Newcomb, New York
Encyclopedia
Newcomb is a town
in Essex County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 481 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Newcomb is at the west border of the county. It is 58 miles (93.3 km) southwest of Plattsburgh
, 59 miles (95 km) southwest of Burlington, VT, 81 miles (130.4 km) northeast of Utica, NY, 93 miles (149.7 km) north-northeast of Albany, NY, and 124 miles (199.6 km) south-southwest of Montreal, Quebec. The town is inside the Adirondack Park; it contains the Lake Harris Campground
. The town is the largest in area in Essex County.
and Algonquian
tribes.
The town was settled around 1816. Most of the early industry was devoted to harvesting lumber
until the discovery of large iron
ore deposits.
The Town of Newcomb was established in 1828 from parts of the Towns of Minerva
and Moriah
. It includes the Hamlet of Newcomb, but does not contain a village.
By the end of the 19th Century, the town was becoming famous as a sportsman's paradise.
Theodore Roosevelt
was informed of the impending death of President William McKinley
in September 1901 while hunting and hiking in the town.
The Mount Adams Fire Observation Station
, located atop Mount Adams
, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2006.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 233.2 square miles (604 km²), of which, 226.6 square miles (586.9 km²) of it is land and 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²) of it (2.83%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Hamilton County
. The western part of the north town line is the county line of Franklin County
.
The Hudson River
flows southward out of the center of the town.
New York State Route 28N
, an east-west road, is a major highway in Newcomb.
of 2000, there were 481 people, 211 households, and 140 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2.1 people per square mile (0.8/km²). There were 655 housing units at an average density of 2.9 per square mile (1.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.22% White, 0.62% Native American, 0.62% from other races
, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 211 households out of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,639, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $35,750 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,043. About 5.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Essex County
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
, 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...
. The population was 481 at the 2000 census.
The Town of Newcomb is at the west border of the county. It is 58 miles (93.3 km) southwest of Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh (city), New York
Plattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
, 59 miles (95 km) southwest of Burlington, VT, 81 miles (130.4 km) northeast of Utica, NY, 93 miles (149.7 km) north-northeast of Albany, NY, and 124 miles (199.6 km) south-southwest of Montreal, Quebec. The town is inside the Adirondack Park; it contains the Lake Harris Campground
Lake Harris Campground
Lake Harris Campground is a campground operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on Harris Lake in the town of Newcomb, New York in the Adirondacks. The campground is open from mid-May through early September....
. The town is the largest in area in Essex County.
History
The town lies in an area claimed prehistorically by both IroquoisIroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
tribes.
The town was settled around 1816. Most of the early industry was devoted to harvesting lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
until the discovery of large iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
ore deposits.
The Town of Newcomb was established in 1828 from parts of the Towns of Minerva
Minerva, New York
Minerva is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 796 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Minerva, goddess of wisdom.The Town of Minerva is located in the southwest corner of the county...
and Moriah
Moriah, New York
Moriah is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 4,879 at the 2000 census.The Town of Moriah is in the eastern part of the county. It is south-southwest of Burlington, VT, south of Plattsburgh, north of Albany, NY, and south of Montreal, Quebec...
. It includes the Hamlet of Newcomb, but does not contain a village.
By the end of the 19th Century, the town was becoming famous as a sportsman's paradise.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
was informed of the impending death of President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
in September 1901 while hunting and hiking in the town.
The Mount Adams Fire Observation Station
Mount Adams Fire Observation Station
Mount Adams Fire Observation Station is a historic fire observation station located on Mount Adams at Newcomb in Essex County, New York. The station and contributing resources include a , steel frame lookout tower erected in 1917, a foot trail leading up the 3,250 foot summit, and the 1922...
, located atop Mount Adams
Mount Adams (New York)
Mount Adams is a mountain located in Essex County of New York. Atop the mountain is the Mount Adams Fire Observation Station, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006....
, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2006.
Geography
United 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 233.2 square miles (604 km²), of which, 226.6 square miles (586.9 km²) of it is land and 6.6 square miles (17.1 km²) of it (2.83%) is water.
The west town line is the border of Hamilton County
Hamilton County, New York
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is named after Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York State delegation who signed the United States Constitution in 1787 and later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Its county seat is Lake Pleasant...
. The western part of the north town line is the county line of Franklin County
Franklin County, New York
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
.
The Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
flows southward out of the center of the town.
New York State Route 28N
New York State Route 28N
New York State Route 28N is a state highway in the Adirondacks in New York that extends from Blue Mountain Lake to North Creek. The route, in length, is a northerly alternate route to NY 28 between both locations. The highway passes through several communities before terminating at...
, an east-west road, is a major highway in Newcomb.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 481 people, 211 households, and 140 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 2.1 people per square mile (0.8/km²). There were 655 housing units at an average density of 2.9 per square mile (1.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.22% White, 0.62% Native American, 0.62% 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 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 211 households out of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% 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, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,639, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $35,750 versus $28,750 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 $17,043. About 5.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Newcomb
- Camp SantanoniSantanoni Preserve-Further readings:* Robert Engel, Howard Kirschenbaum, Paul Malo. Santanoni: From Japanese Temple to Life at an Adirondack Great Camp. Keesville, NY: Adirondack Architectural Heritage, 2000....
– One of the "Great Camps" of the 19th Century, currently under restoration. Also known as Santanoni Preserve. On Newcomb Lake. - Adirondack Park Visitor Information CenterAdirondack Park Visitor Information CenterThe Adirondack Park Agency created two Visitor Interpretive Centers in the late 80s and early 90s. Due to state fiscal and budgetary constraints Gov. David Paterson marked them for closure effective Dec...
(also known as "The VIC") A visitor center that provides environmental education and helps orient visitors to the park. - Catlin Lake – A lake partly in the town at the west town line.
- Goodnow Flow – An artificial lake southwest of Newcomb hamlet.
- Lake Harris – A lake northeast of Newcomb hamlet.
- Henderson Lake – A lakeLakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
north of Tahawus. - Hudson River Gorge – A valley cut by the Hudson River east of Newcomb hamlet.
- Moose Pond – A lake near the west town line.
- Newcomb – The hamletHamlet (place)A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Newcomb is situated on NY-28N. - Newcomb Lake – A lake in the western part of the town.
- Perch Pond – A lake east of Tahawus Club.
- Rich Lake – A lake northwest of Newcomb hamlet.
- TahawusTahawus, New YorkTahawus was a village in the Town of Newcomb, Essex County, New York, USA. It is now a ghost town situated in Adirondack Park. Tahawus is located in Essex County within the unpopulated northern area designated to the town of Newcomb. Tahawus was the site of major mining and iron smelting...
– A location on County Road 25 in the north part of the town. This was the site of a major mining and iron smelting operation in the 19th Century. It is now a ghost townGhost townA ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. Tahawus is also the accepted aboriginal name for Mount Marcy, the highest peak in New York, located outside the town. - Tahawus Club – A hamlet east of Newcomb.
- Trout Pond – A lake east of Tahawus Club.
- Wolf Pond – A lake near the west town line.