TOWN OF
NORTH HUDSON
THIS town was formed from Moriah on the 12th of April,
1848. It lies in the interior of the county, a little
south of the center and is bounded on the north by Keene
and Elizabethtown; on the east by Crown Point and Moriah;
on the south by Schroon, and on the west by Newcomb and
Minerva. It is extremely mountainous and rugged in its
surface, and only about one-eighth is adapted to
cultivation; there are, however, a few excellent farms
in the town; the soil is a light, sandy loam. The
Schroon mountains traverse the east border of the town,
and the Boquet mountains occupy the central and western
portions. The principal peaks are Dix Peak and Nipple
Top in the extreme northern part, two of the more noted
mountains of this region and both over 4,000 feet in
height. Other peaks are Moose, Camel’s Hump, Barr,
McComb’s and Mount Allen. There are numerous small lakes
and ponds in the town, the principal of which are Elk
lake (Mud pond), Boreas pond, Clear pond, Deadwater
pond, Johnson’s pond, and Wolf pond; a small portion of
the Upper Ausable pond enters the northern part.
The two branches of the Schroon Rriver find their rise
in this town, the west branch flowing south from Elk
lake partly across the central portion and then turning
eastward joins the east branch in the northeastern part;
the east branch rises in the eastern and northeastern
parts where it is fed by numberless clear streams and
ponds and flows southwesterly until it joins the west
branch, which course the river then continues across the
town line.
The Moriah iron district extends into the eastern part
of the town, and several attempts have been made to
successfully develop the industry within the town, but
with quite unsatisfactory results.
The town was not settled at so early date as many others
of the county owing to its interior position and rugged
character. The first settlements of a permanent
character were made about 1800, and among the pioneers
was Benjamin Pond, the first permanent settler; he was
followed within the next few years by Randall Farr, who
kept the first tavern, William Pond, Samuel Norton,
William Everett, Benjamin Cummings, Russell Walker,
William Mallory, Timothy Chellis, Hezekiah Keep, and
Titus Walker. The first death was that of a Mrs.
Holloway. Janet Post taught the first school.
Most of these settlers located in the eastern and
southeastern parts and along the branches of the Schroon
river, where they found an unbroken wilderness to
welcome them. Benjamin Pond, the first permanent settler
in the town, came in about the year 1800 from Ponitney,
Vt, and his brother William came in not far from the
same year. They located a little west of what is now
known as the Deadwater district, on the old State road,
where Charles Walker now lies. Benjamin Pond was a man
of note in the community; was judge, member of the State
Legislature and member of Congress at the time the War
of 1812 was declared. He died October 6th, 1814. Samuel
Norton came into the town soon after the Ponds and
settled near them. William Everest settled on the place
now occupied by Dennis Arthur, a little north of the
Burhans tannery site, where the road to Moriah begins.
Benjamin Cummings located about a mile easterly of the
Burhans tannery. Russell Walker came in early, but
afterwards went to Bridport, Vt., and died there.
William Mallory was one of the early immigrants, but
went west. Timothy Chellis settled two miles from the
Burhans tannery site, on the road to Moriah Center. His
daughter became the wife of Amos Drake, of Schroon Lake.
Titus Walker was one of the early pioneers and located
north of the tannery site, on the place now owned by
Jacob Deyo. He was grandfather of Charles Walker, now
living in the town. All of the foregoing came in before
1810. Elihu Phelps came to the town about 1811-12 and
settled north of the hamlet of North Hudson, where
Charles Wood now lives. He had a large family of
children. On his farm was one of the first grist-mills
in this vicinity and a saw-mill. Previous to the
erection of this mill, the inhabitants hereabouts were
compelled to carry their grain to Chestertown, in Warren
county. The mills subsequently came into possession of
Nelson Little, who rebuilt the saw-mill. Nahum Wyman
afterwards owned them, and they were carried away by a
flood about twenty-five years ago. Russell Root came
into the town with his father, Selah Root, in about
1812, and located on the farm which he in after years
made famous as the site of his popular hostelry. This
farm and the settlement which has grown up about the
hotel is now known as Schroon Rivet. Here is located a
post-office, store, shops, etc. Mr. Root built a
log-house, which served its time as a resort for the
public. Its location en the old State road, over which
passed the stages from Albany through to Canada, and in
the midst of a region famous for its attractions to
Sportsmen, gave it a large patronage and wide celebrity.
In the year 1858 Mr. Root erected a commodious framed
structure, which has since been enlarged and improved to
accommodate forty guests. He died in 1873, and the house
and property, embracing store, blacksmith-shop,
farm-house, etc., was left in possession of his son, A.
F. Root, and the estate was purchased by the present
proprietor, Lyman Hall, who continues the popularity of
the house. John Wyman located about a mile south of
Root’s, where Dr. Robinson lives, and raised a large
family. A mile still farther south a Mr. Johnson located
at an early day and kept a tavern. He died there, and
Robert D. Lindsay, who married his daughter, put up a
new house and kept it successfully for a number of
years, until it was burned. A little farther southward,
John Potter, son of the first John, who came into the
town early and kept a tavern near the tannery site, also
kept a tavern. It finally passed into the possession of
his son, E. B. Potter, who put up a good house, kept it
for some years, and died there. Next south of the Potter
place, Nahum Wyman settled, lived and died. All these
early residents lived along the State road. William
Miller was an early settler in the town, and Daniel
Weatherhead became well known in early years by his
popular tavern about three miles above the Burhans
tannery site on the State road. This was widely known,
and is yet, as the Weatherhead Place. Saw-mills were
located there.
The numerous taverns mentioned are accounted for largely
by the fact that this was a great stage route, but more
especially from the vast amount of travel of one kind
and another arising from the lumber business. An old
resident says it was not a strange occurrence to see
forty teams, with wagons heavily loaded with the finest
white pine lumber, stop at Weatherhead’s inn to dinner.
And there were the numerous men engaged in other
branches of the vast business—choppers, river-drivers,
sawyers, etc., who looked more or less to the country
inns for their accommodation. Whisky was then sold
everywhere and almost universally drank, which formed a
source of considerable income to the taverns. From about
the year 1830 down to comparatively recent times the
town has presented a scene of great activity.
The principal industry in the past has been lumbering,
while the tanning of leather was at one time a prominent
occupation. Most of the acreage of the town, was
formerly covered by valuable pine and hemlock timber.
There was extensive water-power on the many small
streams and saw- mills sprang into existence in every
direction, while hundreds of thousands of logs were cut
and driven down the streams to larger markets. This
industry depended, of course, upon the supply of timber,
and at this time almost all the pine has disappeared,
and the labors of the few lumbermen are devoted to
cutting the spruce and hemlock which is still standing
in the back districts. The sawmills have disappeared
with the timber, there being now but two or three in the
town. The large supply of bark, and the ease with which
it could be secured, led to the establishment of
tanneries in the town. E. B. Potter established a
tannery at the hamlet now known as North Hudson, and in
the year 1859 it was purchased by Edgar W. Burhans, who
enlarged and successfully conducted it till 1879, when
the business was abandoned. Mr. Burhans also kept a
store in connection with the tannery. Another tannery
was built by Sawyer & Mead about three miles west of the
hamlet of North Hudson, on the branch of the Schroon,
which was purchased in 1880 and is now operated by
Emerson & Mead. But with the rapid diminution of the
bark supply, with the advance in cost of transporting
hides to the interior and leather to market, this
industry is declining. In early days, and particularly
during the period when the lumber interest was active
and stage travel was much heavier than now, the country
taverns, to which we have alluded, were numerous on all
public highways and received generous support. The first
one of these inns was kept by Randall Farr. It was about
four miles north of the site of Root’s, on the State
road. A tavern was kept near the tannery site. Robert D.
Lindsay, already mentioned, kept his tavern two miles
below the tannery, and a little farther down was the
public house kept by E. B. Potter. Indeed, these country
inns were thickly scattered throughout this region in
early days. Nearly all of them have disappeared; those
that are now remaining, or have been established in
recent years, depending largely upon the. annual influx
of sportsmen for support. There is excellent sporting in
and around the town, and thousands pass through it, or
halt within its borders, every summer to enjoy the
fishing and hunting and recuperate in the bracing
atmosphere of the woods. Besides Lyman Hall’s house,
Henry P. Jones keeps a public house at Elk lake, and
Alonzo Palmer has a house on the Branch four miles from
Schroon river.
The attempts at working iron in this town comprise the
forge built on the Branch about a mile from the hamlet
of North Hudson by Jacob Parmerter, and afterwards owned
by Phelps, Walker and Parmerter, and it passed into
possession of Mr. Parmerter, who operated it four or
five years. It was transferred to John Roth in 1861 and
later to Powell Smith. He kept it two years and sold out
to Clark & True. The forge was burned in 1880. It had
three fires and ore was brought from Paradox lake and
the Moriah beds. During the late war, while the price of
iron was very high, this forge, as well as others in
this vicinity, were operated at a profit, but the great
decline in prices, combined with the cost of hauling ore
seven or eight miles, has made it impossible to
manufacture iron in the town with success. There was
another forge near the barn-. let of North Hudson, and
one at Deadwater, built by Tabor C. Imus. Ore for these
forges was brought in from the Moriah district. James S.
Whallon became the owner of these forges, but all these
industries were abandoned many years ago for the reasons
above stated.
The church history of North Hudson is very meagre.
Meetings have, of course, been held at irregular
intervals from an early date, and previous to about 1870
in the school-houses. Finally, with the help of the
towns adjoining on the east, a small church was built by
the Methodists near the hamlet of North Hudson. A school
is kept in a part of the building and services are held,
but not with regularity..
MUNICIPAL HISTORY
The town of North Hudson can boast of very little that
can properly be classed under the title of municipal
history, There is no center of settlement in the town
entitled to the name of a village, and there are at the
present time but two post-offices. One of these is at
Lyman Hall's (Root's) place and was established bere
forty years ago or more. Russell Root was the postmaster
and occupied the position until his death. The property
here being left in control of his son, A. F. Root, he
took the post-office and kept it until the sale of the
estate to Mr. Hall. The name of the post-office is
Schroon River. The settlement at this point comprises a
few houses, blacksmith shop, the hotel, a small grist-
mill. All of these buildings have come into the
possession of Lyman Hall.
The other post-office of the town is called North Hudson
and is situated on the State road about four miles north
of Schroon River, at the site of the Burhans tannery.
The post-office and tannery were established nearly
contemporaneously. Frank Burhans was postmaster here for
about twelve years and was succeeded by B. W. Ingalls
for four years, when in March, 1883, the present
incumbent, William Sturtevant, was given the office.
There is no mercantile or other business at this point
at the present time.
There was formerly a post-office at the Deadwater
locality called “Deadwater Iron Works,” but this was
abandoned with the decline of the miners’ industries at
that point.
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