Essex, New York Guide and Community Blog
The former Essex High School in Essex, NY stands hidden behind trees on the edge of the main village on School Street. This was the last school that operated in the town. This square, brick school was built in 1908. This new school replaced the Union School situated in the center of town. Union School had been in use for [...]
Union School was built in 1867 in the center of in Essex, NY, on the corner of Elm Street and Station Street. This school replaced the smaller, Old Brick Schoolhouse down Elm Street. Although the population of this once busy port town was declining, a new school was still an important expenditure for the futures of Essex [...]
The Wilder House rests on the outskirts of Essex, NY, and has a high seated view of Lake Champlain and Vermont beyond. This brick Victorian home was built for Reverend C. N. Wilder in the late 1870s with funds from Mrs. Laura Ann Noble (“Essex: An Architectural Guide.” 31). The Noble family were patrons of Essex’s Presbyterian Church for many years, [...]
Crystal Spring Farm, also known as the Hayward House, is a simple Federal style farmhouse on the outskirts of the main village of Essex, NY. The home was built c. 1811, and its interior altered c. 1850. The property is unique in that most of the original farm buildings, some of which are visible in the image [...]
The former Methodist Episcopal Church standing opposite of St. John’s Church in Essex, NY, is the oldest church structure that remains standing in the village. However, it no longer serves as a church. Locals generally refer to it as the “Old Stone Church” when conversing about it. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized Jan. 12, 1835, and the building constructed [...]
The Baptist Church that once stood in Essex, NY, was destroyed by a fire in 1943 and its steeple is now missing from its place in the town’s skyline. The Baptist Church in Essex village was organized in 1838 and the building completed in 1842. (Belden Noble Memorial Library. Essex, New York: Lake Champlain’s Historic Harbor. 1969. 27) [...]
The Essex Community Church in Essex, NY, was built by the Presbyterians in 1853 with stone from Willsboro Point at total cost of $10,000 (Belden Noble Memorial Library. Essex, New York: An Early History. Burlington, VT: Queen City Printers, 2003. 76). This new church replaced the group’s former wooden church that burned in 1818 (“Essex: An Architectural Guide.” 24). This stone church [...]
Before this denomination of church was locally established, Episcopal church services throughout the 1840’s in Essex, NY, were held by various missionary priests traveling from nearby locations, including Ticonderoga and Keeseville (Belden Noble Memorial Library. Essex, New York: An Early History. Burlington, VT: Queen City Printers, 2003. Print. 78). From Schoolhouse to Church These transitory services were usually held at [...]
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is located about one mile north of the main village of Essex, NY. The church was built mostly by volunteers. In 1873, it was completed using locally quarried stone at a total cost of $9,000 (Images of America: Essex on Lake Champlain 78). The church served members of both the Essex and Willsboro communities, and this factor contributed [...]
Arriving in Essex, NY from Charlotte, Vermont by ferry, or by NYS Route 22 from the North travelers are greeted by a row of stately homes known as Merchant Row. Four elegant historic mansions overlook Lake Champlain and Vermont’s Green Mountains beyond. Built by wealthy merchant families in the 1800s, Merchant Row has withstood the test [...]
