Morehouse 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
Hamilton County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, United States. The population was 92 at the 2020 census.
The name is that of an early developer, Andrew K. Morehouse.
The town is in 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 , ...
. It is in the southwestern corner of the county and is northeast of
Utica.
History
Morehouse was formed from part of the town of
Lake Pleasant in 1835. Morehouse ("Morehouseville") was created by land developer and entrepreneur Andrew King Morehouse (1805-1884); the post office there opened on April 9, 1834. (Morehouse owned of wilderness in Hamilton,
Herkimer and
Saratoga counties, but ultimately ended up dying in a poorhouse.) Part of the town was later taken and added to the town of
Long Lake. An additional part of Morehouse was taken for Long Lake in 1861. In 1901, the town of
Inlet
An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea.
Overview
In ...
was formed from the northern end of Morehouse.
One of the most newsworthy events to occur in town was the crash landing of an
American Airways
American Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the largest airline in the world in terms of passengers carried and daily flights. American, ...
Curtis Condor in December 1934 and daring rescue of the crew by locals on snowshoes in the southern end of town.
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 (1.86%) is water.
The western and southern town lines of Morehouse are the border of
Herkimer County.
The
West Canada Creek
The West Canada Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in upstate New York (state), New York, United States. West Canada Creek is an important w ...
flows out the western town line, and other tributaries of that stream flow through the town. The
Moose River marks the northern town line.
New York State Route 8
New York State Route 8 (NY 8) is a north-south state highway in the central part of New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction from the Southern Tier to the northern part of Lake ...
, an east–west highway in the southern part of the town, is the only significant road in Morehouse, passing through the hamlets of Morehouseville and Hoffmeister.
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 2020, there were 92 people and 21 households residing in the town. The population density was . There were 280 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.65%
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 ...
, 0.00%
Native American, 4.35% 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 0.00% of the population.
The median age was 59.5 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,125.
Communities and locations in Morehouse
Communities
* Hoffmeister – A
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 ...
on NY-8 east of Morehouse, named after an early settler. This community is little more than a thin scattering of houses.
* Morehouseville – A hamlet, also called "Morehouse" and previously known as "Bethunville," is on NY-8, east of the county line. This is the principal community in the town.
* Mountain Home – A location north of Hoffmeister, on Mountain Home Road.
Geographical features
*
Beaver Lake – A lake by the northern town line.
*
Bochen Lake – A lake located south of Morehouseville.
* The Floe – An artificial lake between Mountain Home and Hoffmeister, on the South Branch of West Canada Creek.
* Fort Noble Mountain – An elevation at the western town line, northwest of Morehouseville (Altitude: ).
* Indian Lake – A Lake in the northern part of Morehouse, south of Squaw Lake.
* Jerseyfield Lake – A lake at the southern town line.
*
Metcalf Lake – A lake located northeast of Hoffmeister.
* Moose River – A river marking the northern town line.
*
Morehouse Lake – A small
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
south of Morehouse Mountain.
* Morehouse Mountain – A
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
near the eastern town line, south of NY-8.
* Pine Lake – A lake by the eastern town line, northeast of Hoffmeister.
*
Squaw Lake – A lake in the northern part of the town, south of Beaver Lake.
* South Branch West Canada Creek – A small river flowing west, to the north of NY-8.
*
West Creek Lake – A lake located east of Jerseyfield Lake.
* Wilmurt Lake – A lake north of NY-8.
References
External links
Early history sources of Morehouse
{{authority control
Towns in Hamilton County, New York
Towns in New York (state)