News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
The Lake George Park Commission has recently
added the option to register your boat online through the Commission website. This is an effort to make it easier and more convenient for boaters to register and pay for their sticker, saving time and effort for everyone involved.
Here is the direct link, which I will also add to the left sidebar.
Robert Fairchild powder horn dated August 27, 1756 was recently donated to Fort Ticonderoga as a result of the “History Detective” program on PBS. Photo courtesy of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum.
A rare French & Indian War powder horn was recently donated to Fort Ticonderoga. The powder horn originally belonged to Robert Fairchild (1737-1794) of Middletown, CT and was engraved at the British army camp at Lake George in 1756. The inscription on the horn reads “ROBERT FAIRCHILD HIS POWDER HORN MADE ATT LAKE GEORGE AUGUST THE 27 AD 1756.” In 1756 Fairchild served as a private in Major Jehoshaphat Starr’s company of Colonel David Wooster’s 2nd Connecticut Provincial Regiment serving that year between April 8 and December 3. In 1756 several provincial regiments from New England and New York were stationed at the south end of Lake George helping to maintain a strong military presence on the lake and stem the southward encroachment of French forces occupying Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga). In addition, the provincials devoted considerable time constructing Fort William Henry.
This powder horn came to the museum as a result of the Fort’s curator’s appearance on the highly-rated PBS television series History Detectives in January of this year that featured the investigation of an unrelated powder horn. The donor of the Fairchild horn, Ms. Tonyia Baldwin, contacted Fort Ticonderoga after the show aired to discuss a powder horn that had belonged to her father. Feeling that the powder horn needed to be preserved for future generations and made accessible to the public, she proceeded to donate it to Fort Ticonderoga. Regarding the powder horn Ms. Baldwin said “I felt that it was time for it to go to a museum where it could be preserved and enjoyed by everyone for generations to come, not just sitting on a shelf in our home.”
Apart from clearly identifying the horn’s owner, place and date of carving, the horn is decorated in other interesting decorative and military motifs. Bordering the cartouche containing Fairchild’s name is a simple floral and geometrically carved design. The back of the horn features a detailed image of one of the British sloops that sailed on Lake George during the war. A simple depiction of a four-bastion fort carved near the horn’s base may represent Fort William Henry under construction while Fairchild was at Lake George. Around the narrow end of the horn are carved rectangular panels, two of which depict showing cannon mounted on large-wheeled field carriages being fired with smoke billowing out their muzzles and cannonballs flying through the air. Regarding the decoration on Robert Fairchild’s powder horn, Fort Ticonderoga’s Curator of Collections, Christopher Fox, stated “The decoration on this powder horn is really quite nice. The military motifs, including the cannon firing and sloop, undoubtedly speak volumes about Fairchild’s experiences at Lake George which appears to have been the first year of his military service during the French & Indian War.”
Curiously, the powder horn’s spout has been cut off and there appears to be evidence that at one time a replacement (now missing) may have been attached. Exactly when or why this was done is not known. The powder horn may have seen use during several campaigns as Robert Fairchild is known to have served in militia and provincial regiments in the Lake George region in 1757, 1758, and 1759.
Warren County’s Bicentennial Postcard.
The Warren County Bicentennial Citizens Advisory Committee is proud to announce that a Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors will be held at the Old Warren County Court House on June 12, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. It will be followed by a Lawn Reception from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All are invited to attend.
County Supervisors will meet at the Town of Lake George Town Center and proceed by trolley to the Old Warren County Court House on Canada Street. At the Courthouse they will be led inside by a bagpiper provided by the Fort William Henry Museum, along with the Warren County American Legion Color Guard. This Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors will be called to order by Chairman Kevin Geraghty.
Highlights of this meeting will include the presentation of the 1813 American Flag to Warren County by the Warren County American Legion, singing of the Star Spangled Banner by Mayr Sawyer, Glens Falls High School Class of 2015; special welcomes from the Town of Lake George and Village of Lake George; the history of the Warren County Court House, as told by Marisa Muratori; and an historical monologue by “James Caldwell” founder of the original town of Caldwell. Additionally, the Warren County American Legion Oratorical Contest Winner, Christiann van Nispen, from Chestertown Post 964 will recite his winning essay, followed by a Keynote address by Robert Weible, New York State Historian. In keeping with the tradition of the county presenting a gift to each of its municipalities as was done at the 1913 Centennial Celebration, Chairman Geraghty will unveil the 2013 Warren County Bicentennial Plaque.
At the conclusion of the Board Meeting, Supervisors will lead guests outside to a ceremonial firing of muskets and cannon salute by Fort William Henry re-enactors. A lawn reception to follow will include a Commemorative Postal Cancellation by the Lake George Post Office, Postmaster Jodi Finnegan; the sale of bicentennial memorabilia; and historical displays by several towns and Fort William Henry. Light refreshments will be served, including strawberry shortcake social by Girl Scout Troop # 1369; historical music selections will be provided by Courtly Music Unlimited; and self-guided tours will be hosted by the Lake George Historical Association.
The Lake George Land Conservancy is sponsoring a unique challenge this summer to see different parts of Lake George.
The Round the Lake Challenge in 80 days (RTL) are guided outings from June 3 to August 21.
You can participate in as many as you’d like, all summer long. These outings are free for LGLC members (unless otherwise noted) but anyone can join for just $25 or more. Visit lglc.org today to become a member.
The logo in the upper right will designate the outings.
The first challenge will be an Open House of the Lake George Land Conservancy’s headquarters at 4905 Lake Shore Dr., Bolton Landing on Monday, June 3rd; any time 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Kick off the Round the Lake in 80 Days series at LGLC’S Open House. Get maps and resources, and become a member. This first challenge is not restricted to members only; all are welcome!
The Lake George Park Commission has released its Draft Invasive Species Prevention Plan, and is holding two public hearings to receive public comments. The first hearing will be on Tuesday, May 21 at 2PM at the Fort William Henry Conference Center in Lake George, and the second will be on Wednesday, June 12 at 6PM at the Best Western in Ticonderoga. “This has been a very open and significant effort over the past 18 months, and we look forward to the public’s comments on our draft Plan” notes LGPC Chairman Bruce Young. “These public hearings offer great opportunities for everyone to voice their opinion on this important topic, and these hearings will help shape the Commission’s decisions on how to proceed forward.”
The Draft Plan presents alternatives to keeping new invasive species out of Lake George, and focuses on the impacts that boats coming from other waterbodies can have on Lake George. Options for prevention include a voluntary program of boat launch stewards and public education, a self-certification program for boaters, and a mandatory inspection program for trailered boats prior to launch into Lake George. Each alternative is discussed in the Plan identifies the likely cost of that option, how it could be put in place, and what the impact to the boating public on Lake George would be.
The public comment period on the Plan is now open, and will remain so until June 25th. The Plan is available for review at the LGPC website, at www.lgpc.state.ny.us.
Both Washington and Essex counties recently announced decisions to prevent the spread of invasive species into Lake George.
Washington County will hold a public hearing on May 17th at 10:05 am in the Fort Edward county center to solicit public input on a proposed county-wide invasive species ban. Under the ordinance, it would be illegal to launch a boat that has any invasive species visible to the eye on any part of the boat.
An Essex County committee passed a resolution at their April meeting in support of a Warren county resolution calling for a ban on the transportation of invasive species. The Essex County Attorney will start working on a local Essex County law that would do the same.
Learn about Warren County’s Bicentennial at the new website: http://warrenny200.org
On March 12, 1813, the legislators of the State of New York, recognizing the expanding settlements occurring from the banks of the Hudson, to the shores of beautiful Lake George, and well into our scenic Adirondack Mountains, signed into law a bill that would remove this area from its parent county, Washington. This new jurisdiction became known as Warren County and was named for Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren.
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announces New York’s purchase of the 1,882-acre Cat and Thomas Mountains from the Lake George Land Conservancy. (Sarah Hoffman Photo.)
During a press conference held this morning at the top of Prospect Mountain in Lake George, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced the State’s purchase of the 1,882-acre Cat and Thomas Mountains from the Lake George Land Conservancy.
The preserve has also grown by 862 acres, by merging with adjacent State lands (including some recently purchased from The Nature Conservancy), to a total of 2,744 acres.
The Lake George Land Conservancy will remain the stewards of the Cat and Thomas trails through DEC’s Trail Cooperative Agreement program.
All of the money from the sale of Cat and Thomas will be applied towards paying down debt from the Last Great Shoreline, purchased in 2009 for $4 million. Fund-raising efforts continue, however, since once this payment is made, LGLC will still owe $300,000 on the land. The Last Great Shoreline in Putnam, with the Gull Bay Preserve to its south, is the heart of what will become the lake’s first managed wildlife refuge. To be part of this effort, please contact LGLC’s Executive Director Nancy Williams at 518-644-9673 or email nwilliams@lglc.org.
The Ticonderoga off of Huletts in the late 1960’s.
Many thanks to Mark Stanton for providing the above picture from his collection.
Click on image to see full-scale.
Cupcakes donated by the Lake George Baking Company at the 11th Annual Rachael Ray Benefit Show.
The 11th Annual Rachael Ray Benefit Scholarship Show was a big success. 530 admission tickets were sold. Special guests included Rachael’s Mom and family members, Joq Quintal and Family from Oscar’s Smokehouse (a local company that Rachael adores), several folks from Warren, Washington and Schenectady ARC, a surprise birthday gal from Saugerties, a newly wed couple, the Morehouse family that won tickets at the 2012 banquet, and many more.
Rachael Ray’s new book, My Year in Meals, My Year in Cocktails.
Four Ticket holders each went home with a wrapped package of Rachael Ray Kitchenware. A 2 year subscription to RR’s Magazine for the farthest traveled door prize went to Mr. & Mrs. St Jean from New Hampshire and the earliest ticket buyer went to Marsha Humphrey Bartels’63 from the Catskills.
A young Lake George student who will benefit from the show.
With this successful show 10 – $1,000.00 Scholarships will be given to a Lake George High School student in their 2nd year of furthering their education and in financial need. A $500.00 donation was made to Rachael’s Foundation: YUM-O, a $100.00 gift went to the Media Club and $5,000.00 was awarded to the Lake George High School for the upgrading of the Main Sign on Canada Street.
Many thanks to Rachael Ray for her generosity to the Lake George community and the many volunteers who made Friday’s show a huge success.
The recent combination of floating ice chunks and southeast wind has caused many docks that face south to be damaged.
Over the last few days, as the ice has melted, there have been a few windy days. The blowing wind has pushed six-inch thick chunks up against the shoreline and docks in their path. This has resulted in damage to many docks facing south. Here is a picture, taken this afternoon, of what the ice and wind can do.
The ice is still on the portion of the lake between the Narrows and Bluff Head, but it has darkened and is starting to break up – a little wind today – tomorrow is supposed to be warmer so my guess is that it will be out by April 10th but it could go a few days either way.