Pierrepont (traditionally spelled Pierpont) 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 ...

and hamlet 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. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,523. It was named after Hezekiah Pierrepont, the early owner of much of the town's territory. The Town of Pierrepont is centrally located in the county and is southeast of Canton. A hamlet of the same name is in the town of Pierrepont. Pierrepont Manor, however, is located in Jefferson County.

History

The first European-American settlers arrived around 1806/7, after the American Revolutionary War, when many settlers from New England migrated into upstate New York."Pierrepont History"
''OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE: A MEMORIAL RECORD OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, NEW YORK'', edited by GATES CURTIS, Boston: The Boston History Company, 1894 The town was established in 1818 from parts of the Towns of Russell and

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

. Later the town gave up territory to form, in whole or part, the Towns of

Fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Fran Fine, the title character of ''The Nanny'' * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (p ...

(1844), Clifton (1868), and Clare (1882).

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 (0.51%) is water. 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 ...

, which is the longest river in St. Lawrence County and the third longest in New York state, flows through the northeast part of the town. New York State Route 56 crosses the northeast part of Pierrepont, and New York State Route 68 is an east–west highway.

Notable people

* Josephine Del Deo, artist, activist, and writer. *

Edwin Atkins Merritt Edwin Atkins Merritt (February 26, 1828 – December 26, 1916) was an American politician, civil service reformer and diplomat. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, and was a brigadier general in the New York Militia. ...

, member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

, Quartermaster General of the New York Militia,

Collector of the Port of New York The Collector of Customs at the Port of New York, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of New York, was a federal officer who was in charge of the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States by ship at ...

Edwin Albert Merritt Edwin Albert Merritt (July 25, 1860 – December 4, 1914) was an American politician from New York who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1912 to 1914. Biography He was born on July 25, 1860, in Pierrepo ...

, U.S. Congressman *

Irving Bacheller Addison Irving Bacheller (September 26, 1859 – February 24, 1950) was an American journalist and writer. He founded the first modern newspaper syndicate in the United States. Birth and education Born in Pierrepont, New York, Irving Bacheller ...

, author * Albert P. Crary, polar geophysicist and glaciologist

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 2,674 people, 1,039 households, and 744 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,233 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.77%

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 ...

, 0.19%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.52% Asian, and 0.37% 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 0.30% of the population. There were 1,039 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.99. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,890, and the median income for a family was $44,500. Males had a median income of $36,398 versus $23,438 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 $19,239. About 7.3% of families and 11.5% 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 13.1% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Pierrepont

* Austin's Corners – a location by the southern town line. * Browns Bridge – a location in the northeastern part of the town over the Raquette River. Previously a steel deck bridge constructed in the 1970s, the bridge was replaced with a more modern design in 2021. The bridge is a popular spot for bridge jumping; a dam and penstock are located at Browns Bridge. County Route 24, also known as the Russell Turnpike Road, goes through Browns Bridge. * Coney Island – a dead-end roadway in Hannawa Falls located on the Raquette River, which was a small

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

from the 1920s through the 1940s. * Crary Mills – 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 ...

in the northwestern part of the town at the town line. Crary Mills is located on the town lies of Pierrepont, Colton and Canton; County Route 35 goes through the hamlet. The Crary Mills Mighty Mall houses small specialty shops. * Dean's Corners – a location in the southwestern part of Pierrepont. * Hannawa Falls – a hamlet in the eastern part of the town on NY-56. The community was previously called "Cox's Mill", "East Pierrepont", and "Ellsworth". As of 2022, Hannawa Falls has two convenience stores (Chip's Place and the Country Store), a post office (ZIP 13647), the Hannawa Falls Volunteer Fire Department, one restaurant/bar called Jake's, a community park near the old school house on Church Street and the Postwood Park Beach on Postwood Road. Hannawa Pond is a reservoir on the Raquette River in the heart of Hannawa Falls which is a popular place for boating and swimming. Hannawa Pond is a closed body of water, meaning there is not a public boat launch. Potsdam Central School District covers the Hannawa Falls area after Potsdam absorbed the Hannawa Falls School in the 1970s. State Route 56 travels through the hamlet with County Routes 59 and 24 bordering the hamlet. The Gardner Cox House was 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 ...

in 1986. * Moore's Corners – a location in the southwestern part of the town. * Pierrepont is on NY-68 at County Road 24. The town hall and museum are located here; Pierrepont has its own fire department. The Pierrepont Town Buildings was listed on the

in 1982. * Selleck's Corners – a location in the southeastern part of Pierrepont. * Vebber Corners – a location in the southeastern part of the town south of Washburn Corners. * Washburn Corners – a location in the eastern part of the town. * West Pierrepont – a hamlet in the southwestern part of the town. * Willisville – a location in the eastern part of Pierrepont. * Wilson Corners – a location in the southern part of the town, south of Washburn Corners. * Postwood and 4-H – a popular place to swim, Postwood Park is a small beach located on the Raquette River. In the middle of the 20th century, Postwood had camping grounds. Next to Postwood is a large tract of county-owned land known as 4-H, which was once a popular spot for local 4-H troops. This area is now a popular spot for hiking.

References

External links

Official Town of Pierrepont Website

{{authority control Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York Towns in New York (state) Populated places established in 1818 1818 establishments in New York (state)