Old Plattsburgh

Coming up tonight! Our friends over at the Greater Adirondack Ghost and Tour Company will be hosting a pair of guided GHOST TOURS through "old Plattsburgh" at 7:00 and 9:00 pm!

GHOST TOURS TONIGHT!!! It's a beautiful day here in Plattsburgh! Join us as the sun fades for a lantern-lit journey into the Lake City's "darker side!" At 7pm, explore the darkened mansions and forgotten alleyways of downtown as we follow in the footsteps of a real-life Victor Frankenstein on "Dr. Beaumont's Tour of Terror!" At the 9:00 hour, meet the "Specters and Soldiers" of the Old Roman Catholic Burial Ground and experience the area's most mysterious 19th century graveyard! **No advance tickets or reservations required to attend! Walk-ups are ALWAYS welcome!!

Check out our annual series of posts commemorating the anniversary of the BATTLE OF PLATTSBURGH - Today's news from the battlefield - "A Village Ablaze!" - This rare photograph shows the original "First Presbyterian Church" on Brinkerhoff Street! Construction began on this immense wooden structure in 1812, and at the time, it was considered to be the largest building of its kind in northern New York! Work progressed slowly and its towering walls stood unfinished when the British Army entered the town on September 6th, 1814. With enemy forces settling in for a siege, 210 years ago TODAY British Cavalry units occupied the incomplete church and pressed it into service as a barracks and stable for their horses. Meanwhile, the Royal Artillery constructed seven batteries along the western side of the Saranac River and engaged in a brisk bombardment of the American positions on the other side. The U.S. Army, returned fire from their forts with conventional rounds and "hot shot" (cannon balls heated in a furnace), setting fire to some 15 buildings which blazed brightly throughout the night. The church itself was fired upon by American artillery on and off for five days before they succeeded in driving the British out on Sept. 11th, 1814. The battle's damage was ultimately repaired, and the new church was finally dedicated on Christmas Day, 1816. Its most illustrious visitor was President James Monroe, who would attend Sunday service here during his tour of the northern states the following year. The original church, with its lofty bell tower stood as a local landmark for over half a century until it tragically burned to the ground in August of 1867.

*Special thanks to our friends at The Greater Adirondack Ghost & Tour Company of Plattsburgh.

Courtesy of our friends at Greater Adirondack Ghost and Tour Company (Plattsburgh, NY) - Our annual series commemorating the Battle of Plattsburgh! - "The first bloody encounter." - 210 years ago today. September 6th, 1814 - After days of advancing relatively unopposed, first contact between the invading British and American forces finally takes place on the "Beekmantown Road" (now known as Route 22). The collision happened at dawn when a detachment of New York State Militia, at work destroying a bridge near the present-day Ashley Road, encountered advance units of the British Army's right wing emerging from the woods! The Militia exchanged fire with the enemy, but with the rest of the British column, some 4,000 - 6,000 men, bearing down on them, the volunteers broke and retreated back towards Culver Hill. A sharply fought stand was made at this rise by Major John Wool, commanding 250 U.S. Regulars, and General Benjamin Mooers' Militia, which deployed along the flanks of Wool's Infantry. Wool had been instructed by his commander, Brigadier General Alexander Macomb, to present "an example of firmness" to the Militia, and he intended to do just that. According to Macomb's "after action" report to the War Department, the outnumbered Americans "did considerable ex*****on among the enemy's columns." The oncoming British juggernaut ascended the rise to the sharp report of musket fire, piercing the morning air as the foes exchanged volleys. Amidst the din of the opening battle, British Lt. Col. James Willington was shot in the throat and fell dead as he wheeled his horse in the roadway, urging his men forward up the hill. Inside the nearby Culver farmhouse, which stood at its crest, seven-year-old Nathaniel Culver and his terrified family huddled in the cellar during the fight. According to one account, they could hear the sound of wounded soldiers being dragged across the creaking floorboards above. Casualties quickly piled up on both sides as the British pressed steadily onward, a seemingly endless line of red filling the road as far as the eye could see. Faced with an overwhelming force at his front, Major Wool received word that the left wing of the British Army (advancing down the "Lake Shore Road" / Route 9 North) was gaining on his rear. With little alternative to avoid being flanked, the Americans had no choice but to disengage and withdraw towards Plattsburgh.

Our annual series commemorating the BATTLE OF PLATTSBURGH! - "A case of mistaken identity." - 210 years ago today. September 6th, 1814 - A few miles outside of Plattsburgh on Route 9 North (just north of the "Spellman Road"), stands this large stone structure once known as "Greystone Manor." Believe it or not, this unassuming house (apartments today) has a fascinating connection to the Battle of Plattsburgh. Built by a man named Philip Farnsworth around 1803, the building was originally called "Farnsworth's Tavern," and was a public house along the roadway, serving travelers with food, drink and lodging. While the right wing of the invading British Army engaged the American forces on the "Beekmantown Road" (Route 22), the "Lake Shore Road" (Route 9 North) saw the advance of the left wing. Some 7,000 enemy soldiers marching right towards Farnsworth's Tavern and Plattsburgh beyond. These soldiers had encamped the night before in the fields around Ingraham, and on the morning of the 6th, were making their final push into the town. At the time of the Battle, Mr. Farnsworth had actually been adding the second floor to his original single-story tavern, and the upper stone walls were still under construction. Local lore holds that when the British first spotted this imposing stone building, with its roofless upper floor, they immediately suspected it was an American fort guarding the roadway. Deploying their artillery, the invaders quickly opened fire on the empty tavern, bombarding the area for good measure. It was said that for many years afterwards, a rusty British cannonball remained tightly lodged in an old Elm Tree across the road.