January 20th is the anniversary of the birth of Philander Hulett, who is widely credited with building the steamship landing in the hamlet that now bears his name.
I thought today, being January 20th, would be a great time to reflect on the life of Philander Hulett. As the caption above notes, today is the 184th anniversary of his birth. While there were other Huletts living in the area before him, he is widely credited with undertaking those things which literally put Huletts Landing on the map.
He built the steamship landing and the original Post Office. He was the first Postmaster and he expanded the Hulett farmhouse and brought tourists to the area.
Any of these things would have been a lot for one person but he did them all. I think it’s safe to say he was a person who got things done. By today’s standards he died relatively young at the age of 64 but during the 1800’s this was considered to be quite an advanced age.
He lived during an age when people admired those who accomplished great things. The time in which he lived was a time of religious fervor with many intriguing religious happenings going on locally. His father, Harvey Hulett, served as Town Supervisor of Dresden for a short period of time. He would eventually sell his property, move to Florida, but would return before he died. We can only imagine what the area was like when he lived here but the cemetery in which he is buried was at one time, the Hulett family cemetery.
While nothing is known about his temperament, his actions would directly and indirectly lead to the beautiful community which exists today on the east shore of Lake George. To accomplish what he did, it took initiative, hard work and motivation. So today, on the anniversary of his birth, it is only proper and fitting to honor the man, Philander Hulett.