Westport, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Westport, New York
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
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pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Essex
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 173.2
area_land_km2 = 151.3
area_water_km2 = 21.9
area_total_sq_mi = 66.9
area_land_sq_mi = 58.4
area_water_sq_mi = 8.5

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1362
population_density_km2 = 9.0
population_density_sq_mi = 23.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 69
elevation_ft = 226
latd = 44 |latm = 10 |lats = 50 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 27 |longs = 16 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 12993
area_code = 518
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-80775GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0979625GR|3
website =
footnotes = . The population was 1,362 at the 2000 census.

The Town of Westport is on the eastern border of the county and is south of Plattsburgh. Westport is inside the Adirondack Park.

Westport is the birthplace of the Adirondack chair. [ [http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/home/sfl-flhg01chairnbsep01,0,4792496.story Adirondacks: The thrones of summer] , by Tom Keyser, Albany Times Union, September 1, 2007.]

The Essex County Fair is held in the town. [ [http://www.essexcountyfair.org/ Essex County Fair] ] The fairgrounds was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. [ [http://www.westportny.net/Uploads/EVNBDTRD.PDF Letter notifying the Westport Planning Board, reproduced on the website of the Town of Westport] .]

History

;Early historyIn 1642, Jesuit missionary Isaac Jogues was tortured by Iroquois at Coles Bay. He survived and was eventually saved by merchants from New Amsterdam.

The town was founded by William Gilliland in 1764 who surveyed an area in the southern part of the town and was granted 2,300 acres; he also established the neighboring towns of Elizabethtown and Willsboro. Gilliland originally called his patent "Bessboro" after his wife. The original settlement, which may have supplied wood to Benedict Arnold's troops, was completely destroyed during the revolutionary war in connection with British General John Burgoyne's march from Canada to Saratoga. The first permanent settlement was in 1785. [A Walking Tour Guide to Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain by Jessica Roemiscer, Westport, NY: The Westport Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Historical Society, [1998] . Discussed in the section on [http://www.theinnonthelibrarylawn.com/The%20history%20of%20westport%20temp.htm section on Historical Background] . (Pages not numbered.)]

;IncorporationThe Town of Westport was established in 1815 from part of the Town of Elizabethtown. The community of Westport set itself off from the town in 1907 by incorporation. The Village of Westport abandoned this status as an incorporated village in 1992.

;Westport the resortBy the mid-nineteenth century, Westport was a fashionable resort town. Its social scene was regularly reported on in The New York Times and by the Boston press. Its popularity declined after the building of the interstate highway system in the 1950s. [A Walking Tour Guide to Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain by Jessica Roemiscer, Westport, NY: The Westport Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Historical Society, [1998] . Discussed in the section on the Westport Inn, which mentions the New York Times feature, "Social Notes from the Westport Inn.]

Westport is home to Camp Dudley YMCA, the oldest summer camp in continuous operation in the United States, founded in 1885 by Sumner F. Dudley, moved to Westport in 1891. Meadowmount, the summer school for string players founded by Ivan Galamian, is about eight miles from the center of town. Westport is known as the ice fishing capital of Essex County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 66.9 square miles (173.2 km²), of which, 58.4 square miles (151.3 km²) of it is land and 8.5 square miles (21.9 km²) of it (12.65%) is water.

The east town line is formed by Lake Champlain and the border of Vermont. The town is inside the Adirondack Park.

New York State Route 9N, New York State Route 22, and New York State Route 44 are north-south highways in Westport. NY-9N and NY-22 become conjoined in Westport village. Interstate 87, the Northway, passes across the northwest part of Westport.

;BirdingSeveral sites on the Lake Champlain Birding Trail are located in Westport [ [http://www.lakechamplainbirding.org/sites.html Lake Champlain Birding Trail] ] [ [http://www.highpeaksaudubon.com/tripreports.htm High Peaks Audubon Society Trip Reports] ] :
* the Coon Mountain Preserve administered by the Nature Conservancy
* the Webb Royce Swampand the
* the Westport Boat Launch.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,362 people, 593 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The population density was 23.3 people per square mile (9.0/km²). There were 887 housing units at an average density of 15.2/sq mi (5.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.65% White, 0.15% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

There were 593 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $49,917. Males had a median income of $31,042 versus $26,550 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,063. About 5.2% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Public transport

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Westport, operating its "Adirondack" daily in both directions between Montreal and New York City. A bus connection is available from Westport to Lake Placid, New York. The Amtrak station also houses [http://www.depottheatre.org/index.asp The Depot Theatre] .

;Notable accidents/incidentsOn August 28, 2006, at approximately 6:45 p.m. local time, a Greyhound bus traveling from New York City to Montreal overturned on the Adirondack Northway in Westport, New York, after suffering a blown tire, killing five and injuring 48. [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060829.wbuscrash0829c/BNStory/National/home Greyhound bus bound for Montreal crashes] , Globe & Mail, August 29, 2006.]

Notable residents

Some notable Westport, NY residents, past and present, include:
* John T. Cutting, (1844 - 1911) U.S. Representative from California
* Walter Damrosch, (1862 - 1950) conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra and music director of NBC radio
* Dorothy DeLay, (1917 - 2002) primarily at Juilliard, Meadowmount, and the Aspen Music Festival and School
* William Higby, (1813 - 1887) U.S. Representative from California
* Henry Lee Higginson, (1834 - 1919) founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
* Anne LaBastille, (1935- ) author and naturalist [ [http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQQtwsnweUB8dtyiPtnUZrCBH2Yw Storied woodswoman wants to return to her cabin in Adirondacks] , The Canadian Press, Dec 30, 2007.]
* Alice Lee, (b. ca. 1854) socialite [ [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/90summer/walk.htm Self-Guided Walking Tour of Seventh Avenue] , The Journal of San Diego History, Spring/Summer 1990, Volume 36, Number 2&3: "Miss Lee was close friends with both Mrs. Grover Clevelend and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, and often dined at the White House. President and Mrs. Roosevelt, Mrs. Cleveland, and other distinguished visitors were often guests at Miss Lee's Seventh Avenue home."] and owner of the Westport Inn at its height
* Thomas Lee, inventor of the Adirondack chair
* Nathan Myrick, (1822- 1903) founder of La Crosse, Wisconsin
* John Eugene Osborne, (1858 - 1943) Governor of Wyoming and United States Assistant Secretary of State
* Case Patten, (1874 - 1935) professional baseball player
* Caroline Halstead Royce, historian and writer (b. ca. 1860)
* William Wallace Barbour Sheldon, (1836 - 1914) architectural engineer and pioneer of California
* Robert E. Sherwood, (1896 - 1955) playwright, editor, and screenwriter
* Joseph Champlin Stone, (1829 - 1902) U.S. Representative from Iowa
* Ross Sterling Turner, (1847 - 1915) artist [ [http://www.mfashop.com/rosttu.html Ross Sterling Turner bio] on Museum of Fine Arts, Boston store's website.]
* Mary Emma Woolley, (1863 - 1947) President of Mount Holyoke College from 1900-1937

See also

* Camp Dudley, YMCA
* Meadowmount School of Music
* Lake Champlain

Communities and locations in Westport

Inhabited locations

*Wadhams (formerly "Wadhams Mills" and "The Falls") -- A hamlet in the northern part of the town on NY-22 at the junction of County Road 8 and 10. Wadhams has its own free public library, volunteer fire department, and dam which produces hydro-electricity for the town. All of these can be seen from standing on the bridge next to the free library. Wadhams is best known locally for its farmer's market and Merrick's Bread Store. The farmers market takes place in front of Merrick's Bread store. Wadhams is also known for its annual Strawberry Festival.
*Westport -- The hamlet of Westport, was formerly a village between 1907 and 1992. The community is located on the shore of Lake Champlain on NY-9N at the junction of NY-22.

Geographical locations

*Barber Point -- A projection into Lake Champlain south of Bluff Point.
*Black River -- A stream forming part of the west town line.
*Bluff Point -- A projection into Lake Champlain south of Westport village.
*Cole's Bay -- A small bay of Lake Champlain, south of Northwest Bay.
*Furnace Point -- A projection into North West Bay, north of Westport village.
*Hoisington Brook -- A stream entering Lake Champlain at Westport village.
*Moore Point -- A projection into Lake Champlain south of Barber Point.
*Nichols Pond -- A small lake near the west town line.
*North West Bay -- A bay of Lake Champlain by Westport village.
*Split Rock Mountain -- An elevation at the boundary between Westport and the Town of Essex, known for its rattlesnake population.
*Stacy Brook -- A stream entering Lake Champlain at Cole's Bay.

References

Further reading

* "A Walking Tour Guide to Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain" by Jessica Roemiscer, Westport, NY: The Westport Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Historical Society, 1982, 1989, 1998.
* "A View of Westport, NY on Lake Champlain", 1902—1972 by Raymond D. Clark, Elizabethtown, NY 1972.
* "Bessboro: A History of Westport, Essex County, New York" by Caroline Halstead Royce, Westport, NY 1902.
* "Bessboro Beginnings" by Carlin Walker, Westport, NY 1988 [http://www.westportland.com/history_property.html] .
* "Personal names: A supplement to the index in Bessboro, a history of Westport, Essex Co., N.Y." by Caroline Halstead Royce
* "Glenn's History of the Adirondack's", a multi-volume series by Morris F. Glenn

External links

* [http://www.westportny.net Town of Westport]
* [http://www.westportny.net/learn_some_history.asp Town of Westport: History of Westport, NY]
* [http://www.adkhistorycenter.org/esco/tow/westport.html Historical summary of Westport]
* [http://www.lakechamplainregion.com Westport tourism information]
* [http://www.nc3r.org/wptlib/OldWestport.html Photos and Postcards from Early Westport, NY] , Westport Library.
* [http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/preserves/art11875.html Coon Mountain Preserve]