Piercefield 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 St. Lawrence 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 310 at the 2010 census. The Town of Piercefield is in the southeastern corner of the county and is southeast of

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

History

The area of Piercefield town was first settled as in the early 1800s. The town was organized from part of Hopkinton town in 1900. The 1933 closing of the

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 39,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

factory led to an economic downturn in the town. Residents of the area included

Abbot Augustus Low Abbot Augustus Low (Gus Low) (1844–1912) was an entrepreneur and inventor from Brooklyn, who lived in St. Lawrence County, New York and was the owner of the Horseshoe Forestry Company.Yuan, JuliBog river: a paradise for manyFebruary 1, 2005 N ...

who resided in an area known as Horseshoe. The

Arab Mountain Fire Observation Station The Arab Mountain Fire Observation Station is a historic fire lookout tower, fire observation station located on Mount Arab at Piercefield, New York, Piercefield in St. Lawrence County, New York. The station includes a , steel frame lookout tower ...

and Childwold Memorial Presbyterian Church are listed on 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 ...

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 (6.12%) is water. The eastern town line is the border of Franklin County and the southern town line is the boundary of Hamilton County. The town is 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 , ...

. The

Raquette River The Raquette River, sometimes spelled Racquette, originates at Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. long, it is the third longest river entirely in the state of New York. The river is a popular destinatio ...

flows through the town, and the southwestern part of Tupper Lake is inside the town. At 2,688 feet of elevation, Mount Matumbla is the highest point in St. Lawrence County. The mountain is located Northeast of the hamlet of Piercefield. "Matumbla" is assumed to either be derived from the aboriginal name or to be an anglicization of the name "Montagne Bleue" (Blue Mountain) given by the original French settlers.

New York State Route 3 New York State Route 3 (NY 3) is a major east–west state highway in New York, in the United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canada–US border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for ...

is a highway connecting the northern and southern sections of the town.

New York State Route 421 New York State Route 421 (NY 421) is a short state highway located within Adirondack Park in the southeastern corner of St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. It is a narrow, two-lane spur route connecting New York State ...

is a short highway in the southeastern part of Piercefield.

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 305 people, 136 households, and 88 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 417 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.70%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.98% 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 0.98% of the population. There were 136 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.78. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,643, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $24,583 versus $27,083 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 $16,635. About 7.8% of families and 8.3% 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 10.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.8% of those 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Piercefield

* Bridge Brook Pond – A lake located southeast of the hamlet of Mount Arab. * Catamount Pond – A lake adjacent to Gale. *Childwold – 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 ...

northwest of Piercefield village on NY-3, near the western town line. *Childwood Station – A location south of Piercefield village. *Conifer-- A hamlet southwest of Piercefield village. * Eagle Crag Lake – A small lake west of the Mount Arab community. *Gale – A hamlet on NY-3, northwest of Piercefield village. *Horseshoe – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town, southwest of Mount Arab. * Horseshoe Lake – A lake located east of the hamlet of Horseshoe. * Horseshoe Pond – A pond located east of Massawepie Lake. * Little Trout Pond – A pond partially located in the southwestern corner of the town. The other part of the pond is in the town of Colton. *Long Pond – A pond located east of Massawepie Lake. * Massawepie Lake – A lake located southeast of Gale. *Mount Arab – (1) A hamlet in the southern part of the town, south of Conifer, and (2) An elevation south of Piercefield village, famous for hiking. * Mount Arab Lake – A small lake northwest of the Mount Arab community. *Mount Arab Station – A location north of Mount Arab. *Piercefield – The hamlet of Piercefield is on NY_3 by the Raquette River and Piercefield Flow near the center of the town. *Piercefield Flow – A lake formed in a wide section of the Raquette River. *

Trout Pond Trout Pond — formerly called Old Pond — located near Wardensville in Hardy County, West Virginia, USA, is the state's only natural lake. The small "lake" is situated in the Trout Pond Recreation Area (TPRA) of the George Washington Natio ...

– A lake by the southern town line. Partially in the town of Colton.

References

External links

Piercefield information
{{authority control Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York Towns in New York (state)