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History
Named in honor of Alexander Hamilton, this county was formed from Montgomery on 12 Feb 1816; but its independent organization was not completed until it achieved its mandated population of 1288 taxable inhabitants qualified to vote. On 1 Jan 1838 it was partially organized and detached from Montgomery county and by 1847 it was fully organized. The county occupies the central portions of the Adirondacks and within its 1745 square miles of mountainous land is located some 77 lakes. The county seat was located in the village of Sageville, which is now a part of the village of Lake Pleasant. It is currently comprised of the following townships: Arietta, Benson, Hope, Indian Lake, Inlet, Lake Pleasant, Long Lake, Morehouse, and Wells. At one time there was also a town of Gilman, which was formed 23 Apr 1839 with land primarily taken from Wells and Lake Pleasant and it was abolished 6 Apr 1860.
History of Hamilton County - from the 1824, 1841, 1860, 1872 gazetteers
| Town Histories | year town was established | Town History Found in Gazetteer | Other Independent Histories (year) | |||
| 1824 | 1841 | 1860 | 1872 | |||
| Arietta | 1836 | --- | yes | yes | yes | --- |
| Benson | 1860 | --- | --- | --- | yes | --- |
| Gilman | 1839-1860 | --- | yes | yes | --- | --- |
| Hope | 1818 | yes | yes | yes | yes | --- |
| Indian Lake | 1858 | --- | --- | yes | yes | 1917 |
| Inlet | 1901 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lake Pleasant | 1812 | yes | yes | yes | yes | --- |
| Long Lake | 1837 | --- | yes | yes | yes | --- |
| Morehouse | 1835 | --- | yes | yes | yes | --- |
| Wells | 1805 | yes | yes | yes | yes | --- |
Maps of Hamilton County
| Year | Description | Size | Preview |
| 1804 | Herkimer & Montgomery County map (Hamilton Co. was formed in 1816) | 258K | 44K |
| 1817 | Hamilton County Lay map | 233K | 73K |
| 1818 | Hamilton County map | 83K | -- |
| c1835 | Map of Bethune Tract - Morehouse (with names of early residents - 1830s) | 79K | -- |
| 1839 | Hamilton County map | 57K | -- |
| 1840 | Hamilton County Burr map | 366K | 76K |
| 1856 | Hamilton County Map | 49K | -- |
| 1860 | Merritt Map of Raquette River | 289K | 59K |
| 1860 | Hamilton County with surrounding counties hosted by Herkimer GenWeb | 83K | -- |
| 1860 | Hamilton County map with outlines of towns | 60K | -- |
| 1865 | Hamilton County map with outlines of towns | 193K | 86K |
| 1866 | Schenectady and Ogdensburg Railroad map of Hamilton and surrounding counties | 310K | 77K |
| 1882 | Adirondack Railroad map of Hamilton Co. | 199K | 72K |
| 1885 | Hamilton County map | 86K | -- |
| 1895 | Adirondack map | 421K | 80K |
| 1897 | Hamilton County map | 187K | 42K |
| 1902 | Hamilton County map | 149K | -- |
| 1917 | Hamilton County map | 154K | 55K |
| Current | Hamilton County map (hand drawn) | small | |
| Current | New York State County map | small |
Crimes
Churches
Pastors of the Ohio Charge of the M.E. Church: 1841-1937 (includes Morehouse)
Hotels
Adirondack Hotels (pre-1880)
1906 Summer Outings Sacandaga Valley; The Pleasure and Benefits of a Few Weeks of Leisure Spent Among the Beautiful Resorts of the Adirondacks, Published by Passenger Department, Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Railroad and listing information about several Hamilton County hotels.
Industry and Occupations
Misc. Articles
Field Notes of Melvin W. Lethbridge - historical information regarding primarily the Northville area and surrounding region, including parts of Fulton, Hamilton and Saratoga counties. This includes a nice writeup on the Slocum family, and some interesting history of the Isdell and Pettingill families.
Land Purchases, Patents and Grants - a summary of those in Hamilton County
Morehouse Union, Documents Relating to the
Tax Title Laws and the Forest Preserve, 1892 - includes description of a court case involving a hunting camp of Alvah Dunning's.
Old Days in the Adirondacks, by Heloise Durant Rose, 1902 - personal memories of author, a NY Times article
Post Offices
Post Offices for various years, some listing the postmaster
Schools
Misc. Fulton/Hamilton County School Information For the Year 1908
Links to other sites:
Indian Lake NY - A History: A wonderful site from the Town Historian!
St. Hubert's Isle / Church of the Good Shepherd - Raquette Lake
Adirondack Great Camps - lots of pictures and history of great camps around Raquette Lake, also some campfire recipes... a neat site to visit
History of Hamilton County - from Hope Farm Press (a link to their site)
The Adirondack Mountains - includes history, photos and many other topics for the area - a great site!
History of the Adirondacks: from Adirondacks.com. This site also includes a lot of visitor information!
Adirondack History - interesting history, centering primarily around Sacandaga Park the "Coney Island of the North"
About the Adirondack Park : from the Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Centers
Old USGS Maps of New England & New York - a great link! Maps are circa 1900.
Hamilton County under "Maps" link to a very detailed map that shows towns and many villages/hamlets!
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