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56-581: Chimney Point is a peninsula in the town of Addison, Vermont , which juts into Lake Champlain forming a narrows. It is one of the earliest settled and most strategic sites in the Champlain Valley. For thousands of years, the locale was occupied by Native Americans. In 1731 it was settled by the French, who built fortifications and houses on both sides of the lake. Along with the Crown Point peninsula across

112-408: A Canadian company. Police said they had never seen a disaster of this magnitude on the lake. The captain survived and cooperated with police. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the incident revealed that, although the boat was rated to carry 50 people when it was manufactured in 1966, subsequent alterations to the boat's design had greatly reduced its stability. At the time of

168-682: A drinking contest with British soldiers in order to escape capture. Millard Barnes, owner of the St. Frederic Inn, claimed that the tavern in the inn was the location of the legendary drinking bout. In fact, the tavern was built in the mid-1780s, a decade after the exploits of the Green Mountain Boys. The original Lake Champlain Bridge, although unidentified, played a prominent part in the 2000 supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath , directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. In

224-629: A historic rural post office. Exhibits and special events present the story of the three early cultures in the Chimney Point area — prehistoric and historic Native American, French colonial, and early American after the Revolutionary War. The park hosts the annual Northeast Open Atlatl Championship and workshops on Native American techniques of atlatl and dart construction, flint knapping, hafting stone points, and cordage making. Chimney Point Historic Site and Crown Point State Historic Site across

280-506: A lake controlled by the British navy. With the end of the Revolutionary War in the mid-1780s, Benjamin Paine built a tavern at Chimney Point and began a ferry service across the lake. By 1826, the ferry was powered by horses and made scheduled crossings to the town of Port Henry , about 3 miles away. The tavern was later enclosed in brick by Asahel Barnes, whose family acquired it in 1821. In 1890,

336-470: A short stream, the La Chute River , with many falls and rapids, dropping 226 feet (69 m) in its 3.5-mile (5.6 km) course—virtually all of which is within the lands of Ticonderoga, New York , and near the site of Fort Ticonderoga . Ultimately the waters flowing via the 106-mile-long (171 km) Richelieu River drain into the St. Lawrence River downstream and northeast of Montreal, and then into

392-506: A small stone defense at Chimney Point that he, 12 soldiers, and 20 Mohawk allies occupied for about a month. In 1731, the French occupied the area, first building a stockade fort on the bluff at Pointe-à-la-Chevelure, today's Chimney Point. In 1734 or 1735, they began construction on the stone Fort St. Frédéric on the west side of the lake. At first both sides were considered part of a single royal domaine with Louis XV as seigneur . In 1743, Gilles Hocquart , Intendant of New France ,

448-590: A steam ferry, the G.R. Sherman made the crossings on a greatly expanded schedule. Also in the 1890s, Millard Barnes enlarged the tavern and operated it as a summer resort, the St. Frederic Inn. Chimney Point was a stop for passenger steamboats that traveled the lake. The first Lake Champlain Bridge connecting Chimney Point and Crown Point was built from June 1928 to August 1929. It was dedicated on August 29, 1929, with 40,000 people in attendance. Vermont Governor John E. Weeks and New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt , three years before his election as president, met at

504-468: A tourism destination, resort center, and summer colony . Popular activities in the Lake George area include water sports, camping, amusement parks, hiking, paddling, and factory outlet shopping. One of the nation's oldest gatherings of hot air balloons occurs every September in nearby Queensbury . Lake George is responsible for generating about $ 2 billion annually to the local region. Millionaires' Row

560-455: A younger brother of the later King George III . In September, the French responded by beginning construction of Fort Carillon, later called Fort Ticonderoga , on a point where La Chute enters Lake Champlain. These fortifications controlled the easy water route between Canada and colonial New York . A French army, and their native allies under general Louis-Joseph de Montcalm laid siege to Fort William Henry in 1757 and burned it down after

616-497: Is 196 feet (60 m), between Dome Island and Buck Mountain in the southern quarter of the lake. The northern end of the lake that is located near Ticonderoga is considered the southern end of the Champlain Valley , which includes Lake Champlain , as well as the cities Plattsburgh, New York , and Burlington, Vermont . The Jefferson Project, a collaboration that began in 2014 between IBM, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and

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672-549: Is a town in Addison County , Vermont , United States. It was founded October 14, 1761. The population was 1,365 at the 2020 census . Addison was chartered on October 14, 1761. Benning Wentworth named the town Addison after poet Joseph Addison . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 49.0 square miles (126.8 km ), of which 41.7 square miles (108.1 km )

728-406: Is bounded by Lake Champlain and Hospital Creek. At its narrowest, Lake Champlain is about .3 miles (0.48 km) across at Chimney Point. The Lake Champlain Bridge is one of only two bridges across the lake in its length of 125 miles (201 km). The spot is a favorite with anglers. A boat launch at Chimney Point allows access to the lake. Archeologists have found evidence of human habitation in

784-497: Is distinguished by "The Narrows", an island-filled narrow section (approximately five miles [8 km] long) that is bordered on the west by the Tongue Mountain Range and the east by Black Mountain. In all, Lake George is home to over 170 islands, 148 of them state-owned. They range from the car-sized Skipper's Jib to the larger Vicar's and Long Islands. Camping permits are available for most islands. The lake's deepest point

840-459: Is land and 7.2 square miles (18.8 km ) (14.81%) is water. The Dead Creek and the Hospital Creek run through Addison, and Lake Champlain is on the west border of Addison. The highest point is Snake Mountain , which is 1281 ft above Lake Champlain . As of the census of 2000, there were 1,393 people, 494 households, and 402 families residing in the town. The population density

896-750: Is the nickname of a stretch of Bolton Road (now Lake Shore Drive) on the west side of the lake where millionaires built mansions or resided during the summer months. Such notables as Spencer Trask , Katrina Trask , Edward M. Shepard , George Foster Peabody , Harold Pitcairn , Russell Cornell Leffingwell , Georgia O'Keeffe , Alfred Stieglitz , Marcella Sembrich , Charles Evans Hughes , Harry Kendall Thaw , Adolph Ochs , Louise Homer and Sidney Homer built or resided in palatial summer homes along Millionaires' Row. Although sometimes called "cottages" by their owners, these grand houses typically had dozens of bedrooms and more than 20,000 square feet (1,900 m ) of floor space. Millionaire's Row differed markedly from

952-592: The French Canadian Jesuit missionary Isaac Jogues , the first European to view the lake, named it Lac du Saint-Sacrement (Lake of the Holy Sacrament), and its exit stream, La Chute ("The Fall"). The 1696 proposed war plan of John Nelson referred to the subject as "Lake Mohawk". On August 28, 1755, William Johnson led British colonial forces to occupy the area in the French and Indian War . He renamed

1008-581: The Nine Years War in Europe. With sparse numbers of colonists, both sides made allies among Native American peoples to aid them in their warfare. In 1690, the British governor of New York sent Captain Jacobus de Warm from Albany with orders to watch the French and Indians from Canada on Lake Champlain and to “endeavor to despoil, plunder and do them all injury as enemies, according to the usages of war.” De Warm built

1064-635: The North Atlantic Ocean Nova Scotia. Lake George is rated Class AA-Special by New York State and is considered drinking water. Despite being one of the top ten cleanest lakes in the United States in 2023 and 2024, Lake George is also on New York's 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies. Lake George is located in the southeastern Adirondack State Park and is part of the St. Lawrence watershed. Notable landforms include Anthony's Nose, Deer's Leap, Peggy's Point (a 15-foot [4.6 m] jump into

1120-426: The British surrender. During the British retreat to Fort Edward they were ambushed and massacred by natives allied to the French, in what would become known as The Massacre at Fort William Henry . On March 13, 1758, an attempted attack on that fort by irregular forces led by Robert Rogers was one of the most daring raids of that war. The unorthodox (to Europeans) tactics of Rogers' Rangers are seen as inspiring

1176-564: The Chimney Point area for as long as 7,500 years. Native Americans camped, hunted, and fished at Chimney Point. Their tools show they adapted to a warming climate and moved with the seasons to hunt, fish, and gather food. They made spear throwers and stone spear points for hunting animals, and stone tools for cutting, scraping, and working wood and other stone. In the Woodland period, the native peoples made ceramic pots for storage of foodstuff, water, and use with foods and produce. Samuel de Champlain

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1232-542: The Chimney Point-Crown Point narrows. Archeologists from the University of Vermont surveyed the area and worked with engineers and construction crews to protect historically significant sites. Numerous discoveries were made at Chimney Point, include the location of the 1731 French Fort and the foundation of the chimney that likely gave the peninsula its name. A new Lake Champlain Bridge , designed by Ted Zoli of

1288-637: The Fund for Lake George, is collecting data from the lake using depth sensors that can monitor currents, pH, salinity, and other data, leading the lake to be called, "[t]he smartest lake in the world." There are six known invasive species in Lake George. The Asian clam first found in 2010 is the biggest threat, along with the Eurasian watermilfoil . Other invasive species are the Chinese mystery snail , curly-leaf pondweed , spiny water flea , and zebra mussel . The lake

1344-493: The Hudson through the marshes and forests at the southern end of Lake Champlain , led to the British defeat at Saratoga . On May 31, 1791, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to his daughter, "Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin... finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves... down to

1400-473: The accident, the boat should have been rated to carry no more than 14 passengers. On February 5, 2007, the captain, Richard Paris, and the company that owned the boat, Shoreline Cruises, were indicted for having only one crew member aboard the boat. More serious charges were not filed because neither the captain nor the owners were aware they were violating safety standards. Situated on the rail line halfway between New York City and Montreal, Lake George attracted

1456-420: The age of 18 living with them, 73.7% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.6% were non-families. Of all households, 14.2% were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under

1512-460: The age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 45,063, and the median income for a family was $ 48,696. Males had a median income of $ 31,328 versus $ 25,602 for females. The per capita income for

1568-457: The area from mid-October to early November 1776. Lieutenant General John Burgoyne and his army of 8000 men returned to Crown Point briefly in late June 1777 before continuing south to Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. German troops from the Duchy of Brunswick under command of Major General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel camped at Chimney Point. For the rest of the war, Chimney Point was a no man's land on

1624-495: The center of the bridge. For 80 years, the bridge was a crucial link in the life and economy of the Champlain Valley, promoting tourism and tying the two sides of the lake together commercially and socially. The bridge closed with almost no warning on October 16, 2009, after New York inspectors discovered serious deterioration of the piers. The bridge was demolished two months later. Ferry service reopened early in 2010, carrying more than 1.5 million vehicles and 2.6 passengers across

1680-498: The community. In 1929, the first Lake Champlain Bridge opened. It increased traffic and improved communication between Vermont and upstate New York. Following the discovery of deterioration in the piers in 2009, that bridge was demolished and replaced by a new bridge, which opened in 2011. Chimney Point is a Vermont State Historic Site, preserving a 1785 tavern and presenting the story of three cultures, Native American, French Colonial, and early-American. The Chimney Point peninsula

1736-403: The cottages of Millionaires' Row were mansions in the true sense of the word. They were often built on hundreds of acres of pristine lakeside wilderness. With the changing economic climate and the introduction of income tax, the mansions of Millionaires' Row became less sustainable by the 1930s. By the 1950s, with the advent of affordable auto and air travel, Lake George became more attractive to

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1792-698: The creation of similar forces in later conflicts—including the United States Army Rangers . Lake George's key position on the Montreal – New York water route made possession of the forts at either end—particularly Ticonderoga—strategically crucial during the American Revolution . Later in the war, British General John Burgoyne 's decision to bypass the easy water route to the Hudson River that Lake George offered and, instead, attempt to reach

1848-681: The defeat of the American fleet at the Battle of Valcour Island , the Crown Point-Chimney Point narrows remained an advanced outpost and naval base. With the approach of the British on October 13, 1776, the Americans destroyed defenses and buildings. Settlers on both sides of the lake fled south, leaving, wrote one observer, their houses and all their possessions “to the enemy, or to the flames.” The British under Governor General Guy Carleton occupied

1904-409: The east side of the lake and 19 on the west. The French settlement at Pointe-à-la-Chevelure was close to major fighting in the French and Indian War, which took place at the southern end of Lake George (Lac du Saint-Sacrement) and at Fort Ticonderoga (Carillon). When Major Robert Rogers , commander of the provincial ranger forces, scouted Fort St. Frédéric in early May 1756, he found settlements on

1960-498: The engineering firm HNTB, was constructed in two years, opening on November 8, 2011. Although the new bridge utilizes a different structural design, its central arch recreates the graceful lines of the earlier bridge. The new bridge has bicycle lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians. Noted Swedish-Finnish explorer and naturalist Pehr (Peter) Kalm visited the French settlement at Pointe-à-la-Chevelure in July 1749, staying more than two weeks. In

2016-572: The era's rich and famous by the late 19th and early 20th century. Members of the Roosevelt , van Rensselaer, Vanderbilt , Rockefeller and Whitney families visited its shores. The Fort William Henry Hotel, in what is now Lake George Village, and The Sagamore in Bolton Landing opened at this time to serve tourists. The wealthiest visitors were more likely to stay with their peers at their private country estates. The Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George

2072-535: The film, the ghost of a murdered university student lies in the water beneath the bridge. In 1966, the State of Vermont bought the Chimney Point property to protect it from private development. In 1971, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its long and significant history. The state restored the tavern, and in 1991 reopened it as a museum. It has one of the most intact early tap rooms as well as

2128-472: The lake as Lake George for King George II . On September 8, 1755 the Battle of Lake George was fought between the forces of Britain and France resulting in a strategic victory for the British and their Iroquois allies. After the battle, Johnson ordered the construction of a military fortification at the southern end of the lake. The fort was named Fort William Henry after the King's grandson Prince William Henry ,

2184-635: The lake in New York cooperate closely on promoting the historic significance of the area and often jointly sponsor events. Visitors can walk across the Lake Champlain Bridge from one site to the other. The museum at the Chimney Point Historic Site is open from late May through Columbus Day. 44°02′10″N 73°25′05″W  /  44.035980°N 73.418159°W  / 44.035980; -73.418159 Addison, Vermont Addison

2240-580: The lake) or (a 30-foot [9.1 m] jump), the Indian Kettles, and Roger's Rock . Some of the surrounding mountains include Black Mountain , Elephant Mountain, Pilot Knob, Prospect Mountain, Shelving Rock, Sleeping Beauty Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, and the Tongue Mountain Range . Some of the lake's more famous bays are Basin Bay, Kattskill Bay , Northwest Bay, Oneida Bay, and Silver Bay . The lake

2296-568: The lake. On July 7, 1776, a council of generals presided over by Major General Philip Schuyler , commander of the Northern Department, ordered the army to withdraw from Crown Point and to fortify a peninsula opposite Fort Ticonderoga, later named Mount Independence . Among reasons for the withdrawal, Schuyler believed that American fortifications on the Crown Point side of the lake would be vulnerable to cannon fire from Chimney Point. Until

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2352-496: The lake. A remaining chimney on the east shore gave the area its new English name, Chimney Point. On the west side of the lake, the British built massive Fort Crown Point with forty-foot-high walls and a six-acre parade ground, but it was destroyed by fire in 1773. When a British engineer inspected the fort in 1774, he found it to be “an amazing useless mass of Earth only.” During the American Revolution, Chimney Point's fate

2408-531: The lake. According to reports from a local newspaper, 20 people (mostly senior citizens) died. Initial reports indicated that the tour group was from Canada, but these reports were later found to be incorrect. It was later determined that the group was from the Trenton, Michigan , area on a week-long fall trip along the East Coast by bus and rail, organized by Trenton's parks and recreation department and arranged through

2464-577: The more rustic summer "camps" built by other wealthy Adirondack summer residents such as William West Durant and John D. Rockefeller . Unlike the log and timber structures at the camps, the houses of Millionaire's Row were built of stone and masonry in the Tudor Revival , Georgian Revival and Italianate styles . Unlike their contemporaries in Newport and the Hamptons, which were built on tiny pieces of land,

2520-584: The narrows, the area was the site of conflicts between Great Britain and France as they struggled for control of North America. During the American Revolutionary War , Chimney Point was occupied at different times by both the American and British armies. With the end of the war in 1783, American settlers returned to the Champlain Valley. In 1785, regular ferry service across the lake was established to and from Chimney Point. A tavern, once visited by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, served travelers and

2576-703: The night May 31, the party stayed in the tavern at Chimney Point. Madison observed, “On Crown point is one family only. On the opposite side the country is well inhabited.” A tavern at Chimney Point was featured in the popular 1839 romance, The Green Mountain Boys: A Historical Tale of the Early Settlement of Vermont by Daniel Pierce Thompson . In the novel, which Thompson claimed was based upon "incidents which actually occurred," Green Mountain Boys leaders Ethan Allen and Charles Warrington (a fictionalized Seth Warner ) engage in

2632-438: The third volume of his Travels into North America , he included detailed descriptions of the lives of soldiers, the houses at the settlement, Fort St. Frédéric, the wind-mill, and the plants, animals, and minerals of the area. In 1791, future presidents Thomas Jefferson , then Secretary of State, and Congressman James Madison , accompanied by slaves James Hemings and Matthew, toured upstate New York and eastern New England. On

2688-825: The town was $ 18,000. About 2.9% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. The town of Addison is part of the Addison North West Supervisory Union. The town had its own elementary school, known as Addison Central School, serving students from kindergarten to sixth grade at the town center. It was closed in July 2020 with elementary students now attending Vergennes Union Elementary School. Students from seventh to twelfth grade are taught at Vergennes Union High School in Vergennes . Lake George (lake), New York Lake George drains into Lake Champlain to its north through

2744-640: The water-edge: here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony." In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lake George was a common spot sought out by well-known artists, including Martin Johnson Heade , John F. Kensett , E. Charlton Fortune , Frank Vincent DuMond and Georgia O'Keeffe . On October 2, 2005, at 2:55 p.m., the Ethan Allen , a 40-foot (12 m) glass-enclosed tourist boat carrying 47 passengers and operated by Shoreline Cruises, capsized during calm weather on

2800-413: The west side of the lake largely abandoned and was able to observe the fort from across the lake. The party slaughtered 23 head of cattle before returning to Fort William Henry on Lake George. In the summer of 1759, as British Major General Jeffery Amherst and his army of 12,000 men seized Ticonderoga, the French retreated north to Canada, blowing up Fort St. Frédéric and burning houses on both sides of

2856-466: Was 33.4 people per square mile (12.9 people/km ). There were 651 housing units at an average density of 15.6 units per square mile (6.0 units/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 98.42% White , 0.14% African American , 0.22% Native American , 0.36% Asian , 0.14% Pacific Islander , and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. There were 494 households, out of which 39.3% had children under

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2912-587: Was closely tied to that of Crown Point. A small British garrison at Crown Point was captured by Americans under Captain Seth Warner on May 11, 1775. For nearly a year-and-a-half afterwards, the narrows was an important base for the American army and for their vessels of war on the lake. Headquarters was on the west side of the lake, but Chimney Point was occupied as well. During the American retreat from Canada in June and early July 1776, sick men were cared for on both sides of

2968-480: Was constructed in 1900. It has since evolved into a summer family camp, serving several hundred organizations and tourists every summer. Since 1913, on the East Shore of Lake George, YMCA Camp Chingachgook has hosted thousands of guests every summer. Lake George is accessible by car via Interstate 87 and by air from Albany International Airport , which is about 45 miles (72 km) away. Today, Lake George remains

3024-407: Was granted a seigneurie of approximately 115,000 acres (47,000 ha) on the east shore of the lake, much of today's Addison County . French settlement on Lake Champlain was both military and agricultural with farms on both sides of the lake. The population of settlers at Pointe-à-la-Chevelure peaked at the beginning of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), at approximately 150 with 21 houses on

3080-567: Was originally named the Andia-ta-roc-te by local Native Americans. James Fenimore Cooper in his narrative Last of the Mohicans called it the Horican , after a tribe which may have lived there, because he felt the original name was too hard to pronounce. The first European visitor to the area, Samuel de Champlain , noted the lake in his journal on July 3, 1609, but did not name it. In 1646,

3136-534: Was the first European to explore the lake that settlers later named for him. In 1609 he traveled at least as far south as present-day Ticonderoga , 13 miles (21 km) from Chimney Point. There were years of conflict between the French and English in North America as they competed for power, territory, and the fur trade. King William's War continued with actions from 1688 to 1697 as the North American front of

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