Grenadier Island is a

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

located out from Mud Bay in the town of Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, New York, United States. The island is long and wide.

History

Grenadier Island's first official settlement was by John Mitchel in the early 19th century, followed by the Bedford family. At least 14 families had settled upon the island prior to the official grant of a

land patent A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...

in 1824, and these prior inhabitants were reluctant to give up their holdings as the island's land began to be sold by the new owners. Early industry on the island consisted primarily of fishing, in addition to lumbering and farming. It was visited by General James Wilkinson and his troops after retreating from the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

in 1812, when he landed his fleet in Basin Harbor. The island was at one time alternately known as ''Isle aux Chevreuils''.

Extant buildings

There are three buildings from the 19th century still standing on the island: The Schoolhouse, the Humphrey farm house, and the Stone House. The Stone House is located in the northeast corner of the island, while the Humphrey house and Schoolhouse are both in the middle of the island, closer to the northern shore.

Schoolhouse

The Grenadier Island Schoolhouse is located in the middle of the island. It has a single room with an outhouse situated behind it. In the early 20th century it had around 13 students. It 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 2012.

Humphrey farm house

The Humphrey farm house, also known as the "Carbide House", was a two-story home with a basement and an attic. The house has been abandoned for many decades, and has been gradually falling in upon itself for many years (as of 2014). The walls of the home eventually caved in at an unknown date.

References

* http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~twigs2000/cv.html (Visited March 7, 2007) {{authority control Islands of Jefferson County, New York River islands of New York (state) Islands of the Saint Lawrence River Islands of New York (state)