Fort Ann (town), New York
Encyclopedia
Fort Ann is a town in Washington County
, New York
, United States
. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 6,417 at the 2000 census. The name is derived indirectly from Queen Anne
, and directly from a community in the town.
The town of Fort Ann contains a village, also called Fort Ann
, located in its southeast corner.
The area was the site of several forts built by various nations, from a small French fort called "The Pickets" near the south end of Lake Champlain in 1689, in the northwest area of the town, to a series of forts (including "Fort Schuyler" and "Queen's Fort') closer to where the village of Fort Ann stands today. The first of these was likely the Stone Fort, built by Englishman Fitz John Winthrop in 1692.
The English expedition led by Francis Nicholson
built Fort Schuyler, about a half-mile south of the present village, in 1709. (The old Champlain Canal
passed through a part of the site.) Nicholson burned the fort when he and his army left, but he returned in 1711 and built the Queen's Fort, later renamed Fort Anne, at the same site. It fell into ruins during the English colonial period.
Fort Anne was rebuilt in 1757 by the English, during the French and Indian War
.
The fort was named Fort Anne (in honor of Princess Anne, eldest daughter of King George II
). The 1777 Battle of Fort Ann
e occurred here during the Saratoga Campaign
. The town was organized as Westfield in 1784, but was renamed Fort Ann – without the "e" – in 1808.
(1806), Hartford
(1793) , and Putnam
(1806).
as a municipality within the town.
In 1823, the Champlain Canal
was completed, linking the area to the outside world. Later the Delaware & Hudson Railroad established a depot at Fort Ann village.
, the town has a total area of 110.8 square miles (287.0 km²), of which 109.5 square miles (283.5 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) (1.20%) is water.
The western border is defined as the Warren
/Washington county border with the towns of Queensbury and Bolton
. The shoreline of Lake George
defines the Bolton-Fort Ann border. Across the town's northern border is the town of Dresden
. The eastern border is the towns of Whitehall
and Granville. The southern border is shared with Granville, Hartford
, and Kingsbury
.
The town lies partially within the Adirondack Park. Of the county's 17 towns, Fort Ann is the largest by area.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 6,417 people, 1,386 households, and 1,042 families residing in the town. The population density
was 58.6 people per square mile (22.6/km²). There were 1,957 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.21% White, 24.08% Black or African American
, 0.34% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.36% from other races
, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.48% of the population.
There were 1,386 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18, 18.7% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 251.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 292.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,832, and the median income for a family was $46,944. Males had a median income of $26,329 versus $23,917 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,101. About 5.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Note: The census counts prisoners based on where they are incarcerated. With two all-male state prisons in Comstock, the data presented is likely to be skewed in comparison with the general town population and the population of neighboring non-prison towns, particularly with regard to ethnicity and the female:male ratio, because a disproportionate percentage of the prison population is male and black or Hispanic.
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 6,417 at the 2000 census. The name is derived indirectly from Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
, and directly from a community in the town.
The town of Fort Ann contains a village, also called Fort Ann
Fort Ann (village), New York
Fort Ann is a village in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village population was 471 at the 2000 census...
, located in its southeast corner.
Colonial Period
Fort Ann is located on the historic route linking the French and English colonies.The area was the site of several forts built by various nations, from a small French fort called "The Pickets" near the south end of Lake Champlain in 1689, in the northwest area of the town, to a series of forts (including "Fort Schuyler" and "Queen's Fort') closer to where the village of Fort Ann stands today. The first of these was likely the Stone Fort, built by Englishman Fitz John Winthrop in 1692.
The English expedition led by Francis Nicholson
Francis Nicholson
Francis Nicholson was a British military officer and colonial administrator. His military service included time in Africa and Europe, after which he was sent as leader of the troops supporting Sir Edmund Andros in the Dominion of New England. There he distinguished himself, and was appointed...
built Fort Schuyler, about a half-mile south of the present village, in 1709. (The old Champlain Canal
Champlain Canal
The Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....
passed through a part of the site.) Nicholson burned the fort when he and his army left, but he returned in 1711 and built the Queen's Fort, later renamed Fort Anne, at the same site. It fell into ruins during the English colonial period.
Fort Anne was rebuilt in 1757 by the English, during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
The fort was named Fort Anne (in honor of Princess Anne, eldest daughter of King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
). The 1777 Battle of Fort Ann
Battle of Fort Ann
The Battle of Fort Anne, fought on July 8, 1777, was an engagement between Continental Army forces in retreat from Fort Ticonderoga and forward elements of John Burgoyne's much larger British army that had driven them from Ticonderoga, early in the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary...
e occurred here during the Saratoga Campaign
Saratoga campaign
The Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
. The town was organized as Westfield in 1784, but was renamed Fort Ann – without the "e" – in 1808.
The early town
Part of the town was in the Artillery Patent of 1764, granted to 24 officers of the British army. Settlement of the town did not occur until 1775. The town was established as the "Town of Westfield" in 1786 and was renamed Fort Ann in 1808. Parts of the original town were used to form the later towns of DresdenDresden, Washington County, New York
Dresden is a town in northern Washington County, New York, U.S. in the United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(1806), Hartford
Hartford, New York
Hartford is a town centrally located in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,279 at the 2000 census.- History :...
(1793) , and Putnam
Putnam, New York
Putnam is a town in northern Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 645 at the 2000 census...
(1806).
The 19th Century
In 1820, the village of Fort Ann incorporatedMunicipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a municipality within the town.
In 1823, the Champlain Canal
Champlain Canal
The Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....
was completed, linking the area to the outside world. Later the Delaware & Hudson Railroad established a depot at Fort Ann village.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 110.8 square miles (287.0 km²), of which 109.5 square miles (283.5 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) (1.20%) is water.
The western border is defined as the Warren
Warren County, New York
Warren County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 65,707. It is named in honor of General Joseph Warren, an American Revolutionary War hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill...
/Washington county border with the towns of Queensbury and Bolton
Bolton, New York
Bolton is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,117 at the 2000 census. Bolton is on the east border of the county.- History :...
. The shoreline of Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
defines the Bolton-Fort Ann border. Across the town's northern border is the town of Dresden
Dresden, New York
Dresden is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Dresden, Washington County, New York, a town*Dresden, Yates County, New York, a village...
. The eastern border is the towns of Whitehall
Whitehall (town), New York
Whitehall is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,035 at the 2000 census.The Town of Whitehall contains a village also named Whitehall.- History :...
and Granville. The southern border is shared with Granville, Hartford
Hartford, New York
Hartford is a town centrally located in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,279 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, and Kingsbury
Kingsbury, New York
Kingsbury is a town in western Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 11,171 at the 2000 census.- History :...
.
The town lies partially within the Adirondack Park. Of the county's 17 towns, Fort Ann is the largest by area.
Demographics
Fort Ann is the third-most populous of Washington County's 17 towns.As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,417 people, 1,386 households, and 1,042 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 58.6 people per square mile (22.6/km²). There were 1,957 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.21% White, 24.08% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.34% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.48% of the population.
There were 1,386 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18, 18.7% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 251.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 292.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,832, and the median income for a family was $46,944. Males had a median income of $26,329 versus $23,917 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,101. About 5.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
Note: The census counts prisoners based on where they are incarcerated. With two all-male state prisons in Comstock, the data presented is likely to be skewed in comparison with the general town population and the population of neighboring non-prison towns, particularly with regard to ethnicity and the female:male ratio, because a disproportionate percentage of the prison population is male and black or Hispanic.
Communities
- Comstock – A hamlet near the intersection of US-4 and NY-22; originally a shipping center founded by Peter Comstock, now the site of two state prisons (Great Meadow Correctional FacilityGreat Meadow Correctional FacilityGreat Meadow Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York in the USA. The prison is in Comstock, a hamlet right outside of Fort Ann, in Washington County, New York. As of September 3, 2008 it was home to 1,663 inmates...
and Washington Correctional FacilityWashington Correctional FacilityWashington Correctional Facility is a medium security correctional facility that is located in Comstock, a hamlet of Fort Ann, New York in Washington County, New York. It is designated for confinement of males age 16 and older. The facility offers volunteer and counciling services, and educational...
). - Fort AnnFort Ann (village), New YorkFort Ann is a village in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village population was 471 at the 2000 census...
– A village located in the southeast part of the town on US-4 and NY-149. - Furnace Hollow – An historic location in the town.
- Hogtown – An early name for western part of the town, it is a hamlet west of South Bay hamlet, south of Sleeping Beauty, and northeast of Crossett Pond. The name is derived from farmers having let hogs forage freely.
- Johnnycake Corners – An historic location in the town.
- Kattskill Bay – A hamlet on the shore of Lake George, at and including the northeastern most area of Queensbury.
- Pilot Knob – A hamlet on the shore of Lake GeorgeLake George (New York)Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
at the northern end of County Road 32. It is part of a larger community, East Lake GeorgeEast Lake George, New YorkEast Lake George is a hamlet within the towns of Queensbury and Fort Ann in the U.S. state of New York...
, which includes the northern-most part of the Town of QueensburyQueensbury, New YorkQueensbury is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county. The population was 25,441 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. It...
. East Lake George attempted to incorporate as a village, a measure rejected by voters in 2010. - Shelving Rock – A hamlet on the shore of Lake George, northwest of Shelving Rock Mountain and Shelving Rock Brook.
- South Bay – A hamlet on County Road 16 in the north part of the town by South Bay Creek.
- Tripoli – A hamlet near the south town line.
- West Fort Ann – A hamlet in the southwest part of the town.
Geographic locations
- Buck Mountain – An elevation east of the Pilot Knob community. At 2500 feet (762 m), it is the highest mountain in the town.
- Copeland Pond – A small lake east of Hadlock Pond.
- Crossett Pond – A lake east of Pilot Knob Mountain.
- Fort Ann mountains – High ground in the eastern part of the town.
- Hadlock PondHadlock PondHadlock Pond is a small man-made reservoir formed on a tributary of Halfway Creek in the town of Fort Ann in Washington County, New York, United States. The pond is also referred to as Sunderland Pond....
– A man-made reservoir north of West Fort Ann. The Hadlock Pond dam was reconstructed in 2005, only to collapse months later, flooding and damaging nearby property. - Halfway Creek – A stream that runs from the southwestern corner of town to the Champlain Canal in Fort Ann village.
- Lake Nebo – A lake at the Adirondack Park Boundary.
- Lakes Pond – A lake north of Lake Nebo.
- Palmertown Mountains – Elevated land on the west side of Fort Ann by Lake George.
- Pilot Knob – An elevation near Lake George and south of the community of the same name.
- Putnam Mountain – An elevation west of West Road.
- Sleeping Beauty Mountain – An elevation in the northwest corner of Fort Ann.
- Sugar Loaf Mountain – An elevation by the town line with Queensbury.
- South Bay – The south end of Lake Champlain lies in the northeast corner of the town.
- Van Warner Bay – A bay of Lake George by - but not in - the southwest part of the town.
- Winchell Creek – A small river in the south part of the town.