Grand Gorge, New York

Grand Gorge is a hamlet in the town of Roxbury, Delaware County, New York, United States. Although it is unincorporated, Grand Gorge has a post office, with the ZIP code of 12434.[1] It was the location of the Grand Gorge Railroad Station before the railroad station was torn down.

Grand Gorge was originally named "Moresville" after the More family, the first family to settle what is now the town of Roxbury. The family came from Scotland in 1772 and first settled in Harpersfield. On the way they met John Clark, and they traded claims, and John More received the land that in now the Grand Gorge village. Families began to settle the place, and by 1790 the community was well begun. John More (February 24, 1745 - January 1, 1840) and his wife Betty Taylor More (1738 - October 13, 1823) had eight children:

From their eight children came 89 grandchildren, and well over 100 great-grandchildren. Today there are 14,000 recorded descendants. Among them are railroad baron Jay Gould, whose mother was a More, and James Hadley Billington, the U.S. Librarian of Congress.[citation needed]

Brewerton, New York

Brewerton is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Cicero in Onondaga County and the town of Hastings in Oswego County in the U.S. state of New York. It lies at the west end of Oneida Lake at its outlet into the Oneida River. The population was 4,029 at the 2010 census. 19th century maps indicate that this area was once known as Fort Brewerton, while Brewerton meant the Cicero portion.[citation needed]

The community is sited near the former Fort Brewerton, erected in 1759 to defend the passage from Albany to the port of Oswego. Settlers arrived in 1789 to engage in the fur trade. The Fort Brewerton Block House Museum[1] contains local relics dating back to Paleo-Indian times. It is located next to the original fort.

In the late 18th century two Presbyterians, Rev. John Shepard and Deacon George Ramsey started preaching in the area near the Fort Brewerton embankment. Deacon Ramsey built a schoolhouse nearby which was used for both instruction and worship.[2]

Pine Island, New York

Pine Island is a hamlet in the town of Warwick in Orange County, New York, United States. It is the largest community in the Black Dirt Region, which is famous for its "black dirt onions." It gets its name from its slight elevation over the surrounding land. In the days before the nearby Wallkill River was rerouted to control flooding, it would often be an actual island for a period in the spring.

Pine Island is known for its black dirt. This rich soil is the result of constant flooding during the retreat of glaciers during the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago. The "muck," as it was called, plastered shallow lakes that today make up the fields, or "flats." Much the same as a peat bog, these areas are known for their prolific fossil production, particularly those of ancient mastodons. Into the 1800s the swamps still lingered, surrounding what is greater Pine Island.[1] It was then that these lakes were first drained to be utilized for their superior growing capabilities. The Wallkill River winds through this region and drops a mere 11 feet. When flooded, small islands emerged, Pine Island being the principal one.

When locals first tried to alter the route of the river, obstacles lay in river bed obstructions and man-made dams for the purpose of water-powered mills. Farmers wanting to eliminate the constant threat of flood could not afford to pay the local mill owner to lower his dam, so they dug a series of ditches and canals to drain the "Drowned Lands."[2]

West Lebanon, New York

West Lebanon is a hamlet in Columbia County, New York, United States. The community is located along U.S. Route 20 7.6 miles (12.2 km) east-southeast of Nassau. West Lebanon has a post office with ZIP code 12195.[2][3]

Altona, New York

Altona is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 2,887 at the 2010 census.[3] The town was named after the Altona, Hamburg, district of Germany (which was an independent Danish, later Prussian town at the time of foundation of Altona, NY). The town contains a hamlet also called Altona.

The town is located in north-central Clinton County. The western part is inside the Adirondack Park boundary, but the entire town is specifically excluded from the park by statute. Altona is northwest of Plattsburgh.

The area was home to various cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Archeological studies have found that by 1300 CE, the St. Lawrence Iroquoians, a distinct group who spoke the Laurentian language, built fortified villages similar to those visited and described by explorer Jacques Cartier in the mid-16th century. They are believed to have been pushed out and defeated later in that century by the Mohawk, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.