Ticonderoga () 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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the Mohawk ''tekontaró:ken'', meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways". The Town of Ticonderoga is in the southeastern corner of the county and is south of Plattsburgh.

History

In the 17th century, French explorers such as

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

encountered the area. The town was on the direct route, utilizing rivers and two long lakes, between

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to the south and the French settlement of

Montreal 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 ...

to the north. The town was the setting for historic battles and maneuvers during both 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, constructed by the French, who called it ''Fort Carillon'', in the 1750s, marked the location of an important

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

between the two lakes, George and Champlain. The Town of Ticonderoga was formed in 1804 from part of the town of Crown Point. By the end of the 18th century, the town was noted for wood products such as paper and lead pencils. The position of the now former Ticonderoga

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

at the north end of Lake George made it an important port. The village was dissolved on December 31, 1993, after a public referendum, its operations were absorbed by the Town of Ticonderoga. As early as 1812, Ticonderoga was the site of

graphite Graphite () is a Crystallinity, crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked Layered materials, layers of graphene, typically in excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable ...

mining. Commercial mining of graphite began in 1832, though logging remained the chief Industry. Graphite was not widely used in the 19th century, as most writing was done in pen, rather than pencil. It was not until the mid-20th century that pencils came into greater use, with the No. 2 HB pencil becoming the standard writing implement in schools and universities. The iconic Dixon Ticonderoga pencil was named after the graphite that was mined and processed in Ticonderoga. Historic Fort Ticonderoga is in this town, east of the former village of Ticonderoga.

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 7.93%, is water. The town encompasses both the northern end of Lake George and a portion 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 ...

near its southern end. The short, but rapidly flowing, La Chute River connects the two lakes. The eastern town line is the border of

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 ...

, and the southern town boundary is the county line of Warren and Washington counties. New York State Route 9N is a north–south highway. Another north–south highway,

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 ...

, is partly conjoined with NY-9N in the town. New York State Route 74, an east–west highway, intersects NY-9N/NY-22 near Ticonderoga.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,042 people, 2,028 households, and 1,352 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,581 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.46% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population. There were 2,028 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

married 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 ...

couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,160, and the median income for a family was $41,992. Males had a median income of $35,896 versus $21,441 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 $16,418. About 10.5% of families and 15.5% 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 21.4% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Tourism

The H.G. Burleigh House was built in 1894 and is a Queen Anne-style building with

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

features. It was originally owned by U.S. Congressman Henry G. Burleigh and has been 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 ...

since 1988. A museum called the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour is in Ticonderoga, on Montcalm Street. It has been, and continues to be, visited by cast members of the show and of its spin-off and movies. The museum was opened by James Cawley, who financed it with his earnings as an Elvis impersonator, after he inherited a copy of the original set blueprints from a costume designer on the show. In addition to the Burleigh House, the Amherst Avenue Historic District, Black Watch Library,

Central School A central school was a selective secondary education school with a focus on technical and commercial skills in the English education system. It was positioned between the more academic grammar schools and the ordinary elementary schools where m ...

, Clark House,

Community Building Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area (such as a neighborhood) or with a common need or interest. It is often encompassed under the fields o ...

, Clayton H. Delano House, Crandall Marine Railway, Ferris House,

, Frazier Bridge, Gilligan and Stevens Block, Hancock House, Lake George Avenue Historic District, Liberty Monument, Silas B. Moore Gristmill, NYS Armory, Pad Factory, Ticonderoga High School, Ticonderoga National Bank, Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company Office, and

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

are listed on the

Infrastructure

Rail transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Ticonderoga, operating its '' Adirondack'' daily in both directions between

and

Notable people

* Henry G. Burleigh, congressman from New York * James Cawley, actor and filmmaker * Grace Hudowalski, ninth person and first woman to climb all 46 of the

Adirondack High Peaks The Adirondack High Peaks are a set of 46 mountain peaks in the Adirondack Mountains of New York (state), New York state. They have been popular hiking destinations since the late 1920s, when the list of peaks was published in Russell Carson's bo ...

, born in Ticonderoga * Charles Quigg, Wisconsin physician and legislator, born in Ticonderoga * John A. Rice, Wisconsin physician and legislator, born in Ticonderoga * Jarrod Sammis, Vermont state representative

Communities and locations in the Town of Ticonderoga

*Baldwin – 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 the western shore of Lake George on County Road 5, southwest of Ticonderoga hamlet. *Black Point – The eastern shore of Lake George. *Chilson – A sparsely populated location near the town's geographic center on NY-74 *Eagle Lake – A lake at the northern town line, bordered by NY-74 on the south side. *

– The historic fort that figured in two colonial wars. *Fort Ticonderoga Station – A location southeast of Ticonderoga hamlet on the eastern side of Mount Defiance. Location of former passenger railroad station; the modern Amtrak station is on NY-74, approximately one mile east of the Ticonderoga hamlet. * Mount Defiance – An elevation ( above sea level) on the southern side of Ticonderoga hamlet that overlooks Fort Ticonderoga. *Putnam Pond – A small lake in the western part of Ticonderoga. *Street Road – Location in the northern end of town, situated around NY-9N. * Ticonderoga – A hamlet and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the southeastern part of the town, on the La Chute River. *Ticonderoga Muni (4B6) – A

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport north of Ticonderoga hamlet. *Wright- small area in the southeastern corner of Ticonderoga, bordering Putnam Station in Washington County.

References

External links

Town of Ticonderoga official website

Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce

Ticonderoga area information
* {{authority control Populated places established in 1804 Towns in Essex County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1804 establishments in New York (state) Mining communities in New York (state)