Whitehall 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 ...

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. The county is part of the Capital Dis ...

, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,023 at the 2020 census. The Town of Whitehall contains a

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 ...

also named

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

History

During the late 17th century, the area was a staging ground for raids between English and French colonies. Whitehall was first called "Skenesborough" in 1759 when it was settled by a land grant to a British officer,

Philip Skene Philip Wharton Skene (5 February 1725 – 10 June 1810) was a British Army officer and landowner. Military career Skene was from the branch of the family associated with Hallyards Castle. He enlisted in the British army in 1739 and saw mu ...

(1725 - after 1785), who later returned to Britain, and who was subsequently declared an enemy of the State of New York for his land dealings. During the French and Indian War, the town was one of two major routes connecting the British and French Colonies. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the village, Skenesborough, was captured by American forces in 1774.

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

under

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War and a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New York. He is usually known as ...

built a fleet of vessels to confront British forces at

Valcour Island Valcour Island is a island in Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York, United States. The island is mostly in the Town of Peru and partly in the Town of Plattsburgh, southeast of the City of Plattsburgh. It is within the boundaries of the ...

(thus the claim that this is the birthplace of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

). The surviving American vessels returned here to be destroyed in order to keep them from falling into enemy hands. The next year

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

led his forces through this area en route to the

Battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle ...

. After the war, the town's name was changed to Whitehall. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

the area was used to build ships to battle British forces on Lake Champlain, culminating at the

Battle of Plattsburgh The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final British invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812. Two British forces, an army under Lieutenant General Sir George Prévos ...

. In 1823, the

Champlain Canal The Champlain Canal is a canal in New York that connects the Hudson River to the south end of Lake Champlain. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal for use by commercial vessels, fully opening in 1823. Today, it is mostly used ...

was completed to Whitehall. The

Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad The Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad was a railway company that operated in the states of New York and Vermont in the 19th century. At its peak it controlled a network. The Delaware and Hudson Railway leased the company in 1871 and formally ...

was extended to Whitehall in 1848. During the second half of the 19th Century, the silk industry grew important in the town. Due to the actions in 1775 and 1776, the legislature of the State of New York in 1960 declared Whitehall to be the birthplace of the United States Navy.

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 (1.94%) is water. The northern 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 ...

. The

passes through the western section of the town. The South Bay 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 ...

forms part of the western town line. Conjoined U. S. Route 4 and NY Route 22 form a north–south highway through Whitehall. US-4 turns east at Whitehall village, where NY-22 turns west to the Town of Dresden.

Climate

Neighboring cities and towns

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 4,035 people, 1,611 households, and 1,098 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,877 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.99%

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 ...

, 0.20%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 0.74% 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 1.21% of the population. There were 1,611 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,734, and the median income for a family was $43,590. Males had a median income of $35,365 versus $20,861 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 $16,831. About 10.9% of families and 12.1% 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 17.6% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

Communities

* East Bay Wildlife Management Area – A

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

northeast of Whitehall village * East Whitehall – 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 ...

by the eastern town line at County Roads 18 and 21. The Home Farm 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 2008 * Grays Corner – A hamlet southeast of Whitehall village on County Road 12 *

– The Village of Whitehall, located at the junction of NY-22 and US-4 in the northern part of the town

Geographical locations

* Brown Pond – A lake in the southeastern part of Whitehall * Castle Creek – A tributary of the

Mettawee River The Mettawee River (sometimes spelled "Mettowee River") is a tributary of Lake Champlain in western Vermont and eastern New York in the United States. From its source at the southern slopes of Dorset Mountain, Vermont, the river flows southwards f ...

* Death Rock – An elevation north of West Mountain * Dolph Pond – A lake in the southwestern section of Whitehall *

– A stream flowing into the

* Mud Brook – A stream flowing into the Champlain Canal, south of Whitehall village * Ore Bed Hill – An elevation northeast of Grays Corner * Ravine (rjw): A series of three rising intervales running on a line along the east side of Skene Mountain and running between current Rte. 4 and the eastern end of North Williams Street * Tub Mountain – An elevation southwest of Grays Corner * Warner Hill – An elevation north of Whitehall village * West Mountain – An elevation near South Bay * Wood Creek – A creek used to define the course of the Champlain Canal

Notable people

Robert Bartholomew Robert Emerson Bartholomew (born August 17, 1958) is an American medical sociologist, journalist and author living in New Zealand. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland in Ne ...

, medical sociologist and journalist * Codie Bascue, An Olympic bobsledder who participated in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics for Team USA. *

William Wallace Smith Bliss William Wallace Smith Bliss (August 17, 1815 – August 5, 1853) was a United States Army officer and mathematics professor. A gifted mathematician, he taught at West Point and also served as a line officer. In December 1848 Bliss married ...

, United States Army officer and mathematician, born in Whitehall. * Henry G. Burleigh, United States representative from New York * Joseph H. Potter, New York State Supreme Court judge and owner/builder of the original "castle" built on the north end of Skene Mountain overlooking the village of Whitehall. It was built and called Mountain Terrace originally but it is now known as Skene Manor even though it was built in 1874 long after the influence of Philip Skene. He was the father of Admiral William P. Potter. * William P. Potter, rear admiral in the U.S. Navy * Solomon L. Spink, non-voting United States representative from the Dakota Territory, 1869-1871

References

External links

Whitehall Chamber of Commerce

Village and Town of Whitehall

*
Tocqueville in Whitehall
' - Segment from

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

's '' Alexis de Tocqueville Tour'' {{authority control Glens Falls metropolitan area Towns in Washington County, New York Towns in New York (state)