The Peru Gazette

September 10^th – 2:00 pm, 98 Ohio Avenue, Plattsburgh. Walking Tour of the Plattsburgh Oval.  Starting from the Clinton County Historical Association, with tour guides Maribeth Dunajski and Richard Caudell, hear histories of the historic buildings with special inside views of the Officers’ quarters and the Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel. Registration is suggested by calling 518-561- 0340.

September 12 – 10 am to Noon, Trinity Church, Plattsburgh. Macdonough’s Naval Career before and after the battle with Military Historian Thaddeus Booth Trudeau and The History of the Macdonough Monument with CCHA Director Helen Nerska.

September 16^th, 6:00 pm, Pine Harbour, 15 New Hampshire Street, Plattsburgh.  William Henry Miner and His Lasting Legacy in the North Country with Amy Bedard, Library Director, William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute.  William Henry Miner’s life is a true Horatio Alger story. Orphaned as a pre-teen, Miner was sent from the Midwest to live with his aunt and uncle in Chazy, New York. Miner returned to the Midwest as a young man and eventually became a successful inventor of railroad equipment by the late 19th century. After achieving his wealth, Miner returned to Chazy with his wife Alice to establish Heart’s Delight Farm. The farm was a model of agricultural innovation and self-sufficiency. The Miners also believed in using their fortune to help others and their remarkable generosity continues to impact the North Country.

September 18^th – 12:30 pm. Plattsburgh Senior Center, 5139 North Catherine Street, Plattsburgh. The Grange Movement in Clinton County and its Legacy. Beginning in Mooers in 1897, the Grange Movement quickly spread throughout Clinton County providing access to what was declared in the Plattsburgh Sentinel in 1904 to be one of the “grandest educational organizations in the world.” Welcoming both men and women into their organizational hierarchy, granges and their leaders built halls, published histories, held educational forums and hosted community events throughout Clinton County. Helen Nerska, the daughter of a ‘granger’ shares her research on the impact of this nation-wide movement in our County.

September 19^th, 6:00 pm. Pine Harbour, 15 New Hampshire Street, Plattsburgh. Redford Glass Uncovered. The presentation with CCHA Director Helen Nerska will take participants back to a period more than 200 years ago to learn about the short-lived history of the Redford Glass Company.  Although the company was in business for only 20 years they produced products that demonstrated unique skilled craftsmanship that survive to this day.  By the end of the presentation participants will see how the Company, that was once famous and esteemed for its crown glass windowpanes, has become synonymous with unique and priceless glassware.

September 22^nd, 6:45 pm, Lake Forest Retirement Community, 8 Lake Forest Drive, Plattsburgh. “Revisiting the Brinkerhoff & Court Street Historic Districts: Gains, Omissions, and Losses over 50 Years.” With Dr. James Lindgren, Professor Emeritus, SUNY Plattsburgh. With the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the many threats to Plattsburgh’s rich cultural heritage in those years, Dr. Allan Everest and the Clinton County Historical Association jump-started a drive in the 1970s to protect endangered architecture in the city center. Their work led to the creation of four National Register Historic Districts, which included two very different districts on Brinkerhoff and Court Streets in 1982. This illustrated presentation assesses what was included, how it changed over the years, and the many issues still facing both districts.

September 24^th, 6:00 pm, Plattsburgh Memorial Chapel, Old Base, Plattsburgh. The Archaeological Examination of Arnold’s Bay. In October of 1776 a tiny bay on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain was the site of the final encounter of the three-day Revolutionary War Battle on Lake Champlain which started at Valcour Island. In this location, formerly known as Ferris Bay, five colonial vessels, under the command of Benedict Arnold, were burned to deny their capture by the British fleet. Arnold and his men crews escaped overland while under fire from the British vessels. Since 2021 the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has been conducting a battlefield survey of Arnold’s Bay and the shoreline around it with a goal of refining our understanding of the battlefield and any remaining vessel wreckage through in-water and terrestrial survey.  Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Executive Director Chris Sabick will present the background history of the site and a description of previous archaeology work, and present preliminary results of recent excavations.

For more information, contact Helen Nerska, Director, Clinton County Historical Association.

(cell) 513-582-7246, (museum) 518-561-0240