this is where he raised his prized stallions (the farm was likely on Lot 91). He was said to have one of the most productive farms in Champlain. In 1878, there existed the “Cold Spring Cheese and Butter Manufacturing Co.” which made thousands of pounds of cheese but it is unknown if it was associated with Mr. North. The Beers 1869 map also shows "L. North 2nd" on Lot 108 nearby. Lemuel had four children with two wives. He had a son named Abijah, and not surprisingly, he had a son named Lemuel Webster North (#5) (1879- ) but he was born after the 1869 map was made.
In Lemuel’s later years, he and his son Abijah were in the hotel business. In 1883, they worked as managers of the Champlain House in the Village of Champlain (the former Nye hotel). Abijah had previously worked at the Fouquet House in Plattsburgh (1877-1880) and also did work in Redford, NY. In 1884, Abijah worked for Mr. Leonard who owned the American House in Rouses Point. Abijah also purchased Montgomery Hall in Rouses Point and it was to be used for dances and billiards with the Windsor Hotel which he managed. The Windsor had a new dock where the steamer Reindeer moored and this caught the attention of Abijah who had steamer experience. He quit the hotel business that same year to work as a clerk on the Reindeer. Sadly, Abijah drowned on the Great Chazy River when he broke through the ice and was swept away. This was the same year he started his work in Rouses Point. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery and his father Lemuel, who died in 1890, is buried in Maple Hill.
A large extended family that lived in Champlain in the 1800s were father and son Abijah and Lemuel North. The name of Lemuel has been a cause of confusion as there were five different Lemuels who lived at various times and were all related.
Abijah North was from Shoreham, Vt. and was born in 1772 a few years before the Revolutionary War started. He came to Champlain in 1800 with his brother Lemuel. It was at this time that many settlers from Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and the capital region of New York came to Champlain. The brothers purchased Lot 111 which was part of the land grant that Pliny Moore acquired in 1785. This is today near the McCrea Road and Rapids Road intersection. The Shute Cemetery is nearby.
Abijah married Pamelia Churchill (1791-1853) in Champlain. She was born in Hubbardton, Vt. and her father William Churchill was the boy who was kidnapped by British troops when they raided Hubbardton during the Revolutionary War. William and some of his siblings settled in Champlain and he and his daughter Pamelia, as well as her husband Abijah, are buried in the Shute Cemetery. Abijah's sister Elizabeth (1781-1861) also came to Champlain and married Daniel Moore (1777-1864), another early settler. They are also buried in the Shute Cemetery.
Abijah was a successful farmer and active in politics. He raised show horses and entered them in contests. He entered his prized cattle in the Clinton County Agricultural Cattle Show and Fair in Plattsburgh in 1820 (best pair of 3-year-old Steers). He was a War of 1812 veteran, a town supervisor and NYS assemblyman.
Abijah North's brother was Lemuel (#1) (1779-1847) who came with him to Champlain. Lemuel later moved to Chazy and is buried in Riverview Cemetery with other family members. Another person named Lemuel Fayette North (#2) (1889-1939) is distantly related and is buried in Riverview.
Abijah had five children, including Russell (1814-1868), Lemuel (#3) (1816-1890) and Ezekiel Abijah North (1831-1870). Son Russell moved to Chazy and had a son named Lemuel (#4) (1847-1872) and both are buried in Riverview Cemetery. Abijah's son Lemuel worked on the farm and later moved to Rouses Point where he married Gen. Ezra Thurber's daughter, Melvina Louise Thurber. His property is seen on the lakeshore in Rouses Point in 1869. Lemuel was a successful farmer, lumberman, merchant and owned many prized racing and show horses. A colored drawing of his farm is presented here. Abijah's son Ezekiel lived on his father's land (Lot 111) in 1869. His name derives from his mother's family, the Churchills.
Abijah's son Lemuel (#3) owned land on Lot 91 which is off of Rapids Road today (in 1869 there was no road here). His farm was called "Cold Spring Farm" and this is where he raised his prized stallions (the farm was likely on Lot 91). He was said to have one of the most productive farms in Champlain. In 1878, there existed the “Cold Spring Cheese and Butter Manufacturing Co.” which made thousands of pounds of cheese but it is unknown if it was associated with Mr. North. The Beers 1869 map also shows "L. North 2nd" on Lot 108 nearby. Lemuel had four children with two wives. He had a son named Abijah, and not surprisingly, he had a son named Lemuel Webster North (#5) (1879- ) but he was born after the 1869 map was made.
In Lemuel’s later years, he and his son Abijah were in the hotel business. In 1883, they worked as managers of the Champlain House in the Village of Champlain (the former Nye hotel). Abijah had previously worked at the Fouquet House in Plattsburgh (1877-1880) and also did work in Redford, NY. In 1884, Abijah worked for Mr. Leonard who owned the American House in Rouses Point. Abijah also purchased Montgomery Hall in Rouses Point and it was to be used for dances and billiards with the Windsor Hotel which he managed. The Windsor had a new dock where the steamer Reindeer moored and this caught the attention of Abijah who had steamer experience. He quit the hotel business that same year to work as a clerk on the Reindeer. Sadly, Abijah drowned on the Great Chazy River when he broke through the ice and was swept away. This was the same year he started his work in Rouses Point. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery and his father Lemuel, who died in 1890, is buried in Maple Hill.
Dr. James M. Hackett and St. Mary’s Convent
Dr. James M. Hackett (1864-1939) was born in Compton, Quebec and went to medical school at the University of Vermont where he graduated in 1888. He practiced in Lyon Mountain for two years and then moved to Champlain in 1890 and bought out the practice of Dr. Edgerly who moved to Boston. Dr. Edgerly had succeeded Dr. William Coit (1834-1886) after he died so it is possible his office and residence, and maybe Hackett’s office, was in a building adjacent to the Champlain House on Main Street (according to the 1869 map).
In September 1898, the Plattsburgh Sentinel newspaper noted that Dr. Hackett had built a new house. An article stated: “This is a season of especial prosperity in Champlain, and the erection of an unusually large number of new buildings is a criterion. The merry sound of the hammer is heard in all parts of the village. Among the new buildings now in process of erection, are the new and beautiful residences of Dr. Hackett and Dunning and Dickinson’s new store house.…” It is likely that Hackett built the house that is seen in many photographs and postcards and that Mrs. Allason’s house, which is shown on the Beers' 1869 map of Champlain, was different. Dr. Hackett’s house was of a Victorian-style design which was common from about 1860 to 1900.
Dr. Hackett married Ellen M. Chapin whose family was from Champlain. They had two daughters and one son. When WWI started, Dr. Hackett’s son Frederick enlisted in the army in 1917 and served in France where he rose to the rank of Major. The Hackett family left Champlain in 1918 and moved to Leonia, New Jersey. In July of 1918, Dr. Hackett enlisted in the Medical Reserve Corps at the age of 54 and served in New Jersey and Georgia before he was discharged in October of 1919, a year after the war ended. He left as a Captain. Dr. Hackett died in 1939 and was buried in Compton, Quebec. His wife died in 1940 and was buried in her father’s plot in Glenwood Cemetery, Champlain.
Years later, the stately Hackett house was converted to a convent by St. Mary’s parish and the St. Mary’s Academy stone school was erected at the back. The old Hackett house was later demolished. In November of 1964, a fund drive was sponsored by the parish to raise $200,000 for a new convent. The convent was to be built where the former John Henry Whiteside house stood. By early 1966, the new $145,000 convent had been completed. It was two stories and had 22 private rooms. The first St. Mary’s Bazaar was held in 1968 to help raise funds for the parish after the convent’s completion. The convent was later acquired by Champlain Telephone Company.
Dr. James M. Hackett (1864-1939) was born in Compton, Quebec and went to medical school at the University of Vermont where he graduated in 1888. He practiced in Lyon Mountain for two years and then moved to Champlain in 1890 and bought out the practice of Dr. Edgerly who moved to Boston. Dr. Edgerly had succeeded Dr. William Coit (1834-1886) after he died so it is possible his office and residence, and maybe Hackett’s office, was in a building adjacent to the Champlain House on Main Street (according to the 1869 map).
In September 1898, the Plattsburgh Sentinel newspaper noted that Dr. Hackett had built a new house. An article stated: “This is a season of especial prosperity in Champlain, and the erection of an unusually large number of new buildings is a criterion. The merry sound of the hammer is heard in all parts of the village. Among the new buildings now in process of erection, are the new and beautiful residences of Dr. Hackett and Dunning and Dickinson’s new store house.…” It is likely that Hackett built the house that is seen in many photographs and postcards and that Mrs. Allason’s house, which is shown on the Beers' 1869 map of Champlain, was different. Dr. Hackett’s house was of a Victorian-style design which was common from about 1860 to 1900.
Dr. Hackett married Ellen M. Chapin whose family was from Champlain. They had two daughters and one son. When WWI started, Dr. Hackett’s son Frederick enlisted in the army in 1917 and served in France where he rose to the rank of Major. The Hackett family left Champlain in 1918 and moved to Leonia, New Jersey. In July of 1918, Dr. Hackett enlisted in the Medical Reserve Corps at the age of 54 and served in New Jersey and Georgia before he was discharged in October of 1919, a year after the war ended. He left as a Captain. Dr. Hackett died in 1939 and was buried in Compton, Quebec. His wife died in 1940 and was buried in her father’s plot in Glenwood Cemetery, Champlain.
Years later, the stately Hackett house was converted to a convent by St. Mary’s parish and the St. Mary’s Academy stone school was erected at the back. The old Hackett house was later demolished. In November of 1964, a fund drive was sponsored by the parish to raise $200,000 for a new convent. The convent was to be built where the former John Henry Whiteside house stood. By early 1966, the new $145,000 convent had been completed. It was two stories and had 22 private rooms. The first St. Mary’s Bazaar was held in 1968 to help raise funds for the parish after the convent’s completion. The convent was later acquired by Champlain Telephone Company.
Dr. James Hackett's house. The house was purchased by St. Mary's church after Dr. Hackett moved to New Jersey in 1918 during WWI. The house was used as a convent for many decades. A stone school academy was later added and remained into the 2000s. In the mid-1900s. the frame house was torn down. Around 1970, the church tore down the John H. Whiteside house across the street and built a two-story convent. The convent later closed and Champlain Telephone Co. occupies the building.
Louis Camille Lafontaine
Louis Camille LaFontaine was a prominent Village of Champlain resident in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was a railroad employee, bank teller and commissioner on the New York State Tercentenary Commission in 1909. He was also instrumental in helping to erect three Samuel de Champlain monuments in the Champlain Valley.
LaFontaine was born in Champlain in July of 1852 to Camille LaFontaine (1813-1901) and Laura Gosselin (1817-1882). His father was from Chambly, Quebec and his mother's family were early Champlain Town residents. He went to school in Champlain and Montreal.
In 1881, the new stone bank building for the First National Bank of Champlain was built. This building is now the Samuel de Champlain History Center. In 1884, Lafontaine started work as a teller in the bank. By the early 1900s, he was one of nine directors of the bank. The directors appointed officers of the bank and LaFontaine was appointed the Assistant Cashier.
LaFontaine briefly entered politics in his late thirties. In 1890, he ran for county treasurer against Andrew Williams but may not have won. In 1893, he was an official canvasser of the county and represented Champlain.
Prior to 1907, residents in the Village of Champlain wanted to erect a monument of Samuel de Champlain in honor of the navigator. This would have been the first monument of Champlain built in the United States. The Village of Champlain mayor organized a committee and the preliminary location of the proposed monument was going to be in the center of Main Street at the base of Oak Street (in front of the Champlain House). Many cities have monuments in the public squares that form a traffic circle.
After the meeting, Louis LaFontaine worked with the priest of St. Mary's Church and started a fundraising campaign. Many village residents who were of Franco-American descent contributed to the campaign. The large and influential St. Jean Baptiste Society in the United States also helped to raise money throughout New England. After the parishioners of St. Mary's church sponsored the monument, it was decided to place it in front of the church. The $4,800 ($164,222 today) monument was dedicated on July 4, 1907 and 6,000 people attended the all-day event which included a parade, speeches, a dinner and fireworks. The Plattsburgh Sentinel described how the village was decorated: "The entire village was prettily decorated. Nearly every house and building displayed American flags and the tri-color of France was displayed, an appropriate memorial to the nationality of the distinguished explorer. Over the bridges in the center of the village were too large arches, bearing the inscription, “Welcome”." Hanging on St. Mary's church were American and French flags with the mottoes, “Vive Champlain” (Long live Champlain) and “Nous-Nous Souvenons” (We Remember), a term that stresses the importance of preserving the French culture in North America.
In 1908, New York State, Vermont and Quebec started planning for the massive 1909 Tercentenary celebrations to honor Samuel de Champlain. The governor of New York appointed five citizens from the area to the Lake Champlain Tercentenary Commission. They were to serve with other appointees and politicians. Vermont had a similar commission. Because of Louis C. LaFontaine's work with the Champlain monument a year earlier and his influence within the Franco-American community, he was appointed to the commission. LaFontaine was later appointed a "committee of one" to meet with the Archbishop of Quebec and invite him to do a mass on July 4th at Isle la Motte. In February of 1909, LaFontaine addressed members of the Union St. Jean-Baptiste d'Amerique at their quarterly meeting in Rhode Island to discuss the coming celebration. The Tercentenary events were held throughout the Champlain Valley in July of 1909.
The most lasting accomplishment of the Tercentenary commissioners was the erection of the Samuel de Champlain monuments at Crown Point and Plattsburgh. This was accomplished two years after the Tercentenary when money was allocated by the New York and Vermont state legislatures. The official Tercentenary Report notes that it was Louis C. LaFontaine's idea to convert the 1850s lighthouse at Crown Point to a grand monument that celebrated Champlain. His inspiration came from reading Champlain's journals. Work on the monument started in the fall of 1911 and finished only a day or two before it was dedicated in July of 1912.
During World War I, there were war savings campaigns in the United States to raise money for the war effort. Liberty Bonds were sold and each county was divided into districts. James DeF. Burroughs was appointed the town captain and one of his lieutenants was Louis C. LaFontaine.
LaFontaine died in October of 1924 and was buried in the New St. Mary's Cemetery on Church St. in the Village of Champlain. His stone reads "Le Promoteur du Monument / Samuel De Champlain, a Champlain, N.Y." or "The Promoter of the Samuel de Champlain Monument, in Champlain, N.Y."
Louis Camille LaFontaine was a prominent Village of Champlain resident in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was a railroad employee, bank teller and commissioner on the New York State Tercentenary Commission in 1909. He was also instrumental in helping to erect three Samuel de Champlain monuments in the Champlain Valley.
LaFontaine was born in Champlain in July of 1852 to Camille LaFontaine (1813-1901) and Laura Gosselin (1817-1882). His father was from Chambly, Quebec and his mother's family were early Champlain Town residents. He went to school in Champlain and Montreal.
In 1881, the new stone bank building for the First National Bank of Champlain was built. This building is now the Samuel de Champlain History Center. In 1884, Lafontaine started work as a teller in the bank. By the early 1900s, he was one of nine directors of the bank. The directors appointed officers of the bank and LaFontaine was appointed the Assistant Cashier.
LaFontaine briefly entered politics in his late thirties. In 1890, he ran for county treasurer against Andrew Williams but may not have won. In 1893, he was an official canvasser of the county and represented Champlain.
Prior to 1907, residents in the Village of Champlain wanted to erect a monument of Samuel de Champlain in honor of the navigator. This would have been the first monument of Champlain built in the United States. The Village of Champlain mayor organized a committee and the preliminary location of the proposed monument was going to be in the center of Main Street at the base of Oak Street (in front of the Champlain House). Many cities have monuments in the public squares that form a traffic circle.
After the meeting, Louis LaFontaine worked with the priest of St. Mary's Church and started a fundraising campaign. Many village residents who were of Franco-American descent contributed to the campaign. The large and influential St. Jean Baptiste Society in the United States also helped to raise money throughout New England. After the parishioners of St. Mary's church sponsored the monument, it was decided to place it in front of the church. The $4,800 ($164,222 today) monument was dedicated on July 4, 1907 and 6,000 people attended the all-day event which included a parade, speeches, a dinner and fireworks. The Plattsburgh Sentinel described how the village was decorated: "The entire village was prettily decorated. Nearly every house and building displayed American flags and the tri-color of France was displayed, an appropriate memorial to the nationality of the distinguished explorer. Over the bridges in the center of the village were too large arches, bearing the inscription, “Welcome”." Hanging on St. Mary's church were American and French flags with the mottoes, “Vive Champlain” (Long live Champlain) and “Nous-Nous Souvenons” (We Remember), a term that stresses the importance of preserving the French culture in North America.
In 1908, New York State, Vermont and Quebec started planning for the massive 1909 Tercentenary celebrations to honor Samuel de Champlain. The governor of New York appointed five citizens from the area to the Lake Champlain Tercentenary Commission. They were to serve with other appointees and politicians. Vermont had a similar commission. Because of Louis C. LaFontaine's work with the Champlain monument a year earlier and his influence within the Franco-American community, he was appointed to the commission. LaFontaine was later appointed a "committee of one" to meet with the Archbishop of Quebec and invite him to do a mass on July 4th at Isle la Motte. In February of 1909, LaFontaine addressed members of the Union St. Jean-Baptiste d'Amerique at their quarterly meeting in Rhode Island to discuss the coming celebration. The Tercentenary events were held throughout the Champlain Valley in July of 1909.
The most lasting accomplishment of the Tercentenary commissioners was the erection of the Samuel de Champlain monuments at Crown Point and Plattsburgh. This was accomplished two years after the Tercentenary when money was allocated by the New York and Vermont state legislatures. The official Tercentenary Report notes that it was Louis C. LaFontaine's idea to convert the 1850s lighthouse at Crown Point to a grand monument that celebrated Champlain. His inspiration came from reading Champlain's journals. Work on the monument started in the fall of 1911 and finished only a day or two before it was dedicated in July of 1912.
During World War I, there were war savings campaigns in the United States to raise money for the war effort. Liberty Bonds were sold and each county was divided into districts. James DeF. Burroughs was appointed the town captain and one of his lieutenants was Louis C. LaFontaine.
LaFontaine died in October of 1924 and was buried in the New St. Mary's Cemetery on Church St. in the Village of Champlain. His stone reads "Le Promoteur du Monument / Samuel De Champlain, a Champlain, N.Y." or "The Promoter of the Samuel de Champlain Monument, in Champlain, N.Y."
The Town of Champlain's Cemeteries
In the early days of Champlain’s founding, many family burying yards were established. These burying yards were placed on family farms for the necessity of quickly burying the dead. After the establishment of the Glenwood and Maple Hill municipal cemeteries in 1858 and 1859, many of the burials in these burying yards were relocated and the grounds abandoned. Unfortunately, there are still many of Champlain’s earliest residents in these forgotten burying yards.
Champlain Town (now the Town of Champlain) had many burying yards in its early days. In 1799 and 1823, respectively, Pliny Moore and Ezra Thurber each gave their community a small burying yard. The Joseph King family had one or two off Route 9B at King’s Bay; Isaac Hayford had a large one on Hayford Road; Hiram Shute who lived on McCrea Road had a very large one that was used by many families living in the southern part of the town; Levi Waters, who lived in the western part of the town, had one named after him and Aaron Scott Thurber had one in Rouses Point. On the lakeshore farm of Jacques Rouse near the Chazy town line was a large cemetery used by the French-Canadian refugees. This cemetery is now completely abandoned and there is little evidence of its true size. Many others dotted the town. Starting in the 1920s, Hugh McLellan and later his son Woody and his wife Hulda, catalogued most of Champlain’s burying yards and today their records are a valuable source of genealogical information.
Champlain Town (now the Town of Champlain) had many burying yards in its early days. In 1799 and 1823, respectively, Pliny Moore and Ezra Thurber each gave their community a small burying yard. The Joseph King family had one or two off Route 9B at King’s Bay; Isaac Hayford had a large one on Hayford Road; Hiram Shute who lived on McCrea Road had a very large one that was used by many families living in the southern part of the town; Levi Waters, who lived in the western part of the town, had one named after him and Aaron Scott Thurber had one in Rouses Point. On the lakeshore farm of Jacques Rouse near the Chazy town line was a large cemetery used by the French-Canadian refugees. This cemetery is now completely abandoned and there is little evidence of its true size. Many others dotted the town. Starting in the 1920s, Hugh McLellan and later his son Woody and his wife Hulda, catalogued most of Champlain’s burying yards and today their records are a valuable source of genealogical information.
Glenwood Cemetery (August 3, 1860, Village of Champlain)
On December 19, 1859, the Glenwood Cemetery Association was formed and the following Champlain residents were named as trustees: John Henry Whiteside, George Visscher Hoyle, W.F. Cook, Timothy Hoyle, Hiram Dudley, Freeman Nye, James Averill (Sr.), David Finley and William Dodds. Trustee John H. Whiteside donated 12 acres of land for the grounds of the cemetery on Lot 45 of the Smith and Graves Patent.
The cemetery was laid out as a “garden cemetery” by architect B.F. Hatheway. This was a popular design in England and in the United States starting in the mid-1800s. Garden cemeteries typically were designed in the form of a park with extensive vegetation and walking paths which was in contrast to the usually crowded urban church cemeteries.
The Glenwood Cemetery grounds were dedicated on August 3, 1860. The first burial was Alfred Hitchcock’s (1835-1923) child, although no stone is found.
On April 23, 1867, New York State passed a law stating that the remains of people buried in the Old Burying Yard on Oak Street (burials from 1799 to 1859) had to be moved to Glenwood Cemetery. This was accomplished by the 1870s and the Old Burying Yard land was sold to Timothy Hoyle in 1874 and divided into two lots. Oscar Bredenberg’s house was built on one lot and another house was built later on the second lot.
The cemetery was laid out as a “garden cemetery” by architect B.F. Hatheway. This was a popular design in England and in the United States starting in the mid-1800s. Garden cemeteries typically were designed in the form of a park with extensive vegetation and walking paths which was in contrast to the usually crowded urban church cemeteries.
The Glenwood Cemetery grounds were dedicated on August 3, 1860. The first burial was Alfred Hitchcock’s (1835-1923) child, although no stone is found.
On April 23, 1867, New York State passed a law stating that the remains of people buried in the Old Burying Yard on Oak Street (burials from 1799 to 1859) had to be moved to Glenwood Cemetery. This was accomplished by the 1870s and the Old Burying Yard land was sold to Timothy Hoyle in 1874 and divided into two lots. Oscar Bredenberg’s house was built on one lot and another house was built later on the second lot.
St. Mary’s Cemeteries (1860 and 1910, Village of Champlain)
The first Catholic cemetery in Champlain Village was laid out in 1860 on lot 48 at the top of Prospect St. in the Village of Champlain and was 2.5 acres in size. By 1940, it had 311 stones and 648 people buried here. In 1910, a second larger cemetery was opened at the corner of Church St. and South St. It is now adjacent to Rt. 11.
Maple Hill Cemetery (1858, Rouses Point)
Maple Hill Cemetery Association was organized on December 20, 1858 and the original trustees were Alexander Stearns, Warren C. Fairbanks, William J. Crook, Chauncy Smith, Albert Chapman, and Benjamin Webster. The cemetery was laid out far from Rouses Point on two acres of refugee lot 52. Hannah Stearns was the first person buried in Maple Hill as she died on January 28, 1859.
On March 11, 1870, New York State passed a law requiring that all of the bodies in the Old Burying Ground in Rouses Point be moved to Maple Hill. The removal of bodies occurred around May 31, 1873, when 61-year-old David Leonard dug up the 64 bodies and moved them here. He received cemetery lot #143 for his work and is now interred here with his family.
Other burials around town including the ones in the A.S. Thurber Burial Yard were later moved here. Today, this cemetery contains a “who’s-who” of people found on the Beers 1869 map for Rouses Point. Names include Albee, Angell, Averill, Bullis, Crook, Dupree, Fairbank, Fitch, Fox, Hayford, King, Leonard, Lewis, Moore, Oliver, Randall, Rochester, Smith, Thurber and Weeks. Jacques Rouses’ daughter, Mary (Rouse) White, married Charles White and died in 1868. She is in the White plot (#114) under the name of “grandmother”. A daughter of Mary’s married Peter Luck. Also of interest are several people who were in various wars. Daniel Coit served as a Minuteman in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War and Captain Aaron Smith, from Athol, Mass., was at the surrender of Burgoyne in Saratoga in 1777. Gen. Ezra Thurber was in the militia in Rouses Point. Serving in the War of 1812 was Ahaz Albee, Daniel Moore 2nd, Caleb Smith and Loyal Oliver (son of Andrew Oliver). Peter Ashline served in the Civil War, among others.
On March 11, 1870, New York State passed a law requiring that all of the bodies in the Old Burying Ground in Rouses Point be moved to Maple Hill. The removal of bodies occurred around May 31, 1873, when 61-year-old David Leonard dug up the 64 bodies and moved them here. He received cemetery lot #143 for his work and is now interred here with his family.
Other burials around town including the ones in the A.S. Thurber Burial Yard were later moved here. Today, this cemetery contains a “who’s-who” of people found on the Beers 1869 map for Rouses Point. Names include Albee, Angell, Averill, Bullis, Crook, Dupree, Fairbank, Fitch, Fox, Hayford, King, Leonard, Lewis, Moore, Oliver, Randall, Rochester, Smith, Thurber and Weeks. Jacques Rouses’ daughter, Mary (Rouse) White, married Charles White and died in 1868. She is in the White plot (#114) under the name of “grandmother”. A daughter of Mary’s married Peter Luck. Also of interest are several people who were in various wars. Daniel Coit served as a Minuteman in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War and Captain Aaron Smith, from Athol, Mass., was at the surrender of Burgoyne in Saratoga in 1777. Gen. Ezra Thurber was in the militia in Rouses Point. Serving in the War of 1812 was Ahaz Albee, Daniel Moore 2nd, Caleb Smith and Loyal Oliver (son of Andrew Oliver). Peter Ashline served in the Civil War, among others.
The Railroad in the Town of Champlain
The history of the railroad in the Town of Champlain is a long and complicated story. The railroad company names have changed many times and today’s railroad in the town is only a small portion of the railroad that existed in the late 1800s.
The railroad came to the town in 1850 when the Northern Railroad completed a 118-mile line from Ogdensburg to Rouses Point, the lakeside village in the Town of Champlain. This rail system connected the St. Lawrence River communities with Lake Champlain.
Prior to the opening of the railroad, Main Street in the Village of Champlain expanded with the building of the Nye Block (two twin brick buildings with one still standing) and the Champlain House (a hotel) which were both owned by brothers Freeman and Bartlett Nye under the firm name of F&B Nye. A railroad station was built on Chestnut (Matilda) Street at the corner of Butternut Street. In Rouses Point, a railroad junction and station were built.
In the first decades after the railroad came to the Town of Champlain, the names of the railway companies changed as they merged with other companies. The Northern Railroad became the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad. Then it became the Rutland Railroad.
Other railways came to Rouses Point and the village grew into a major junction. The Delaware and Hudson Railroad (D&H) came to Rouses Point by way of Plattsburgh. The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad was in Canada and its southern junction was in Rouses Point. It connected Rouses Point with Montreal. And the Vermont and Canada Railroad built a bridge over Lake Champlain in 1868 and had a junction in Rouses Point.
With so many railroads meeting in Rouses Point, farmers and business people in the town of Champlain could ship their commodities and agricultural products to the Great Lakes states via Ogdensburg and Montreal and throughout New England, including Boston. Passenger travel between Champlain, Boston, New York City and Montreal was more convenient than steamboat or horse drawn stage, although the trip was still time consuming.
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the biggest employer in Rouses Point was the railroad. There were even two post offices in Rouses Point. One was at the northern part of the village where the railroad was and a second was in the southern part of the village. In the 1850s, the northern part of the village was briefly called Hoyleton and named after Village of Champlain resident George Vischer Hoyle who worked for the railroad. The rail yards operated by several rail companies expanded and hundreds of people were employed. This created problems during economic downturns when the rail companies had layoffs.
By the 1960s, the influence of the railroad in the town of Champlain started to diminish as large trucks became more economical. Rail stations were closed and routes were discontinued. Eventually, some of the track was removed. This included the track through the Village of Champlain that ran to the Sheridan/Harris plant.
There are many resources that describe the railroad industry in Champlain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogdensburg_and_Lake_Champlain_Railroad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouses_Point_station
The railroad came to the town in 1850 when the Northern Railroad completed a 118-mile line from Ogdensburg to Rouses Point, the lakeside village in the Town of Champlain. This rail system connected the St. Lawrence River communities with Lake Champlain.
Prior to the opening of the railroad, Main Street in the Village of Champlain expanded with the building of the Nye Block (two twin brick buildings with one still standing) and the Champlain House (a hotel) which were both owned by brothers Freeman and Bartlett Nye under the firm name of F&B Nye. A railroad station was built on Chestnut (Matilda) Street at the corner of Butternut Street. In Rouses Point, a railroad junction and station were built.
In the first decades after the railroad came to the Town of Champlain, the names of the railway companies changed as they merged with other companies. The Northern Railroad became the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad. Then it became the Rutland Railroad.
Other railways came to Rouses Point and the village grew into a major junction. The Delaware and Hudson Railroad (D&H) came to Rouses Point by way of Plattsburgh. The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad was in Canada and its southern junction was in Rouses Point. It connected Rouses Point with Montreal. And the Vermont and Canada Railroad built a bridge over Lake Champlain in 1868 and had a junction in Rouses Point.
With so many railroads meeting in Rouses Point, farmers and business people in the town of Champlain could ship their commodities and agricultural products to the Great Lakes states via Ogdensburg and Montreal and throughout New England, including Boston. Passenger travel between Champlain, Boston, New York City and Montreal was more convenient than steamboat or horse drawn stage, although the trip was still time consuming.
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the biggest employer in Rouses Point was the railroad. There were even two post offices in Rouses Point. One was at the northern part of the village where the railroad was and a second was in the southern part of the village. In the 1850s, the northern part of the village was briefly called Hoyleton and named after Village of Champlain resident George Vischer Hoyle who worked for the railroad. The rail yards operated by several rail companies expanded and hundreds of people were employed. This created problems during economic downturns when the rail companies had layoffs.
By the 1960s, the influence of the railroad in the town of Champlain started to diminish as large trucks became more economical. Rail stations were closed and routes were discontinued. Eventually, some of the track was removed. This included the track through the Village of Champlain that ran to the Sheridan/Harris plant.
There are many resources that describe the railroad industry in Champlain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogdensburg_and_Lake_Champlain_Railroad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouses_Point_station
Island Park, Village of Champlain
For about one hundred years, the two islands in the Great Chazy River in the Village of Champlain were used for community events. In the early to mid-1800s, religious services were held on one of the islands. In the late 1800s, lawyer James Averill Sr. transformed both islands into an extravagant park with newly erected buildings, a bandstand, water fountain and fish pond. A bridge was even built from the parking lot of the current Knights of Columbus property to the first island. A second small bridge connected the two islands. A small dam powered a waterwheel which created a fountain 25 feet high. Unfortunately, floods, ice and a lack of maintenance caused the islands to be abandoned. The 1886 flood, in particular, destroyed the buildings and wiped out every bridge in the Town of Champlain. The 1887 flood was almost as bad.
James Averill Esq. [Sr.] [1825-1903] was a lawyer in Champlain and Rouses Point and father of James Averill Jr. Averill Jr. Averill Jr. founded the iron factory that became Sheridan Iron Works and was a major boat builder on the river. Henry C. Deal was a merchant on Main Street. All are buried in Glenwood Cemetery.
Hugh McLellan wrote a short history of the islands in a 1936 community exhibit program publication. The building of Island Park was also chronicled in the local newspapers in the late 1800s.
The Rise and Fall of Island Park
Although as early as July 8th, 1807, our Island was the scene of the installation of Rev. Amos Pettengill as minister of the Congregational Society, it seems to have been used only for occasional picnics and 4th of July celebrations until 1877, when a bridge was built and weekly band concerts given on Island Park.
► In the Spring of 1881 James Averill, Sr. [1825-1903], as Park Commissioner, directed the building of an office, a bath-house, a conservatory, a band-stand, fountains, and a bridge to the smaller island, of which was built a large dance pavilion. For several years the Park was a popular resort for the people, but the damage done by the spring floods — particularly by the great flood of 1886 — caused the buildings to be removed, though the bridge connected the Park with Oak Street for a number of years. Of the buildings, the office building was moved to Rouses Point by Mr. Averill and used as his law office, while a conservatory was purchased by Mr. Wilmer H. Dunn, and as “Mignon Cottage”, now stands on Cloak Island.
► The centenary of the Town of Champlain was celebrated July 4th, 1888, when the exercises, including an historical address by Mr. Charles F. Nye, were held on the Island.
► The cement pier on the end of the Island was built by the Boy Scouts in an attempt to erect a permanent bridge. (Champlain Community Exhibit, 1936, Moorsfield Press publication.)
[Plattsburgh Republican, July 27, 1878]: As the majority of the readers of the REPUBLICAN have not seen our beautiful park, a short description of it may prove interesting: Two years ago [1876], the two islands situated in the centre of the river passing through the village was very generously donated by Mrs. Geo. V. Hoyle to the village, with a strip of land leading to it off from Oak Street, wide enough for a road; the island to be used for a public park. It was then named Island Park. Last summer a band stand was erected and some of the underbrush cut off. This year, through the indefatigable labors of James Averill, Esq., [1825-1903] (one of the Park Commissioners) the Park presents altogether a different appearance. A wide substantial flight of steps, 17 in number, has been built north of the storehouse of J. & A. Forbes on Oak St., which leads to the bridge crossing to the island. The first thing that greets the eye is a large basin about 12 feet in diameter and 3 feet in depth. It is of solid masonry with a wide curb cemented inside, gravel and stone being placed on the bottom with an outlet for the water to run out, so there is a constant supply of freshwater. Mr. Henry C. Deal has placed over 300 fish of different kinds in it and once a day feeds them. In the center of the basin is a large iron vase 3 feet above the surface of the water. In the centre of the vase is a fountain, which is continuously playing. Around the basin flowers have been placed, which are now in bloom. A new iron fence is to surround the whole. Taking it altogether, it is the attraction of the place. A large water wheel has been placed between the islands, and a dam built, the wheel furnishing power for a fountain just above the dam, which throws a steady stream of water at least 25 feet high. In the pond large plants all in bloom are placed just above the surface of the water. Below the dam a bathhouse has been erected. It is complete in every respect, a shower bath being connected with it, run by the power of the wheel. A lawn tent with a table in the centre is placed a short distance from the bandstand benches and chairs being placed around it. Crossing the bridge to Island No. 2 is a large dancing stand 26x36 with a railing and benches around it, numerous lamps are placed around at convenient points, all the underbrush has been cut off, the trees trimmed, grass cut short, benches and seats in profusion. Take it all through than [there] is no pleasanter park in Northern New York. St. Mary’s band discourse some of their sweetest music twice a week on the stand. If it had not been for Mr. Averill, the village would never have had such a truly delightful place of resort, grateful enough to him for it all, and seem to appreciate it.
► [Plattsburgh Sentinel, May 27, 1881]: The new improvements on Island Park are taking form and shape. James Averill, Esq., the Park Commissioner, is indefatigable in his efforts to adorn and beautify the Park. A new building [later the Mignon Cottage on Cloak Island?] is being erected fifty feet square, including the verandas, and about 25 feet high. It will be a large hall, built for the use of picnics and parties from abroad, who will come here for pleasure instead of going to Burlington Park and other far away localities. The building can also be used for lectures, public gatherings and celebrations, and Mr. Averill can turn it into a dancing hall in three shakes of a lamb’s tale. The building is situated on Island No. 2, which lies in the rear of Island No. 1, the two islands being connected by a bridge. Island No. 2 has been heretofore a howling wilderness filled up with a thick undergrowth of scraggy bushes and trees, but under the skillful touch of Averill’s magic wand it has been wonderfully transformed, and bids fair in its attractions to rival Island No. 1. Mr. Averill has also built an exquisite gem of a building 12 feet by 10, beautifully paneled inside in oak and ash, with glass doors opening out on all the four sides. He intends to have a boat built under this building, so that he can transform it into a Spanish gondola to conduct pleasure seekers around the islands and down the river. He has also increased the size and height of his fountains by laying down large iron pipes, and has also received a lot of iron rustic seats from New York city.
► [Plattsburgh Sentinel, August 19, 1881]: We never get tired of talking and writing about our Island Park, which is by no means an old affair. Our enterprising Park Commissioner, Jas. Averill, has placed on the island this summer many new attractions — a new pavilion, several new fountains, a new music room, a new organ, a noble new buck, and in the river two new sturgeons about five feet in length. There are also other animals to be seen playing on the island, kept there by chains. Altogether it is really an interesting place. We are always having new comers in town, who when they go away, assert their intentions to come prepared for a longer stay next year.
► [The Champlain Counselor, November 13, 1896]: The bridge to Island Park has been taken up for the winter; it will be replaced in position in the spring, when new and more extensive plans will be carried into effect for the beautifying of the Island.
James Averill Esq. [Sr.] [1825-1903] was a lawyer in Champlain and Rouses Point and father of James Averill Jr. Averill Jr. Averill Jr. founded the iron factory that became Sheridan Iron Works and was a major boat builder on the river. Henry C. Deal was a merchant on Main Street. All are buried in Glenwood Cemetery.
Hugh McLellan wrote a short history of the islands in a 1936 community exhibit program publication. The building of Island Park was also chronicled in the local newspapers in the late 1800s.
The Rise and Fall of Island Park
Although as early as July 8th, 1807, our Island was the scene of the installation of Rev. Amos Pettengill as minister of the Congregational Society, it seems to have been used only for occasional picnics and 4th of July celebrations until 1877, when a bridge was built and weekly band concerts given on Island Park.
► In the Spring of 1881 James Averill, Sr. [1825-1903], as Park Commissioner, directed the building of an office, a bath-house, a conservatory, a band-stand, fountains, and a bridge to the smaller island, of which was built a large dance pavilion. For several years the Park was a popular resort for the people, but the damage done by the spring floods — particularly by the great flood of 1886 — caused the buildings to be removed, though the bridge connected the Park with Oak Street for a number of years. Of the buildings, the office building was moved to Rouses Point by Mr. Averill and used as his law office, while a conservatory was purchased by Mr. Wilmer H. Dunn, and as “Mignon Cottage”, now stands on Cloak Island.
► The centenary of the Town of Champlain was celebrated July 4th, 1888, when the exercises, including an historical address by Mr. Charles F. Nye, were held on the Island.
► The cement pier on the end of the Island was built by the Boy Scouts in an attempt to erect a permanent bridge. (Champlain Community Exhibit, 1936, Moorsfield Press publication.)
[Plattsburgh Republican, July 27, 1878]: As the majority of the readers of the REPUBLICAN have not seen our beautiful park, a short description of it may prove interesting: Two years ago [1876], the two islands situated in the centre of the river passing through the village was very generously donated by Mrs. Geo. V. Hoyle to the village, with a strip of land leading to it off from Oak Street, wide enough for a road; the island to be used for a public park. It was then named Island Park. Last summer a band stand was erected and some of the underbrush cut off. This year, through the indefatigable labors of James Averill, Esq., [1825-1903] (one of the Park Commissioners) the Park presents altogether a different appearance. A wide substantial flight of steps, 17 in number, has been built north of the storehouse of J. & A. Forbes on Oak St., which leads to the bridge crossing to the island. The first thing that greets the eye is a large basin about 12 feet in diameter and 3 feet in depth. It is of solid masonry with a wide curb cemented inside, gravel and stone being placed on the bottom with an outlet for the water to run out, so there is a constant supply of freshwater. Mr. Henry C. Deal has placed over 300 fish of different kinds in it and once a day feeds them. In the center of the basin is a large iron vase 3 feet above the surface of the water. In the centre of the vase is a fountain, which is continuously playing. Around the basin flowers have been placed, which are now in bloom. A new iron fence is to surround the whole. Taking it altogether, it is the attraction of the place. A large water wheel has been placed between the islands, and a dam built, the wheel furnishing power for a fountain just above the dam, which throws a steady stream of water at least 25 feet high. In the pond large plants all in bloom are placed just above the surface of the water. Below the dam a bathhouse has been erected. It is complete in every respect, a shower bath being connected with it, run by the power of the wheel. A lawn tent with a table in the centre is placed a short distance from the bandstand benches and chairs being placed around it. Crossing the bridge to Island No. 2 is a large dancing stand 26x36 with a railing and benches around it, numerous lamps are placed around at convenient points, all the underbrush has been cut off, the trees trimmed, grass cut short, benches and seats in profusion. Take it all through than [there] is no pleasanter park in Northern New York. St. Mary’s band discourse some of their sweetest music twice a week on the stand. If it had not been for Mr. Averill, the village would never have had such a truly delightful place of resort, grateful enough to him for it all, and seem to appreciate it.
► [Plattsburgh Sentinel, May 27, 1881]: The new improvements on Island Park are taking form and shape. James Averill, Esq., the Park Commissioner, is indefatigable in his efforts to adorn and beautify the Park. A new building [later the Mignon Cottage on Cloak Island?] is being erected fifty feet square, including the verandas, and about 25 feet high. It will be a large hall, built for the use of picnics and parties from abroad, who will come here for pleasure instead of going to Burlington Park and other far away localities. The building can also be used for lectures, public gatherings and celebrations, and Mr. Averill can turn it into a dancing hall in three shakes of a lamb’s tale. The building is situated on Island No. 2, which lies in the rear of Island No. 1, the two islands being connected by a bridge. Island No. 2 has been heretofore a howling wilderness filled up with a thick undergrowth of scraggy bushes and trees, but under the skillful touch of Averill’s magic wand it has been wonderfully transformed, and bids fair in its attractions to rival Island No. 1. Mr. Averill has also built an exquisite gem of a building 12 feet by 10, beautifully paneled inside in oak and ash, with glass doors opening out on all the four sides. He intends to have a boat built under this building, so that he can transform it into a Spanish gondola to conduct pleasure seekers around the islands and down the river. He has also increased the size and height of his fountains by laying down large iron pipes, and has also received a lot of iron rustic seats from New York city.
► [Plattsburgh Sentinel, August 19, 1881]: We never get tired of talking and writing about our Island Park, which is by no means an old affair. Our enterprising Park Commissioner, Jas. Averill, has placed on the island this summer many new attractions — a new pavilion, several new fountains, a new music room, a new organ, a noble new buck, and in the river two new sturgeons about five feet in length. There are also other animals to be seen playing on the island, kept there by chains. Altogether it is really an interesting place. We are always having new comers in town, who when they go away, assert their intentions to come prepared for a longer stay next year.
► [The Champlain Counselor, November 13, 1896]: The bridge to Island Park has been taken up for the winter; it will be replaced in position in the spring, when new and more extensive plans will be carried into effect for the beautifying of the Island.
Incorporation of the Village of Champlain, 1873
A long article about Champlain’s village matters was published in the Plattsburgh Sentinel of February 13, 1874. Champlain had been incorporated as a village on September 27, 1873, and the first election of officers was held on October 27. The article gave a summary of the election results and listed the village departments and new names of the streets.
Clarifications to the article are given in brackets [ ]. This information will link places in 1873 to today's streets and structures.
====================
The Plattsburgh Sentinel, February 13, 1874
CORPORATION MATTERS.
Champlain, like Plattsburgh, is a city—that is to say, it is the next thing to it, an incorporated village!
After many years of agitation, and a severe contest, the village was incorporated on the 27th of last September [1873], and the first election of officers was held on the 27th of October, and resulted as follows:
Hon. Timothy Hoyle, President; Charles E. Everest, Henry W. Clark, Thomas Chalefou, Trustees; Martin V.B. Stetson, Treasurer; Henry S. Milliette, Collector.
[Timothy Hoyle built his house at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Sts., formerly the house of Kurt Kaufman; he also built the History Center's stone building]
The Board of Trustees Immediately entered upon the discharge of their duties, and appointed Daniel D.T. Moore, Clerk; Stephen Boileau, Street Commissioner; John C. Biglow, Chief of Police; Joseph Biglow, Police Constable.
The regular meetings of the Board of Trustees are held at the office of Charles E. Everest, Esq., every Thursday evening.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
A fire department has been organized, with one engine company of 40 men and a hose company of 10 men. The officers are as follows:
Samuel M. Moore, Chief Engineer; Frank L. Channell, 1st Assistant Engineer; Hiram L. Doolittle, Foreman; and Helaire Pare, 1st Assistant Foreman of the Engine Co.; Benjamin C. Moore, Foreman; and John Earl, 1st Assistant Foreman of Hose Co.
[Samuel Mattocks Moore was the son of Noadiah Moore. His brick house stands on Locust St.]
The following is a list of the members of the Engine Company:
Frank Whiteside, Frank S. Channell, James Averill, Jr., Geo. W. Vincent, Stephen J.J. Boileau, Simon P. Blair, Itansom W. Graves, Daniel Shehan, Charles F. Nye, Albert H. Cook, Henry Hoyle, Robert H. Hitchcock, Manor St. John, John Patnode, Joseph Cassagree, Peter Lafountain, Dosete T. Lesperance, Exavier Lambert, Martin V.B. Stetson, Charles Dodds, Joseph Dufresne, Louis Turect, Henry Lankier, Gilbert Gauthier, Jr., Sidney Goodso, Helaire Pare, Julian Pare, Theodore Abare, Henry M. Doolittle, James Adolphus Roberts, Charles Cadett, William Powers, Hiram L. Doolittle, Joseph St. Aubin, Geo. H. Burroughs, O.L. Chapin, Nathan Holbrook, Charles B. Moore, Henry Gruber, Joseph LaValley, John B. Pelot.
The following are the members of the Hose Company:
Benj. C. Moore, David H. Savage, James Potrie, Jr., Walter S. Clark, William H. Deal, Hugh Howison, Scott Ransom, John Earl, Newell Cross, Abram L. Webb, J. Goulding Smith.
All members of the fire department are exempt from service on juries of courts of record. Applicants for membership in either of said companies should be made to the Foreman.
The Fire Engine "Niagara," a Hunniman "tub," [Hunneman tub, fire pumper, a hand-drawn, hand-pumped fire engine] well known among firemen in these parts, was purchased from St. Albans, last fall by private parties, who have passed it over to the custody and control for the present of the Trustees of Champlain, for the use of the fire department. We understand the company are about to be uniformed, in fact that they have already procured their hats.
THE FIRE WARDEN.
James Averill, Esq., is appointed Fire Warden, with power to enter all premises necessary for the discharge of the duties of his office, and to see that all necessary precautions are taken about ashes, &c.
[Lawyer James Averill Esq. was the father of James Averill Jr. who was a canal boat builder and creator of the foundry that became the Sheridan Iron Works; Averill Jr.'s house stands on Oak St. near Glenwood Cemetery]
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
On the 15th of January, a Board of Health was organized, with Hon. Timothy Hoyle, President; and Drs. Churchill, Coit and Daggett, and Messrs. Everest and Averill, Health Commissioners.
NAMING THE STREETS.
On the 26th of January, the streets were named, and as they are not yet placarded or numbered, we will give the names and boundaries of the more important ones:
Main street, the street running through the business portion of the village, running past the residence of John H. Whiteside [site of Champlain Telephone Co.], Champlain House, Doolittle's block, Presbyterian Church [corner of Main and Church Sts.], and over the iron bridge and to the north boundaries in the direction of the late Josiah Corbin's.[I-87 east service road]
Oak street, from the store of J.H. & A. Whiteside [former "Arcade" brick building, now a park] over the lower bridge [at the History Center], northerly past the Episcopal Church [former Presbyterian] to the farm of L. Doolittle [upper Oak St.].
Elm street, from store of Hoyle & Hitchcock [River St. building] easterly past the foundry of H.W. Clark & Co. [Sheridan Iron Works in 1887]
Prospect street, commencing near [the] academy [on Elm St.], running northeasterly to the Roman Catholic cemetery [St. Mary's Cemetery].
Church street, commencing at the river and running southerly past the Methodist Church to Dr. Churchill's corner, so called. [corner of Church and South Sts; Churchill's house still stands]
The other streets are named North, South and East streets, Canal street, Cherry street, Butternut, Locust, (running past Hon. T. Hoyle's from depot,) [originally Matilda St., named Locust in article and now changed to "Chestnut"] Maple, River, Water, Cedar, Pine, Spruce, Mill, Clover, Willow and Meadow streets, Ash Lane, and Maiden Lane, Moore street, in honor of [the] late Noadiah Moore, who first endeavored to incorporate the village 17 years ago.
COMMISSIONERS OF EXCISE.
The Board was organized Nov. 28, and is composed of Hon. Timothy Hoyle, H.W. Clark and Thomas Chalefou.
THE POLICE.
The Chief of Police, and Police Constable are uniformed with cap, shield, &c., and know their rights and duties, and "knowing dare maintain."
LIGHTING THE STREETS.
As in Plattsburgh, so in Champlain, no regular arrangement is made for lighting the streets; but Jas. Averill, Esq., has done something at it on his own responsibility, just to show how nice it works.
ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERS.
According to the charter, the election occurs on the 3d Tuesday of March.
THE NEW IRON BRIDGES.
Iron bridges appear to be the rage now, and Champlain has within a comparatively recent period constructed two.
The first was put up in August, 1871, across the river at Nye's mill pond, and is 110 feet long, 10 feet wide, and cost $2,900. Total cost, including approaches, $3,300. The bridge is King's patent, manufactured at Cleveland, Ohio. It stands firm as a rock, and everybody likes it. [On Dubois Rd., Nye dam became the Whiteside dam]
The second bridge was put up last September [1873], across the river near the Presbyterian Church [on Main near Church St.]. It is 125 feet long, with carriage way of 20 feet, and side walk of 6 feet. Cost of bridge, $4,900. Total cost, $6,000. Both bridges are planked lengthwise with white oak, and the floor timbers are of Florida pine.
They say they intend to have another Iron bridge near the First National Bank [Elm St. bridge, at the History Center].
CHURCH MATTERS.
The First Presbyterian Church, so long without a regular Pastor, now enjoys the very excellent ministrations of Rev. E.A. Lawrence, Jr., formerly of Marblehead, Mass., who was ordained as an Evangelist to that church last fall, and is giving universal satisfaction.
The Methodist Church [Church St.], which was burned last fall, is being re-built, and will probably be completed the coming season. Services are now held ever Sunday afternoon in the Presbyterian church, Rev. S.D. Elkins, Pastor.
THE CHAMPLAIN HOUSE.
Champlain has a first-class hotel, the Champlain House, and its citizens may well feel a pride in its very excellent landlord, Mr. O.L. Chapin, who succeeded Mr. Bromley about six months since. Mr. Chapin is a young man, who came from St. Lawrence county, and first located in Champlain as a teacher. But be seems to have a natural aptitude and taste for the hotel business. He says he likes It. He keeps a very neat, quiet, orderly house, and all of his attendants appear to be very competent and obliging. A community is fortunate in having a keeper of its principal hotel who is of such gentlemanly qualities and good habits. The better class of the citizens will fully sustain him in the firm and independent stand which he has taken in the management of his house.
THE DOOLITTLES.
Among the numerous business establishments in Champlain highly creditable to the place, is that of Doolittle Brothers. Mr. Lucius Doolittle, the father, and the founder of the business, came to Champlain about the year 1840, and sold goods in a small way for quite a number of years, until the town and village commenced to develop in population, wealth and enterprise, when he extended his business to meet the wants of his customers.
In the year 1858, his son, H. M. Doolittle, entered into partnership with his father. Their business increased to such an extent that in 1868 they had to build a brick block, 65 by 80 feet, which was a great improvement to the village. [Doolittle building on Main St., later the Mauer building in 1970s, demolished mid-1970s]
In 1870, Mr. Hiram L. Doolittle having returned from William's College, the old firm of L. Doolittle & Son was dissolved, and the firm of Doolittle Brothers was established, H.M. Doolittle looking after the dry goods and ladies' department, and Mr. H.L. Doolittle the grocery department. There are four apartments on the first floor—dry goods grocery, boots and shoes; and millinery, dress making, and ladies' fancy goods. They also have on their second floor a large assortment of carpets and ready made clothing; also a custom made clothing department.
MOORE'S NEW DRUG STORE.
This building was completed and occupied last fall, and being made expressly for a drug store, is a model establishment. It is built of brick, 24 by 50 feet on the ground, two stories high. It has a glass front, which in the evening, when illuminated, is decidedly attractive. The interior is richly finished in ash and black walnut. It has a convenient laboratory, a cozy little business office, etc., and all the modern appliances, conveniences, attractions, &c., of a first-class drug store. It has also a very obliging clerk in the person of Mr. Hamilton.
[built by Benjamin Corbin Moore, grandson of Champlain's first doctor, later village trustee & mayor; building restored and now the Red Canoe Coffee and Book Shop]
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
-Mr. Henry Doolittle is erecting, on Oak street, one of the finest brick residences in the north part of our county. It is square, with graveled roof, and has all the modern improvements.
—The old mill dam, which was owned by Z.P. Moore [means Pliny Moore], from time immemorial, and was washed away by the big freshet last fall, has been re-built by Mr. E. McDowell, and is now owned by him, and is one of the strongest structures on the Big Chazy River. Mr. McDowell is also building a new stone store and office at the west end of the new iron bridge. He is an enterprising manufacturer of lumber and plaster, and is getting in a large, stock of logs for the coming season. [mill was off of Mill St. near bridge]
—Three large, first-class, modern pattern canal boats are being built on the bank of the Chazy River, in the village. [built by James Averill Jr.]
—Robert Hitchcock is drawing stone and making other preparations for the erection of a large and elegant residence another season.
—James Clark, merchant tailor, is preparing to build, another spring, a two story brick store, in size and shape patterned somewhat after Moore's drug store.
ITEMS.
—Extra copies of this and last week's Sentinel for sale at Moore's Drug Store.
—Spaulding's Bell Ringers will perform in Champlain next Monday evening.
—Dr. Dio Lewis failed to meet his engagement last Friday evening, on account of sickness. He is expected to lecture some time in the latter part of the month, of which due notice will be given.
-Mr. M.C. Goodell, photographer at Champlain, took a view of the Musical Convention, including the orchestra and Miss McQuesten. The features of nearly every one of the eighty or more are quite distinct, and many of them are very perfect. The pictures are 7 1/4 by lO 1/4 inches. They are sold for one dollar each. Sent by mail free of postage. Address M. C. Goodell, Champlain.
Clarifications to the article are given in brackets [ ]. This information will link places in 1873 to today's streets and structures.
====================
The Plattsburgh Sentinel, February 13, 1874
CORPORATION MATTERS.
Champlain, like Plattsburgh, is a city—that is to say, it is the next thing to it, an incorporated village!
After many years of agitation, and a severe contest, the village was incorporated on the 27th of last September [1873], and the first election of officers was held on the 27th of October, and resulted as follows:
Hon. Timothy Hoyle, President; Charles E. Everest, Henry W. Clark, Thomas Chalefou, Trustees; Martin V.B. Stetson, Treasurer; Henry S. Milliette, Collector.
[Timothy Hoyle built his house at the corner of Oak and Chestnut Sts., formerly the house of Kurt Kaufman; he also built the History Center's stone building]
The Board of Trustees Immediately entered upon the discharge of their duties, and appointed Daniel D.T. Moore, Clerk; Stephen Boileau, Street Commissioner; John C. Biglow, Chief of Police; Joseph Biglow, Police Constable.
The regular meetings of the Board of Trustees are held at the office of Charles E. Everest, Esq., every Thursday evening.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
A fire department has been organized, with one engine company of 40 men and a hose company of 10 men. The officers are as follows:
Samuel M. Moore, Chief Engineer; Frank L. Channell, 1st Assistant Engineer; Hiram L. Doolittle, Foreman; and Helaire Pare, 1st Assistant Foreman of the Engine Co.; Benjamin C. Moore, Foreman; and John Earl, 1st Assistant Foreman of Hose Co.
[Samuel Mattocks Moore was the son of Noadiah Moore. His brick house stands on Locust St.]
The following is a list of the members of the Engine Company:
Frank Whiteside, Frank S. Channell, James Averill, Jr., Geo. W. Vincent, Stephen J.J. Boileau, Simon P. Blair, Itansom W. Graves, Daniel Shehan, Charles F. Nye, Albert H. Cook, Henry Hoyle, Robert H. Hitchcock, Manor St. John, John Patnode, Joseph Cassagree, Peter Lafountain, Dosete T. Lesperance, Exavier Lambert, Martin V.B. Stetson, Charles Dodds, Joseph Dufresne, Louis Turect, Henry Lankier, Gilbert Gauthier, Jr., Sidney Goodso, Helaire Pare, Julian Pare, Theodore Abare, Henry M. Doolittle, James Adolphus Roberts, Charles Cadett, William Powers, Hiram L. Doolittle, Joseph St. Aubin, Geo. H. Burroughs, O.L. Chapin, Nathan Holbrook, Charles B. Moore, Henry Gruber, Joseph LaValley, John B. Pelot.
The following are the members of the Hose Company:
Benj. C. Moore, David H. Savage, James Potrie, Jr., Walter S. Clark, William H. Deal, Hugh Howison, Scott Ransom, John Earl, Newell Cross, Abram L. Webb, J. Goulding Smith.
All members of the fire department are exempt from service on juries of courts of record. Applicants for membership in either of said companies should be made to the Foreman.
The Fire Engine "Niagara," a Hunniman "tub," [Hunneman tub, fire pumper, a hand-drawn, hand-pumped fire engine] well known among firemen in these parts, was purchased from St. Albans, last fall by private parties, who have passed it over to the custody and control for the present of the Trustees of Champlain, for the use of the fire department. We understand the company are about to be uniformed, in fact that they have already procured their hats.
THE FIRE WARDEN.
James Averill, Esq., is appointed Fire Warden, with power to enter all premises necessary for the discharge of the duties of his office, and to see that all necessary precautions are taken about ashes, &c.
[Lawyer James Averill Esq. was the father of James Averill Jr. who was a canal boat builder and creator of the foundry that became the Sheridan Iron Works; Averill Jr.'s house stands on Oak St. near Glenwood Cemetery]
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
On the 15th of January, a Board of Health was organized, with Hon. Timothy Hoyle, President; and Drs. Churchill, Coit and Daggett, and Messrs. Everest and Averill, Health Commissioners.
NAMING THE STREETS.
On the 26th of January, the streets were named, and as they are not yet placarded or numbered, we will give the names and boundaries of the more important ones:
Main street, the street running through the business portion of the village, running past the residence of John H. Whiteside [site of Champlain Telephone Co.], Champlain House, Doolittle's block, Presbyterian Church [corner of Main and Church Sts.], and over the iron bridge and to the north boundaries in the direction of the late Josiah Corbin's.[I-87 east service road]
Oak street, from the store of J.H. & A. Whiteside [former "Arcade" brick building, now a park] over the lower bridge [at the History Center], northerly past the Episcopal Church [former Presbyterian] to the farm of L. Doolittle [upper Oak St.].
Elm street, from store of Hoyle & Hitchcock [River St. building] easterly past the foundry of H.W. Clark & Co. [Sheridan Iron Works in 1887]
Prospect street, commencing near [the] academy [on Elm St.], running northeasterly to the Roman Catholic cemetery [St. Mary's Cemetery].
Church street, commencing at the river and running southerly past the Methodist Church to Dr. Churchill's corner, so called. [corner of Church and South Sts; Churchill's house still stands]
The other streets are named North, South and East streets, Canal street, Cherry street, Butternut, Locust, (running past Hon. T. Hoyle's from depot,) [originally Matilda St., named Locust in article and now changed to "Chestnut"] Maple, River, Water, Cedar, Pine, Spruce, Mill, Clover, Willow and Meadow streets, Ash Lane, and Maiden Lane, Moore street, in honor of [the] late Noadiah Moore, who first endeavored to incorporate the village 17 years ago.
COMMISSIONERS OF EXCISE.
The Board was organized Nov. 28, and is composed of Hon. Timothy Hoyle, H.W. Clark and Thomas Chalefou.
THE POLICE.
The Chief of Police, and Police Constable are uniformed with cap, shield, &c., and know their rights and duties, and "knowing dare maintain."
LIGHTING THE STREETS.
As in Plattsburgh, so in Champlain, no regular arrangement is made for lighting the streets; but Jas. Averill, Esq., has done something at it on his own responsibility, just to show how nice it works.
ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERS.
According to the charter, the election occurs on the 3d Tuesday of March.
THE NEW IRON BRIDGES.
Iron bridges appear to be the rage now, and Champlain has within a comparatively recent period constructed two.
The first was put up in August, 1871, across the river at Nye's mill pond, and is 110 feet long, 10 feet wide, and cost $2,900. Total cost, including approaches, $3,300. The bridge is King's patent, manufactured at Cleveland, Ohio. It stands firm as a rock, and everybody likes it. [On Dubois Rd., Nye dam became the Whiteside dam]
The second bridge was put up last September [1873], across the river near the Presbyterian Church [on Main near Church St.]. It is 125 feet long, with carriage way of 20 feet, and side walk of 6 feet. Cost of bridge, $4,900. Total cost, $6,000. Both bridges are planked lengthwise with white oak, and the floor timbers are of Florida pine.
They say they intend to have another Iron bridge near the First National Bank [Elm St. bridge, at the History Center].
CHURCH MATTERS.
The First Presbyterian Church, so long without a regular Pastor, now enjoys the very excellent ministrations of Rev. E.A. Lawrence, Jr., formerly of Marblehead, Mass., who was ordained as an Evangelist to that church last fall, and is giving universal satisfaction.
The Methodist Church [Church St.], which was burned last fall, is being re-built, and will probably be completed the coming season. Services are now held ever Sunday afternoon in the Presbyterian church, Rev. S.D. Elkins, Pastor.
THE CHAMPLAIN HOUSE.
Champlain has a first-class hotel, the Champlain House, and its citizens may well feel a pride in its very excellent landlord, Mr. O.L. Chapin, who succeeded Mr. Bromley about six months since. Mr. Chapin is a young man, who came from St. Lawrence county, and first located in Champlain as a teacher. But be seems to have a natural aptitude and taste for the hotel business. He says he likes It. He keeps a very neat, quiet, orderly house, and all of his attendants appear to be very competent and obliging. A community is fortunate in having a keeper of its principal hotel who is of such gentlemanly qualities and good habits. The better class of the citizens will fully sustain him in the firm and independent stand which he has taken in the management of his house.
THE DOOLITTLES.
Among the numerous business establishments in Champlain highly creditable to the place, is that of Doolittle Brothers. Mr. Lucius Doolittle, the father, and the founder of the business, came to Champlain about the year 1840, and sold goods in a small way for quite a number of years, until the town and village commenced to develop in population, wealth and enterprise, when he extended his business to meet the wants of his customers.
In the year 1858, his son, H. M. Doolittle, entered into partnership with his father. Their business increased to such an extent that in 1868 they had to build a brick block, 65 by 80 feet, which was a great improvement to the village. [Doolittle building on Main St., later the Mauer building in 1970s, demolished mid-1970s]
In 1870, Mr. Hiram L. Doolittle having returned from William's College, the old firm of L. Doolittle & Son was dissolved, and the firm of Doolittle Brothers was established, H.M. Doolittle looking after the dry goods and ladies' department, and Mr. H.L. Doolittle the grocery department. There are four apartments on the first floor—dry goods grocery, boots and shoes; and millinery, dress making, and ladies' fancy goods. They also have on their second floor a large assortment of carpets and ready made clothing; also a custom made clothing department.
MOORE'S NEW DRUG STORE.
This building was completed and occupied last fall, and being made expressly for a drug store, is a model establishment. It is built of brick, 24 by 50 feet on the ground, two stories high. It has a glass front, which in the evening, when illuminated, is decidedly attractive. The interior is richly finished in ash and black walnut. It has a convenient laboratory, a cozy little business office, etc., and all the modern appliances, conveniences, attractions, &c., of a first-class drug store. It has also a very obliging clerk in the person of Mr. Hamilton.
[built by Benjamin Corbin Moore, grandson of Champlain's first doctor, later village trustee & mayor; building restored and now the Red Canoe Coffee and Book Shop]
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
-Mr. Henry Doolittle is erecting, on Oak street, one of the finest brick residences in the north part of our county. It is square, with graveled roof, and has all the modern improvements.
—The old mill dam, which was owned by Z.P. Moore [means Pliny Moore], from time immemorial, and was washed away by the big freshet last fall, has been re-built by Mr. E. McDowell, and is now owned by him, and is one of the strongest structures on the Big Chazy River. Mr. McDowell is also building a new stone store and office at the west end of the new iron bridge. He is an enterprising manufacturer of lumber and plaster, and is getting in a large, stock of logs for the coming season. [mill was off of Mill St. near bridge]
—Three large, first-class, modern pattern canal boats are being built on the bank of the Chazy River, in the village. [built by James Averill Jr.]
—Robert Hitchcock is drawing stone and making other preparations for the erection of a large and elegant residence another season.
—James Clark, merchant tailor, is preparing to build, another spring, a two story brick store, in size and shape patterned somewhat after Moore's drug store.
ITEMS.
—Extra copies of this and last week's Sentinel for sale at Moore's Drug Store.
—Spaulding's Bell Ringers will perform in Champlain next Monday evening.
—Dr. Dio Lewis failed to meet his engagement last Friday evening, on account of sickness. He is expected to lecture some time in the latter part of the month, of which due notice will be given.
-Mr. M.C. Goodell, photographer at Champlain, took a view of the Musical Convention, including the orchestra and Miss McQuesten. The features of nearly every one of the eighty or more are quite distinct, and many of them are very perfect. The pictures are 7 1/4 by lO 1/4 inches. They are sold for one dollar each. Sent by mail free of postage. Address M. C. Goodell, Champlain.
Town of Champlain Sesquicentennial (1788-1938)
In 1938, the Village and Town of Champlain celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1788, otherwise known as its sesquicentennial. The celebration lasted two days. The August 11, 1938, North Countryman gave details about the upcoming celebrations.
CHURCHES JOIN IN CHAMPLAIN'S SESQUICENTENNIAL
Interest in the 150th anniversary of the birth of Champlain has extended to the churches and the various congregations of Champlain. With the prospect of many out-of-town visitors for the "Old Home" week-end of August 20, the church authorities will emphasize the early development of the church, the courage of its leaders, and the fine type of Champlain's pioneer men and women. Rev. A. J. V. Durbin, of the Presbyterian Church, promises a sermon of the style of 1830.
Added to the list of speakers is the name of Edmund Seymour, of Chazy and New York. Mr. Seymour is a former president of the Lake Champlain Association and also of the Bison Society of America.
Invitations to attend have been extended to Mrs. Ernest J. Robinson, president of the D.A.R. of Clinton County; Orville Glode, County Commander of the American Legion; the Honorable Bertrand H. Snell, Member of Congress; Benjamin Feinberg, State Senator; E. J. Roach, State Assemblyman; Dr. Charles A. Stewart, Mayor of Rouses Point, and Kenneth Knapp, Mayor of Mooers.
The idea of a copper box with appropriate contents and permanently sealed and inserted under the memorial plaque has proved to be of peculiar interest to the citizens of Champlain. On a special parchment constructed of rag pulp will be the original signatures of the subscribers to the fund, and this will be placed in the box, together with a copy of the program of the day, a coin of 1938, a postage stamp of 1938, a special edition of The North Countryman, and copies of the speeches to be given at the banquet. This material will then be available to our descendants in 2038.
The program of the celebration follows:
Saturday, August 20, 1938:
3:00 P.M. Dedication of Memorial Plaque at Village Hall.
3:30 P.M. Erection of six State Markers on sites of historical interest.
6:30 P.M. Banquet and program with music in Village Hall.
Sunday, August 21, 1938:
Sesquicentennial Services in the churches for “Old Home” guests.
The State of New York has completed the six markers which have already arrived. Furthermore, the finance committee, the chairman of which is Phil Agel, reports that the subscriptions have passed the half way mark. All persons interested in the commemoration should give their subscriptions to the chairman at Champlain.
“SCHOOL IN 1807”
At “Sesqui” Banquet
“What territory lies east of New Hampshire?”
“How do you spell "conscience"?”
“What is the surveyor's unit of measure”
“Recite the Twenty-third Psalm.”
These are some of the questions asked at Dr. Beaumont "School" as it existed in 1807 and as it will re-exist on August 20, 1938. The actual textbooks used at that early time will be demonstrated and Dr. Beaumont himself may be present in "dramatis personae."
The life and career of Dr. William Beaumont, early teacher in Champlain's first school, are an inspiration. Reading by candle light in the pioneer home in New, Lebanon, Conn.; studying medicine at night while teaching in Champlain; twenty-eight years as surgeon in the United States Army; the series of experiments and research studies in medicine; the honorary degree by Columbia University, and the publication of the “Physiology of Digestion” — these are the milestones of Champlain's greatest schoolteacher.
CHURCHES JOIN IN CHAMPLAIN'S SESQUICENTENNIAL
Interest in the 150th anniversary of the birth of Champlain has extended to the churches and the various congregations of Champlain. With the prospect of many out-of-town visitors for the "Old Home" week-end of August 20, the church authorities will emphasize the early development of the church, the courage of its leaders, and the fine type of Champlain's pioneer men and women. Rev. A. J. V. Durbin, of the Presbyterian Church, promises a sermon of the style of 1830.
Added to the list of speakers is the name of Edmund Seymour, of Chazy and New York. Mr. Seymour is a former president of the Lake Champlain Association and also of the Bison Society of America.
Invitations to attend have been extended to Mrs. Ernest J. Robinson, president of the D.A.R. of Clinton County; Orville Glode, County Commander of the American Legion; the Honorable Bertrand H. Snell, Member of Congress; Benjamin Feinberg, State Senator; E. J. Roach, State Assemblyman; Dr. Charles A. Stewart, Mayor of Rouses Point, and Kenneth Knapp, Mayor of Mooers.
The idea of a copper box with appropriate contents and permanently sealed and inserted under the memorial plaque has proved to be of peculiar interest to the citizens of Champlain. On a special parchment constructed of rag pulp will be the original signatures of the subscribers to the fund, and this will be placed in the box, together with a copy of the program of the day, a coin of 1938, a postage stamp of 1938, a special edition of The North Countryman, and copies of the speeches to be given at the banquet. This material will then be available to our descendants in 2038.
The program of the celebration follows:
Saturday, August 20, 1938:
3:00 P.M. Dedication of Memorial Plaque at Village Hall.
3:30 P.M. Erection of six State Markers on sites of historical interest.
6:30 P.M. Banquet and program with music in Village Hall.
Sunday, August 21, 1938:
Sesquicentennial Services in the churches for “Old Home” guests.
The State of New York has completed the six markers which have already arrived. Furthermore, the finance committee, the chairman of which is Phil Agel, reports that the subscriptions have passed the half way mark. All persons interested in the commemoration should give their subscriptions to the chairman at Champlain.
“SCHOOL IN 1807”
At “Sesqui” Banquet
“What territory lies east of New Hampshire?”
“How do you spell "conscience"?”
“What is the surveyor's unit of measure”
“Recite the Twenty-third Psalm.”
These are some of the questions asked at Dr. Beaumont "School" as it existed in 1807 and as it will re-exist on August 20, 1938. The actual textbooks used at that early time will be demonstrated and Dr. Beaumont himself may be present in "dramatis personae."
The life and career of Dr. William Beaumont, early teacher in Champlain's first school, are an inspiration. Reading by candle light in the pioneer home in New, Lebanon, Conn.; studying medicine at night while teaching in Champlain; twenty-eight years as surgeon in the United States Army; the series of experiments and research studies in medicine; the honorary degree by Columbia University, and the publication of the “Physiology of Digestion” — these are the milestones of Champlain's greatest schoolteacher.
The September 8, 1938, edition of the North Countryman had information about the plaque in front of the former Village Hall as well as the six historical markers placed around the village. Only the East Battery marker is missing today.
http://www.champlainhistory.org/historic-markers-and...
Memorial Tablet and Historical Markers Are Erected at Champlain
Perhaps the most interesting event on the very elaborate program presented at the Champlain Sesquicentennial on August 20, 1938, in honor of the founding of the town 150 years before, was the dedication of the memorial tablet attached to a huge boulder permanently placed in position in front of the Village Hall. While hundreds of persons saw the dedication and heard the dedicatory remarks of the speakers, there were many who did not have the opportunity to read the inscription on the tablet. It follows:
1788 1938
To Commemorate the Founding
of the
TOWN OF CHAMPLAIN
March, 7, 1788
And the Arrival of the First Settlers
Pliny Moore Joseph Rowe
William Beaumont Elnathan Rogers
Samuel Ashmun Caleb Thomas
May 23, 1788
Also As a Tribute To
Those Canadians, Early Inhabitants
of the Town,
Who Supported the American Cause
In the Revolution
Erected by the Citizens of Champlain
Aug. 20, 1938
Inscriptions on the six historical markers placed at sites in and near the village are as follows:
"Near this Site the First Saw Mill Was Erected In 1788 by Pliny Moore and Elnathan Rogers"
"East Battery. On this Hill Was Encamped the Artillery of the American Army Under Gen. George Izard, 1814." [NOT PRESENT TODAY]
"Camp Ground of the British Army, 1814. Opposite is the Farm of Pliny Moore, Built in 1808; and Used by the Commissary"
“In the First School, Which Stood Near This Site, Dr. William Beaumont, Surgeon and Physiologist, was Schoolmaster, 1807—10”
“Site of the Burying Yard in Which Was Interred Lt.-Col. Benjamin Forsyth, Killed at Odelltown, L. C., June 28, 1814”.
"Site of the Birthplace of Jehudi Ashmun, April 21, 1794, First Colonization Agent At Liberia, Africa, 1822-1828".
http://www.champlainhistory.org/historic-markers-and...
Memorial Tablet and Historical Markers Are Erected at Champlain
Perhaps the most interesting event on the very elaborate program presented at the Champlain Sesquicentennial on August 20, 1938, in honor of the founding of the town 150 years before, was the dedication of the memorial tablet attached to a huge boulder permanently placed in position in front of the Village Hall. While hundreds of persons saw the dedication and heard the dedicatory remarks of the speakers, there were many who did not have the opportunity to read the inscription on the tablet. It follows:
1788 1938
To Commemorate the Founding
of the
TOWN OF CHAMPLAIN
March, 7, 1788
And the Arrival of the First Settlers
Pliny Moore Joseph Rowe
William Beaumont Elnathan Rogers
Samuel Ashmun Caleb Thomas
May 23, 1788
Also As a Tribute To
Those Canadians, Early Inhabitants
of the Town,
Who Supported the American Cause
In the Revolution
Erected by the Citizens of Champlain
Aug. 20, 1938
Inscriptions on the six historical markers placed at sites in and near the village are as follows:
"Near this Site the First Saw Mill Was Erected In 1788 by Pliny Moore and Elnathan Rogers"
"East Battery. On this Hill Was Encamped the Artillery of the American Army Under Gen. George Izard, 1814." [NOT PRESENT TODAY]
"Camp Ground of the British Army, 1814. Opposite is the Farm of Pliny Moore, Built in 1808; and Used by the Commissary"
“In the First School, Which Stood Near This Site, Dr. William Beaumont, Surgeon and Physiologist, was Schoolmaster, 1807—10”
“Site of the Burying Yard in Which Was Interred Lt.-Col. Benjamin Forsyth, Killed at Odelltown, L. C., June 28, 1814”.
"Site of the Birthplace of Jehudi Ashmun, April 21, 1794, First Colonization Agent At Liberia, Africa, 1822-1828".
Notable Dates in the History of the Village and Town of Champlain
from its founding through the 1800s
JANUARY
January 14, 1786 – Founding of Champlain: New York State grants the 5,000 acre Isle La Motte island to Pliny Moore and his settlers. Vermont protests and New York cedes the island.
January 1819 - After surveying the Canadian border in October of 1818, the partially completed fort on Island Point at Rouses Point is found to be three-fourths of a mile in Canadian. The fort had been started in the fall of 1816 by Col. Joseph Totten who was placed in charge of the erection. When work was stopped, the contractors sued the government for damages. The abandoned fort became known as “Fort Blunder.” The houses of Thomas Brisbin (in Quebec) and General Ezra Thurber, as well as the old schoolhouse and a store owned by William T. Crook and the Union Church in Rouses Point, were built using the fort’s stone.
January 1862 – Thirty-six gun carriages are placed at Fort Montgomery in Rouses Point. The fort was never permanently manned.
FEBRUARY
February 22, 1815 – War of 1812: The War of 1812 is officially over when the Treaty of Ghent is ratified and proclaimed on February 18, 1815. The Town of Champlain had been the staging area for many skirmishes and battles in Quebec and New York by both the British and American armies.
February 26, 1851 - A charter is formed to extend the railroad from Champlain to Rouses Point. It had already been run to Ogdensburg, the St. Lawrence and St. Johns.
February 27, 1877 - The Village of Rouses Point is incorporated.
February 1787 – Founding of Champlain: The Moorsfield Grant’s 119 lots in the Town of Champlain are balloted for in the “Great Deed.”
MARCH
March 1, 1785 – Founding of Champlain: Pliny Moore arrives in the Town of Champlain for his first land survey.
March 7, 1788 - Founding of Champlain: “Clinton County” and the “Town of Champlain” as well as the towns of Plattsburgh, Willsboro and Crown Point are created by the New York State legislature. The law stated, in part, “And that all part of the county of Clinton, laying to the northward of the town of Plattsburgh, …shall be, and hereby is erected into a town by the name of Champlain.” At the time of its creation, Clinton County encompassed the present counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin and St. Lawrence. The Town of Champlain extended from the Vermont side of Lake Champlain (including Alburg), included Isle La Motte, and extended west to the St. Lawrence River. Starting in 1799, Clinton County was divided into several more counties. In the early 1800s, new towns were created within Clinton County’s original towns.
March 20, 1781 and March 23, 1782 - Founding of Champlain: New York State passes laws that raised two regiments for the defense of the state during the Revolutionary War. Pliny Moore, of Kinderhook re-enlists several times and earns thousands of acres of land for his service. Sixty-three fellow soldiers appoint him to locate their Rights, and later, 21 soldiers (later 17) are granted land out of the 11,600-acre Moorsfield Grant in the Town of Champlain allocated to Moore.
March 31, 1814 – War of 1812: American General Wilkinson and 4,000 troops camp in the Village of Champlain with 11 pieces of cannon and 100 cavalry. He attacks Lacolle but is repelled.
March 31, 1868 - A new bridge with drawbridge over the lake is opened for the first time. The bridge was built by two railroad companies at great expense and the drawbridge was a modern marvel for its day.
APRIL
April 14, 1759 - Pliny Moore, founder of Champlain, is born in Sheffield, Massachusetts. His family later moved to Kinderhook, New York.
April 15, 1814 – War of 1812: American Brigadier General John Winder and British Adjutant General Edward Baynes meet at Dewey’s Tavern (the house is still standing on Rt. 276) to negotiate a prisoner of war treaty. Two of the four treaties signed during the war were negotiated at Dewey’s Tavern.
April 21, 1794 - Jehudi Ashmun is born on Oak Street to Samuel and Parthenia Ashmun. Samuel was an original settler of the Town of Champlain and accompanied Pliny Moore in May of 1788. Jehudi would later study theology and became an agent for the American Colonization Society. In 1822 he led settlers and missionaries to Liberia, Africa and was its first governor from 1824 to 1828. He became sick with malaria and arrived back in Connecticut shortly before his death.
MAY
May 23, 1788 – Founding of Champlain: Pliny Moore and a small group of settlers arrive in what would become the Village of Champlain. They build a sawmill on the Great Chazy River at Perry's Mills. It is completed by November.
May 1775 – Revolutionary War: A small American force gains control of the British fort at Point au Fer on the lakeshore in the Town of Champlain. It was during this time that Benjamin Franklin landed here on his way to Montreal to enlist the sympathies of the Canadians to the American cause. Benedict Arnold, Charles Carroll and Ethan Allen also stopped here. After the Battle of Valcour on October 11, 1776, the Americans lost control of Point au Fer. This set the stage for General John Burgoyne’s army to camp here in June of 1777 on their way to Saratoga.
JUNE
June 1, 1796 - Jay’s Treaty is enacted and England ends the occupation of Point au Fer in the Town of Champlain. Even though the Revolutionary War had ended years earlier, England claimed northern New York south to Chazy.
June 6, 1760 – French and Indian War: Major Robert Rogers lands on the south shore of Point au Fer on the shore of Lake Champlain. He engages the French at today’s King’s Bay campground. The French forces are pushed north into Canada and England now controls the northern part of Lake Champlain.
June 8, 1816 - During the “Year without a summer” snow fell for three days in June. The corn crop was destroyed and none was harvested in Champlain.
June 13, 1850 - The “Great Railroad Ball” is held in the new Champlain House in the Village of Champlain to celebrate the opening of the railroad in Champlain.
June 15, 1838 – Papineau War: During the height of the Papineau War, 60 federal troops arrive in Plattsburgh and march to Rouses Point to patrol the border for Canadian insurgents who were being aided by residents living in Rouses Point and Alburg, Vt. A year later, leaders of the insurgency flee to Swanton and St. Albans where they were captured by American troops.
June 18, 1812 – War of 1812: Congress declares war on England; the War of 1812 starts; The Town of Champlain will see conflict for the next three years.
June 20, 1822 – Former Champlain resident Jehudi Ashmun embarks for Liberia, Africa to head up reinforcements to the newly established nation.
June 22, 1814 - War of 1812: Lieut.-Col. Benjamin Forsyth and 70 of his Riflemen cross the border into Odelltown and are attacked by 250 British troops.
June 28, 1814 – War of 1812: Lieut.-Col. Benjamin Forsyth is shot and killed near Odelltown during a raid; his funeral is held in the Pliny Moore house and he is buried in the Old Burying Yard on Oak Street. New York City later named Forsyth Street in his honor and his son was adopted by the State of North Carolina.
June 1832 - Cholera appears in Plattsburgh in the first week of June and eventually makes its way to the Town of Champlain. By September, the epidemic subsides with 40 deaths recorded in Champlain.
June 1776 - Revolutionary War: American General John Sullivan makes improvements to the British built “White House” on Point au Fer. He builds an entrenchment and lines it with a 12-foot-tall stockade lined with cannon. Many of his troops died of small pox during this month and are buried on the lake shore in mass graves.
June 1777 - Revolutionary War: General John Burgoyne’s troops land on Point au Fer around the “White House” and camp for a few days on their way to Saratoga.
JULY
July 1, 1851 - New York passes a law enabling the construction of a railway bridge in Rouses Point. At the time, many people were against this (due to the obstruction it would create in the lake) and others said it was not technologically feasible. By 1852, the 5,221-foot bridge had been completed and railway cars could now pass from Ogdensburg to Boston or New York City.
July 4, 1907 - The dedication of the Samuel de Champlain monument at St. Mary’s Church in the Village of Champlain is held. Over 5,000 people from New York, Vermont and Quebec attend the dedication.
July 4, 1909 – The Lake Champlain Tercentenary is celebrated. Numerous festivals are held in New York, Vermont and Quebec to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the exploration of Lake Champlain by French navigator Samuel de Champlain in 1609. Events are held in Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, Crown Point and Ticonderoga in New York and culminated with a visit by President William Howard Taft to Plattsburgh, Crown Point and Burlington.
July to September 2009 – The Quadricentennial is celebrated in New York, Vermont and Quebec. The celebrations commemorate the 400th anniversary of the exploration of Lake Champlain by French navigator Samuel de Champlain in 1609.
July 16, 1814 – War of 1812: A second prisoner of war treaty is negotiated at Dewey’s Tavern by Tobias Lear and British Adjutant General Edward Baynes after the April 15 treaty negotiated at Dewey’s is not ratified. Two of the four treaties signed during the War of 1812 were negotiated at Dewey’s Tavern.
July 27, 1817 – U.S. President James Monroe visits Rouses Point at Fort Montgomery. He is accompanied by Peter Sailly, Judge Delord, and the Hon. Cornelius P. Van Ness. He has breakfast at Gen. Ezra Thurber's house before the visit to the fort.
AUGUST
August 3, 1813 – War of 1812: The British burn down a barracks, store house and two block houses in the Village of Champlain during Murray’s Raid; damage was also done in Plattsburgh, Chazy, Swanton and Burlington.
August 8, 1959 – A major celebration is held in the Village of Champlain to rededicate the Samuel de Champlain monument in front of St. Mary’s Church and dedicate a Jehudi Ashmun plaque in front of the high school. The 350th anniversary of the exploration of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain is celebrated in New York, Vermont and Quebec.
August 10, 1783 - Benjamin Mooers settles Point au Roche.
August 10, 1814 – War of 1812: British Captain St. Valier Mailloux is shot in retaliation to Lieut.-Col Benjamin Forsyth’s death and is taken by blanket to the basement of the Pliny Moore house where he dies on August 18.
August 20, 1938 – The 150th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Champlain is celebrated. Six blue and yellow historic markers as well as a bronze plaque commemorating Champlain’s first settlers are dedicated.
August 20, 1814 – War of 1812: General George Izard writes his famous letter to the Secretary of War after being ordered to move his troops from Champlain to Sackets Harbor, New York: “I must not be responsible for the consequences of abandoning my present strong position.” The British army is massed just over the border and shortly invades Champlain setting the stage for the Battle of Plattsburgh on September 11.
August 23, 1842 - Champlain Academy in the Village of Champlain is incorporated by the NYS Regents.
August 31, 1814 – War of 1812: The right wing of the 14,000 soldier British army invades Champlain under General Brisbane; that next day, the left wing of the army invades.
SEPTEMBER
September 4, 1814 – War of 1812: British army general George Prevost and his army of 14,000 soldiers march from Champlain to Chazy with 16 pieces of cannon. The British march 12 hours over the Elm Street bridge and up Main Street to Route 9.
September 6, 1814 – War of 1812: The Battle at Beekmantown occurs; the British continue their march to Plattsburgh.
September 11, 1814 – War of 1812: The Battle of Plattsburgh occurs; the British are defeated.
September 13, 1814 –War of 1812: Most of the British army passes through the Village of Champlain after their defeat in Plattsburgh. One brigade stays 12 more days in the village due to bad roads.
September 20, 1838 – Papineau War: American troops arrive in Rouses Point to quell the violence at the border.
September 25, 1814 – War of 1812: The last of the British army leaves the Village of Champlain.
September 27, 1873 – The Village of Champlain is incorporated.
September 1812 – War of 1812: American General Dearborn and his military camp in Champlain.
Summer of 1851- The first telegram sent between Rouses Point and Vermont occurs.
OCTOBER
October 1, 1850 – The railroad to Ogdensburg opens.
October 9, 1797 – The Champlain post office is established; Pliny Moore is the first postmaster.
October 9, 1821 - “The Clinton County Agricultural Society” is formed. Competitions are held to pick people who have the best farm in town.
October 10, 1801 - By 1795, salmon in the Great Chazy River in Champlain were being overfished. A law was made in October of 1801 to reduce the overfishing. By the 1860s, salmon had completely disappeared in the river.
October 11, 1776 – Revolutionary War: The Battle of Valcour on Lake Champlain occurs near Plattsburgh. Several gunboats are sunk or burned after a naval battle off of Valcour Island, including the Royal Savage, Philadelphia and Spitfire. Benedict Arnold’s troops escape to Crown Point at night on their remaining boats.
October 19, 1864 – American Civil War: After a raid by Confederate soldiers into St. Albans, Vermont from Canada, troops are placed in the Village and Town of Champlain to protect the residents from future raids. The St. Alban’s raid was the northernmost conflict during the war.
October 27, 1873 – The first election of officers to the newly incorporated Village of Champlain is held; Timothy Hoyle is elected its first President (Mayor).
October 1818 - A survey of the Latitude 45 line is started by England and the United States. It is discovered in January 1819 that the later named “Fort Blunder” was three-fourths of a mile inside Canada.
NOVEMBER
November 5, 1785 – Founding of Champlain: The Smith and Graves Patent (later called the Moorsfield Grant) is granted to Levi Smith and Mark Graves, the first names on the application. The grant is for Pliny Moore who works to secure settlers to his settlement.
November 12, 1816 - An act is passed ceding land to the Federal Government for the erection of a fort. Some of the land was on an island called Island Point and the fort that was built here became known as “Fort Blunder” when it was found to be in Canada.
November 1812 – War of 1812: General Dearborn and 5,000 troops camp on the land of Pliny Moore on Prospect Street in the Village of Champlain.
November 1813 – War of 1812: 1,000 British soldiers take possession of the Village of Champlain after a petty incident with a few American troops; stores are pillaged.
DECEMBER
December 22, 1861 – American Civil War: Two companies of soldiers (142 in all) arrive in Rouses Point to defend the border with Canada.
January 14, 1786 – Founding of Champlain: New York State grants the 5,000 acre Isle La Motte island to Pliny Moore and his settlers. Vermont protests and New York cedes the island.
January 1819 - After surveying the Canadian border in October of 1818, the partially completed fort on Island Point at Rouses Point is found to be three-fourths of a mile in Canadian. The fort had been started in the fall of 1816 by Col. Joseph Totten who was placed in charge of the erection. When work was stopped, the contractors sued the government for damages. The abandoned fort became known as “Fort Blunder.” The houses of Thomas Brisbin (in Quebec) and General Ezra Thurber, as well as the old schoolhouse and a store owned by William T. Crook and the Union Church in Rouses Point, were built using the fort’s stone.
January 1862 – Thirty-six gun carriages are placed at Fort Montgomery in Rouses Point. The fort was never permanently manned.
FEBRUARY
February 22, 1815 – War of 1812: The War of 1812 is officially over when the Treaty of Ghent is ratified and proclaimed on February 18, 1815. The Town of Champlain had been the staging area for many skirmishes and battles in Quebec and New York by both the British and American armies.
February 26, 1851 - A charter is formed to extend the railroad from Champlain to Rouses Point. It had already been run to Ogdensburg, the St. Lawrence and St. Johns.
February 27, 1877 - The Village of Rouses Point is incorporated.
February 1787 – Founding of Champlain: The Moorsfield Grant’s 119 lots in the Town of Champlain are balloted for in the “Great Deed.”
MARCH
March 1, 1785 – Founding of Champlain: Pliny Moore arrives in the Town of Champlain for his first land survey.
March 7, 1788 - Founding of Champlain: “Clinton County” and the “Town of Champlain” as well as the towns of Plattsburgh, Willsboro and Crown Point are created by the New York State legislature. The law stated, in part, “And that all part of the county of Clinton, laying to the northward of the town of Plattsburgh, …shall be, and hereby is erected into a town by the name of Champlain.” At the time of its creation, Clinton County encompassed the present counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin and St. Lawrence. The Town of Champlain extended from the Vermont side of Lake Champlain (including Alburg), included Isle La Motte, and extended west to the St. Lawrence River. Starting in 1799, Clinton County was divided into several more counties. In the early 1800s, new towns were created within Clinton County’s original towns.
March 20, 1781 and March 23, 1782 - Founding of Champlain: New York State passes laws that raised two regiments for the defense of the state during the Revolutionary War. Pliny Moore, of Kinderhook re-enlists several times and earns thousands of acres of land for his service. Sixty-three fellow soldiers appoint him to locate their Rights, and later, 21 soldiers (later 17) are granted land out of the 11,600-acre Moorsfield Grant in the Town of Champlain allocated to Moore.
March 31, 1814 – War of 1812: American General Wilkinson and 4,000 troops camp in the Village of Champlain with 11 pieces of cannon and 100 cavalry. He attacks Lacolle but is repelled.
March 31, 1868 - A new bridge with drawbridge over the lake is opened for the first time. The bridge was built by two railroad companies at great expense and the drawbridge was a modern marvel for its day.
APRIL
April 14, 1759 - Pliny Moore, founder of Champlain, is born in Sheffield, Massachusetts. His family later moved to Kinderhook, New York.
April 15, 1814 – War of 1812: American Brigadier General John Winder and British Adjutant General Edward Baynes meet at Dewey’s Tavern (the house is still standing on Rt. 276) to negotiate a prisoner of war treaty. Two of the four treaties signed during the war were negotiated at Dewey’s Tavern.
April 21, 1794 - Jehudi Ashmun is born on Oak Street to Samuel and Parthenia Ashmun. Samuel was an original settler of the Town of Champlain and accompanied Pliny Moore in May of 1788. Jehudi would later study theology and became an agent for the American Colonization Society. In 1822 he led settlers and missionaries to Liberia, Africa and was its first governor from 1824 to 1828. He became sick with malaria and arrived back in Connecticut shortly before his death.
MAY
May 23, 1788 – Founding of Champlain: Pliny Moore and a small group of settlers arrive in what would become the Village of Champlain. They build a sawmill on the Great Chazy River at Perry's Mills. It is completed by November.
May 1775 – Revolutionary War: A small American force gains control of the British fort at Point au Fer on the lakeshore in the Town of Champlain. It was during this time that Benjamin Franklin landed here on his way to Montreal to enlist the sympathies of the Canadians to the American cause. Benedict Arnold, Charles Carroll and Ethan Allen also stopped here. After the Battle of Valcour on October 11, 1776, the Americans lost control of Point au Fer. This set the stage for General John Burgoyne’s army to camp here in June of 1777 on their way to Saratoga.
JUNE
June 1, 1796 - Jay’s Treaty is enacted and England ends the occupation of Point au Fer in the Town of Champlain. Even though the Revolutionary War had ended years earlier, England claimed northern New York south to Chazy.
June 6, 1760 – French and Indian War: Major Robert Rogers lands on the south shore of Point au Fer on the shore of Lake Champlain. He engages the French at today’s King’s Bay campground. The French forces are pushed north into Canada and England now controls the northern part of Lake Champlain.
June 8, 1816 - During the “Year without a summer” snow fell for three days in June. The corn crop was destroyed and none was harvested in Champlain.
June 13, 1850 - The “Great Railroad Ball” is held in the new Champlain House in the Village of Champlain to celebrate the opening of the railroad in Champlain.
June 15, 1838 – Papineau War: During the height of the Papineau War, 60 federal troops arrive in Plattsburgh and march to Rouses Point to patrol the border for Canadian insurgents who were being aided by residents living in Rouses Point and Alburg, Vt. A year later, leaders of the insurgency flee to Swanton and St. Albans where they were captured by American troops.
June 18, 1812 – War of 1812: Congress declares war on England; the War of 1812 starts; The Town of Champlain will see conflict for the next three years.
June 20, 1822 – Former Champlain resident Jehudi Ashmun embarks for Liberia, Africa to head up reinforcements to the newly established nation.
June 22, 1814 - War of 1812: Lieut.-Col. Benjamin Forsyth and 70 of his Riflemen cross the border into Odelltown and are attacked by 250 British troops.
June 28, 1814 – War of 1812: Lieut.-Col. Benjamin Forsyth is shot and killed near Odelltown during a raid; his funeral is held in the Pliny Moore house and he is buried in the Old Burying Yard on Oak Street. New York City later named Forsyth Street in his honor and his son was adopted by the State of North Carolina.
June 1832 - Cholera appears in Plattsburgh in the first week of June and eventually makes its way to the Town of Champlain. By September, the epidemic subsides with 40 deaths recorded in Champlain.
June 1776 - Revolutionary War: American General John Sullivan makes improvements to the British built “White House” on Point au Fer. He builds an entrenchment and lines it with a 12-foot-tall stockade lined with cannon. Many of his troops died of small pox during this month and are buried on the lake shore in mass graves.
June 1777 - Revolutionary War: General John Burgoyne’s troops land on Point au Fer around the “White House” and camp for a few days on their way to Saratoga.
JULY
July 1, 1851 - New York passes a law enabling the construction of a railway bridge in Rouses Point. At the time, many people were against this (due to the obstruction it would create in the lake) and others said it was not technologically feasible. By 1852, the 5,221-foot bridge had been completed and railway cars could now pass from Ogdensburg to Boston or New York City.
July 4, 1907 - The dedication of the Samuel de Champlain monument at St. Mary’s Church in the Village of Champlain is held. Over 5,000 people from New York, Vermont and Quebec attend the dedication.
July 4, 1909 – The Lake Champlain Tercentenary is celebrated. Numerous festivals are held in New York, Vermont and Quebec to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the exploration of Lake Champlain by French navigator Samuel de Champlain in 1609. Events are held in Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, Crown Point and Ticonderoga in New York and culminated with a visit by President William Howard Taft to Plattsburgh, Crown Point and Burlington.
July to September 2009 – The Quadricentennial is celebrated in New York, Vermont and Quebec. The celebrations commemorate the 400th anniversary of the exploration of Lake Champlain by French navigator Samuel de Champlain in 1609.
July 16, 1814 – War of 1812: A second prisoner of war treaty is negotiated at Dewey’s Tavern by Tobias Lear and British Adjutant General Edward Baynes after the April 15 treaty negotiated at Dewey’s is not ratified. Two of the four treaties signed during the War of 1812 were negotiated at Dewey’s Tavern.
July 27, 1817 – U.S. President James Monroe visits Rouses Point at Fort Montgomery. He is accompanied by Peter Sailly, Judge Delord, and the Hon. Cornelius P. Van Ness. He has breakfast at Gen. Ezra Thurber's house before the visit to the fort.
AUGUST
August 3, 1813 – War of 1812: The British burn down a barracks, store house and two block houses in the Village of Champlain during Murray’s Raid; damage was also done in Plattsburgh, Chazy, Swanton and Burlington.
August 8, 1959 – A major celebration is held in the Village of Champlain to rededicate the Samuel de Champlain monument in front of St. Mary’s Church and dedicate a Jehudi Ashmun plaque in front of the high school. The 350th anniversary of the exploration of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain is celebrated in New York, Vermont and Quebec.
August 10, 1783 - Benjamin Mooers settles Point au Roche.
August 10, 1814 – War of 1812: British Captain St. Valier Mailloux is shot in retaliation to Lieut.-Col Benjamin Forsyth’s death and is taken by blanket to the basement of the Pliny Moore house where he dies on August 18.
August 20, 1938 – The 150th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Champlain is celebrated. Six blue and yellow historic markers as well as a bronze plaque commemorating Champlain’s first settlers are dedicated.
August 20, 1814 – War of 1812: General George Izard writes his famous letter to the Secretary of War after being ordered to move his troops from Champlain to Sackets Harbor, New York: “I must not be responsible for the consequences of abandoning my present strong position.” The British army is massed just over the border and shortly invades Champlain setting the stage for the Battle of Plattsburgh on September 11.
August 23, 1842 - Champlain Academy in the Village of Champlain is incorporated by the NYS Regents.
August 31, 1814 – War of 1812: The right wing of the 14,000 soldier British army invades Champlain under General Brisbane; that next day, the left wing of the army invades.
SEPTEMBER
September 4, 1814 – War of 1812: British army general George Prevost and his army of 14,000 soldiers march from Champlain to Chazy with 16 pieces of cannon. The British march 12 hours over the Elm Street bridge and up Main Street to Route 9.
September 6, 1814 – War of 1812: The Battle at Beekmantown occurs; the British continue their march to Plattsburgh.
September 11, 1814 – War of 1812: The Battle of Plattsburgh occurs; the British are defeated.
September 13, 1814 –War of 1812: Most of the British army passes through the Village of Champlain after their defeat in Plattsburgh. One brigade stays 12 more days in the village due to bad roads.
September 20, 1838 – Papineau War: American troops arrive in Rouses Point to quell the violence at the border.
September 25, 1814 – War of 1812: The last of the British army leaves the Village of Champlain.
September 27, 1873 – The Village of Champlain is incorporated.
September 1812 – War of 1812: American General Dearborn and his military camp in Champlain.
Summer of 1851- The first telegram sent between Rouses Point and Vermont occurs.
OCTOBER
October 1, 1850 – The railroad to Ogdensburg opens.
October 9, 1797 – The Champlain post office is established; Pliny Moore is the first postmaster.
October 9, 1821 - “The Clinton County Agricultural Society” is formed. Competitions are held to pick people who have the best farm in town.
October 10, 1801 - By 1795, salmon in the Great Chazy River in Champlain were being overfished. A law was made in October of 1801 to reduce the overfishing. By the 1860s, salmon had completely disappeared in the river.
October 11, 1776 – Revolutionary War: The Battle of Valcour on Lake Champlain occurs near Plattsburgh. Several gunboats are sunk or burned after a naval battle off of Valcour Island, including the Royal Savage, Philadelphia and Spitfire. Benedict Arnold’s troops escape to Crown Point at night on their remaining boats.
October 19, 1864 – American Civil War: After a raid by Confederate soldiers into St. Albans, Vermont from Canada, troops are placed in the Village and Town of Champlain to protect the residents from future raids. The St. Alban’s raid was the northernmost conflict during the war.
October 27, 1873 – The first election of officers to the newly incorporated Village of Champlain is held; Timothy Hoyle is elected its first President (Mayor).
October 1818 - A survey of the Latitude 45 line is started by England and the United States. It is discovered in January 1819 that the later named “Fort Blunder” was three-fourths of a mile inside Canada.
NOVEMBER
November 5, 1785 – Founding of Champlain: The Smith and Graves Patent (later called the Moorsfield Grant) is granted to Levi Smith and Mark Graves, the first names on the application. The grant is for Pliny Moore who works to secure settlers to his settlement.
November 12, 1816 - An act is passed ceding land to the Federal Government for the erection of a fort. Some of the land was on an island called Island Point and the fort that was built here became known as “Fort Blunder” when it was found to be in Canada.
November 1812 – War of 1812: General Dearborn and 5,000 troops camp on the land of Pliny Moore on Prospect Street in the Village of Champlain.
November 1813 – War of 1812: 1,000 British soldiers take possession of the Village of Champlain after a petty incident with a few American troops; stores are pillaged.
DECEMBER
December 22, 1861 – American Civil War: Two companies of soldiers (142 in all) arrive in Rouses Point to defend the border with Canada.
This project was funded by an agreement awarded by the United States National Park Service (NPS) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership.
