History – Page 18 – The Huletts Current

July 19, 2012

Youngest Daughter of Henry & Cora Buckell, Died in 2011

I have to thank Keith Barber from Ticonderoga for letting me know that Naomi Buckell Maxfield passed away in October 2011. Ms. Maxfield was the youngest daughter of Henry and Cora Buckell, owners of the Hulett Hotel during the early 1900’s. She is survived by her cousins: Frances Hebert, Agnes Peterson and Stanley Barber and a niece; Ann Buckell. She was born in Ticonderoga, N.Y. on March 27, 1914, to Henry Buckell and Cora Barber Buckell.

While I don’t have much information, her family forwarded me her picture. Ms. Maxfield spent many summers on Lake George, where she taught several generations to swim and waterski. She was very proud to have started the first non-smoking bowling league in the United States. She retired to Fort Myers Florida and loved to play bridge.

July 19, 2012

LGA’s Floating Classroom Visits Friday

Over 30 people, including many children, enjoyed having the Lake George Association’s Floating classroom stop in Huletts in 2011.

The Lake George Association’s Floating Classroom, will return to Huletts this Friday, July 20th at 1:00 pm, courtesy of the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing who is sponsoring this event.

So if you missed the excursion last summer, there’s still room but you must sign up in the Post Office. A donation will be required to help defray the cost.

(Click on image to see full-scale.)

July 10, 2012

Friends Speaker Program Starts Saturday, 7/14

The Friends of Historic Huletts Landing (FHHL) present:

The Restoration of Fort Ticonderoga

Christopher D. Fox
Curator of Collections of Fort Ticonderoga
Has Appeared on PBS & National Geographic

Mountain Grove Memorial Church
Saturday, July 14th
7:30 PM

Free to FHHL Members/$5 Non-Members

July 5, 2012July 7, 2012

Fort Ticonderoga to Receive Rare Revolutionary War Heirlooms

Amos Chaffee Revolutionary War powder horn. Photo courtesy of Fort Ticonderoga.

On July 7th Fort Ticonderoga will receive a remarkable donation. For over two centuries the Chaffee family has preserved their ancestor, Amos Chaffee’s, engraved powder horn, musket and walking stick. Now the family is entrusting the Fort Ticonderoga Association to preserve their ancestor’s Revolutionary War objects for future generations. The Chaffee family donation will be formally presented to Fort Ticonderoga at a ceremony on Fort Ticonderoga’s parade ground at 1pm, Saturday, July 7. The public is invited to attend.

“We met with curators from both the Smithsonian Institution and Fort Ticonderoga before deciding which institution to donate our historic items to,” said Hal Chaffee of Chicago, Illinois. “We chose Fort Ticonderoga for three reasons – one is that Amos Chaffee served there; the second is that at Fort Ticonderoga they are interested in keeping the items that a particular person owned even if they have similar items in their collection; and the third is they have a collection of about 150 powder horns from that era.”

“Fort Ticonderoga’s collection is greatly enhanced by the addition of these objects,” said Chris Fox, Curator of Collections. “It gives us the extraordinary opportunity to directly link a personal and powerful story of someone who served at Fort Ticonderoga to our object holdings.”

Amos Chaffee (1744-1815) served at Fort Ticonderoga between mid-January to mid-March 1777 with the Hampshire County Militia. Raised in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, the militia served as part of the Fort’s garrison guarding the Fort, going on scouts to spy on the British, and working to maintain Ticonderoga’s fortifications and sustain it through a long, cold winter season.

Amos Chaffee’s powder horn was made at Woodstock, Connecticut in 1762 and is inscribed with his name and an image of a globe showing a detailed map of the western hemisphere. His musket, which has seen heavy use and was repaired after the war as well as his walking stick were likely also made in Connecticut.

Fort Ticonderoga’s collection of 18th-century military objects is celebrated as one of the best of its type in the world. The collection of engraved powder horns numbers about seventy-five pieces spanning the French & Indian War and American Revolution.

Dozens of engraved powder horns are exhibited in the museum each season and many will be featured in the museum’s newest exhibit Bullets & Blades: The Weapons of America’s Colonial Wars and Revolution which opened in May 2012.

July 1, 2012

“Friends” 2012 Newsletter Mailed

The Friends of Historic Huletts Landing (FHHL) recently distributed their 2012 newsletter detailing their plans for this summer.

Here is the entire six-page newsletter.

June 6, 2012

Just in Time for Summer

I am pleased to announce that The Hulett Hotel Fire on Lake George is now available as an e-book, and will be available for sale via Amazon (on the Kindle), Barnes & Noble (on the Nook) and Apple’s iBookstore (on the iPad). Please help spread the word by telling your friends, family and other contacts that this e-book is now available!

Just in time to relax with The Hulett Hotel Fire on Lake George on the beach!

May 28, 2012

Memorial Day: 2012

“Fix your eyes on the greatness of Athens as you have it before you day by day, fall in love with her, and when you feel her great, remember that this greatness was won by men with courage, with knowledge of their duty, and with a sense of honor in action.”

– Thucydides, Funeral Oration for Pericles

May 27, 2012June 9, 2019

Pentecost Sunday

“I have much more to tell you,
but you cannot bear it now.
When he comes, however,
being the Spirit of truth
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but will speak only what he hears,
and will announce to you the things
to come.”
John 16:12-13

Pentecost (Ancient Greek: Pentekoste, “the Fiftieth [day] “) is a prominent feast in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the remaining eleven Apostles of Christ (Judas had hanged himself), included in the 12 Disciples in the Upper Room, after the Resurrection of Jesus. The feast is also called Whit Sunday, Whitsun, or Whit, especially in England. Pentecost is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter Sunday, hence its name.

May 11, 2012

History & Genealogy: Part III

Continuing on my posts of this week regarding the Hulett family and local iron ore production, I received this information today (with sources) from John Warren about Arnold Hulett, Philander Hulett’s brother. Interesting stuff indeed!

In 1864-1865 Arnold Hulett was a involved in the Horicon Iron Company. [i] According to a report in the Ticonderoga Sentinel: [ii]

In 1864 and ’65 the Horicon Iron Co., was formed in New York City. In 1864 Col. Wm. E. Calkins was chosen general superintendent, assisted by William Hooper of the Graphite mill, and Arnold Hulett of the Lake George [overseer of the] wood jobs. The company seemed to prosper. About 1865 the forge referred to was built [at the foot of Lead Mill Hill], one of six fires, and of the substantial kind, on the north side of the lower falls. Had not the cost of transporting the crude ore from the mines been so great it would probably have been a success. It run but a few years then was left to idleness, rust and decay. The greatest output was 1865, near 4,500 tons. [iii]

Arnold became Captain of the steamer Horicon on Lake George on May 15, 1866 (he received his pilot’s license on May 31, 1866 at a cost of $10).[iv] The Horicon may have been owned by James Caldwell, who is believed to have owned the first steamboats on Lake George.[v] This boat should not be confused with the later Horicon which was in service from 1877 until 1911, or the Horicon II which was constructed in the winter of 1910-11. References to the earlier Horicon could not be found on the web or in the standard sources. The writer Charles Lanham noted in 1850 that there was a “tiny steamboat” on Lake George.[vi] In his book published in 1854, he noted that “a nice little steamboat, commanded by a gentleman, passes through [the landing at Bosom Bay] every morning and evening (excepting Sundays,) and though a convenient affair to the traveler, it is an eyesore to the admirer of the wilderness.”[vii]

[i] Ticonderoga Sentinel, Thursday, March 24, 1898 accessed September 22, 2005 online at http://news.nnyln.net/ticonderoga-sentinel/search.html.

[ii] Ticonderoga Sentinel, Thursday, March 24, 1898 accessed September 22, 2005 online at http://news.nnyln.net/ticonderoga-sentinel/search.html.

[iii] Ticonderoga Sentinel, Thursday, March 24, 1898 accessed September 22, 2005 online at http://news.nnyln.net/ticonderoga-sentinel/search.html.

[iv] Arnold Hulett Business Ledger cited in Nora Blohm (mimosabeach_84@hotmail.com), “David Hulett, Hulett’s Landing” and “Hulett info” E-mails to John Warren, March 3 and March 9, 2003, in possession of the author

[v] “History of the Lake George Steamboat Company” accessed online March 11, 2003 at http://www.lakegeorgesteamboat.com/history.html.

[vi] Charles Lanham, Haw-ho-noo; or, Records of a tourist (published 1850), page 84 and available in full text at the Making of America Website at the University of Michigan (March 11, 2003).

[vii] Charles Lanham, Adventures in the Wilds of the United States and British American Republics (Philadelphia: John W. More, 1856), page 202 and available in full text at the Making of America Website at the University of Michigan (March 11, 2003).

May 10, 2012

There’s Iron In Them Hills

Iron ore can be seen locally in many spots. Seen here behind the Washington County Highway facility in Whitehall, NY, iron production is referenced in many historical writings.

During the nineteenth century the Adirondacks were mined for iron ore. Streaks of iron ore can still be seen in local rock outcroppings today.

The Adirondack Iron Works company was one company that mined in the Adirondacks. Iron deposits were first found in Tahawus (also called Adirondac, Adirondak, or McIntyre) in the Town of Newcomb, Essex County, in 1826 by Archibald McIntyre and David Henderson.

Impurities of titanium dioxide were present in the iron, which made it difficult for equipment of that era to properly process the ore. A local flood and a nationwide economic crisis were also factors in the closure of the Upper Works.

The village was abandoned in 1856, but a portion of the property was redeveloped 20 years later into the first sportsmen’s club in the Adirondacks, the Tahawus Club.

In a strange twist of historical fate, the club, located at the gateway to the High Peaks, was the site where Vice President Theodore Roosevelt learned that President McKinley had been shot. In September 1901, upon hearing the news that President William McKinley was near death from injuries sustained by an assassin’s bullet, Roosevelt embarked from the McNaughton Cottage at the Tahawus Club on his historic midnight ride along the back roads of the Adirondacks to the North Creek railroad station. At the station, Roosevelt received a telegram informing him that President McKinley had died of his injuries. As a result, Roosevelt became our nation’s 26th president.

May 9, 2012May 9, 2012

Now for Some More History & Genealogy

This is a follow-up to my post earlier this week, when I posted a picture of Harvey Hulett (the great great grandson of David Hulett; 1882-1948) and family from roughly 1940.

This week, after my post, Mark Stanton forwarded me the front and back of an envelope addressed to Addie Hulett in St. Augustine, Florida postmarked 1880. Mark has this envelope in his collection.

This is a very rare and unique piece of memorabilia because I would surmise that this was to Prudence “Addie” Hulett, the daughter of Harvey Hulett (born 1822; the brother of Philander Hulett), and the niece of Philander. Philander Hulett is reputed to have built the steamship landing.

The Huletts are a bit confusing because Philander’s father (born 1794) and brother (born 1822) were both named Harvey and there are a few other Harvey Hulett’s in the line.

The only thing I know about Addie Hulett was that she was born on November 15, 1860 (which would have made her about 20 when she got the postcard).

She married Langdon BARTHOLOMEW who was born in Castleton, Rutland Co., VT. Other than that I know nothing about her. A date of death, children, etc.

She must have been in St. Augustine visiting her uncle, Philander Hulett, who retired there, when she received the postcard.

What a find! I also note the sender’s name: Mr. Lewis DelNoce, spelled just like the cottage, which still stands today.

Many thanks to Mark Stanton for forwarding this fantastic find along.

May 3, 2012

Now for Some History & Genealogy

Photograph (circa 1940) showing the Harvey Hulett family. Harvey Hulett (sitting) was the great, great, grandson of David Hulett. Oliver Hulett (standing) was the great, great, great, grandson of David Hulett. Also pictured: Stella Jane Brown Hulett (sitting); wife of Harvey Hulett, and Ada Stella Hulett, Marian Amelia Hulett and Gladys Brown Hulett; great, great, great, granddaughters of David Hulett.

Ever wonder what the original Huletts family of Huletts Landing looked like? Well the above picture is the only picture I have of the Harvey Hulett family from around 1940.

Harvey Hulett was the great, great, grandson of David Hulett.

Here is the exact lineage all the way back to the David Hulett buried in Huletts Landing.

David HULETT Rev. soldier was born on 22 Feb 1750-60? in Killingly, CT. Died on 3 Oct 1832 in Hulett’s Landing, Dresden, Washington Co., NY

Son: Harvey B. HULETT (wife: Olivia Pratt) was born in 1794 in Tompson, Windham, CT. Died on 4 Jan 1868.