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The sky darkened and rain was falling in sheets: The 1998 Trail Derailment at Port Douglass
June 1998 featured a streak of wet weather. Rains saturated the soils, rivers and streams ran briskly. It can be assumed people wished for a stretch of sunny weather. That wish failed to occur on June 25. It not only rained, but poured and most of the rain fell in the afternoon and into the night. Rainfall records are sketchy, but accounts mention rain totals from two to eight inches of precipitation in Essex, Clinton and Warren Counties. Chesterfield hit the top with the e


Burgoyne at the Boquet: Themes of the Revolution
Gen. John Burgoyne paused his army and set up camp at the mouth of the Boquet River on his way to Saratoga in June of 1777. At that encampment, the proud British general devoted his attention to two sometimes overlooked groups that play important roles in the new “American Revolution” PBS television series – Native Americans and the large American Loyalist population. "John Burgoyne" by Joshua Reynolds, 1766 Ken Burns and his PBS team argue – in their six-part series – that


The Early Rose Potato
Big potato news rocked the world of agriculture in the 1861; a new variety had arrived. Albert Bresee of Hubbardton, Vermont, through...


The sky darkened and rain was falling in sheets: The 1998 Trail Derailment at Port Douglass
June 1998 featured a streak of wet weather. Rains saturated the soils, rivers and streams ran briskly. It can be assumed people wished for a stretch of sunny weather. That wish failed to occur on June 25. It not only rained, but poured and most of the rain fell in the afternoon and into the night. Rainfall records are sketchy, but accounts mention rain totals from two to eight inches of precipitation in Essex, Clinton and Warren Counties. Chesterfield hit the top with the e
echs06
7 days ago6 min read


Burgoyne at the Boquet: Themes of the Revolution
Gen. John Burgoyne paused his army and set up camp at the mouth of the Boquet River on his way to Saratoga in June of 1777. At that encampment, the proud British general devoted his attention to two sometimes overlooked groups that play important roles in the new “American Revolution” PBS television series – Native Americans and the large American Loyalist population. "John Burgoyne" by Joshua Reynolds, 1766 Ken Burns and his PBS team argue – in their six-part series – that
Peter Slocum
Nov 18, 20253 min read


The Early Rose Potato
Big potato news rocked the world of agriculture in the 1861; a new variety had arrived. Albert Bresee of Hubbardton, Vermont, through...
Don Wickman
Sep 24, 20253 min read


Joe Call, the "Lewis Giant"
Legendary characters are part of our nation’s history. Many of us have heard or read about Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill,...
sward39
Jul 17, 20256 min read


The Elizabethtown Terminal Railroad Story
History is intertwined. One event happens and then triggers a reaction and on and on it goes. It can occur in small and large scale....
Don Wickman
May 28, 20256 min read


Fires of the High Peaks
By: Sharp Swan This blog is inspired by the Fires of the High Peaks exhibit, a permanent feature at the Adirondack History Museum. Our...
Alexandra Steves
Mar 10, 20259 min read


Logging the High Peaks – A Monumental Task
By: Sharp Swan This blog is inspired by the Logging the High Peaks exhibit, featured at the Adirondack History Museum in 2024. Viewing...
Alexandra Steves
Feb 18, 20259 min read


Grand Excursion to Willsboro
During the early 1870s the New York and Canada Railroad commenced construction of a rail line along the western shore of Lake Champlain...
dhwickman
Nov 7, 20248 min read


Essex County, The Modern Political Bellwether
"As Essex County goes, so goes the Nation" is a maxim that accurately captures what has happened in every Presidential election in the...
Peter Slocum
Oct 11, 20242 min read


"A Heartless and Cold Blooded Affair": The Sage of Wife Murderer Henry Debosnys
April 27, 1882. For Essex County Sheriff Rollin L. Jenkins only one item stood out on his day’s schedule—a hanging....
Don Wickman
Sep 19, 20247 min read


Ghosts: A Word With A Double Meaning
Do you believe in ghosts? The Essex County Courthouse has several of them. Now I’m not writing about the spirit of abolitionist John...
dhwickman
Aug 1, 20243 min read


Elkanah Watson – A Man of Many Talents
Travel along Lake Street in Port Kent and it is easy to see why this hamlet became a popular location of hotels and the tourist industry....
dhwickman
Aug 1, 20246 min read


An Adirondack Mountains National Park?
Ever get the opportunity to visit the Adirondack Mountains National Park? Now, this is not to be confused with the New York State...
dhwickman
Aug 1, 20245 min read


An 1888 Trek to Mount Marcy’s Summit
In 1936, W.J. Brown decided to take pen to paper and composed a lengthy letter to the editor of the Essex County Republican, a weekly...
dhwickman
Aug 1, 20248 min read


John Brown’s Body Comes Home
On the evening of December 1, 1859 within the confines of the Charles Town, Virginia jail (now in present day West Virginia which became...
dhwickman
Aug 1, 20244 min read


The ‘Adirondac’ Grape
People make their mark in history in assorted manners: bravery, politics, leadership, writing, discovery, inventions and the list goes...
dhwickman
Aug 1, 20244 min read


The Man in the Photograph: Ashley Leach (1857-1926)
It is said that a picture is worth 1000 words. There’s a photograph in the Adirondack History Museum of a mustachioed man in his 20s...
dhwickman
Jul 23, 20245 min read


A FURTHER LOOK At The Story Of The Museum’s Concord Coach
In the September 21, 1950 edition of the Adirondack Record-Post recounted the story of the wayward coach. In 1919 Arthur B. Wells, summer...
echs48
Apr 6, 20244 min read
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