Crown Point is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Essex County, New York, United States, located on the west shore of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

. The population was 2,024 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, . The town is on the eastern edge of Essex County. It is southwest of

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, northeast of Queensbury, south of

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and north of Albany.

History

Two European forts were built by colonists because of the area's strategic location at the narrows of Lake Champlain. The forts preceded organization of the town by more than half a century: first was Fort Saint-Frédéric built by the French in 1731, who came to this area from their colonial settlements to the north at Quebec and Montreal. They competed with the British for the fur trade with Native Americans in the area. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(known as the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

in North America), the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

gained control of this area. Before that, the French retreated and destroyed their fort to keep it out of the hands of the British. The latter built

Fort Crown Point Fort Crown Point was built by the combined efforts of British and Colonial troops from New York and the New England Colonies in 1759 at a narrows on Lake Champlain on the border between New York and Vermont. It was erected to secure the region ag ...

in 1759, then the largest earthen fort in their colonies. With British victory in the war, after 1763 France ceded all its territory in North America east of the Mississippi River to Britain. During colonial times and the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the fort at Crown Point continued to be important for its strategic location – on the west shore of

about north of

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in northern New York. It was constructed between October 1755 and 1757 by French-Canadian ...

, about a day's travel by the modes of that time. After the failure of the patriot American invasion of Canada in 1776, Fort Crown Point represented the northernmost area under American control. During the British

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

in 1777, General

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

organized a supply magazine here to support his Siege of Ticonderoga. The town of Crown Point, located a few miles south of the 1759 Fort, is an original town of the county, established in 1788 following the Revolution and before the organization of Essex County. Parts of Crown Point were later drawn off to form the town of Elizabethtown (1798). The modern European-American settlement of the town began around 1800 with an influx of settlers from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. Crown Point holds the New York state January record low of .

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.99%, is water. The eastern town line, defined by Lake Champlain, is the border of

( Addison County). The Champlain Bridge (Route 17) connected Crown Point to Vermont until 2009, when the bridge was demolished as unsafe. A temporary ferry service, operated by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company and funded by the states of New York and Vermont, provided access from Crown Point to Vermont from late 2009 until late 2011. The new bridge at Crown Point, scheduled to open in August 2011,Essex County, NY Board of Supervisors Minutes, February 1, 2010
opened to traffic that November. The town of Crown Point lies entirely within the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

. New York State Route 9N,

New York State Route 22 New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers (CDP), New York, Mooers i ...

, and New York State Route 185 are north–south and east–west highways that pass through Crown Point. NY-9N and NY-22 are conjoined through the town. NY-185 runs up the Crown Point peninsula. Champlain Lighthouse Crown Point

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,119 people, 797 households, and 578 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,063 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.50%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.09%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.24% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population. There were 797 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,958, and the median income for a family was $39,853. Males had a median income of $31,106 versus $20,074 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,692. About 10.8% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Crown Point

*Bulwagga Bay – A

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

between Crown Point peninsula and the mainland of the county. *Burdick Crossing – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town, near the south end of Crown Point on County Road 48. *Cold Spring Park – A hamlet in the northeastern section of the town, on County Road 7. *Crown Point – The

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

of Crown Point is in the eastern part of the town on Routes NY-9N and NY-22. Crown Point Green Historic District was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2015. *Crown Point – A

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

at the southern end of Lake Champlain and the site of some historic fortifications. *Crown Point Center – A hamlet west of Factoryville at the junction of County Roads 2 and 7. * Crown Point State Historic Site – A state park/historical site at the northern tip of Crown Point peninsula. *Eagle Lake – A lake partly in the southwestern part of the town. *Factoryville – A hamlet west of Crown Point village. *Ironville – A hamlet in the southern part of the town, on County Road 2 at the northern end of Penfield Pond. It is the location of the Ironville Historic District. *Penfield Pond – A lake partly inside Crown Point at the southern town line. *Putts Creek

Wildlife Management Area A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife. New Zealand There are 11 wildlife management areas in New Zealand: * Horsham Downs Wildlife Ma ...

– A conservation area north of Crown Point village.

Gallery

Image:Lake Champlain, N.Y., Crown Point Light.jpg,

, Crown Point Light between 1890 and 1910 Image:Crown Point Light Lake Champlain N.Y.jpg, Crown Point Light, Lake Champlain, circa 1907 Image:Crown Point Light House.jpg, Crown Point Light House Image:Embarkation of Montgomery's troops at Crown Point.jpg, ''The Embarkation of Montgomery's Troops at Crown Point''.

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...

and troops on shore at Crown Point, New York, en route for the invasion of Canada. Drawn by Sydney Adamson. Half-tone plate engraved by J.W. Evans. Printed 1902. Image:Ruins of Fort Frederick Crown Point N.Y.jpg, Ruins of

, circa 1902 Image:Ruins of Fort Frederick, Crown Point, N.Y. 1907.jpg, Ruins of Fort Crown Point, circa 1907 Image:Ruins of Fort Frederick, Crown Point, N.Y. 1900.jpg, Ruins of Fort Crown Point, between 1900 and 1906 Image:Fort Henry from Fort Frederic Crown Point N.Y.jpg, Port Henry from Fort St. Frédéric, Crown Point. Photograph shows view across Lake Champlain at hills in the distance on December 23, 1902.

References

External links

Town of Crown Point official website

Essex County Historical Society

Crown Point historic site

{{authority control Towns in Essex County, New York Towns in New York (state)