Westport, New York Explained

Official Name:Westport, New York
Settlement Type:Town
Motto:"A gateway to the Adirondack Mountains"
Mapsize:260px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:New York
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Essex
Government Type:Town Council
Leader Title:Town Supervisor
Leader Name:Michael K. Tyler (R)
Leader Title1:Town Council
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:173.03
Area Land Km2:150.66
Area Water Km2:22.37
Area Total Sq Mi:66.81
Area Land Sq Mi:58.17
Area Water Sq Mi:8.64
Population As Of:2010
Population Total:1312
Population Density Km2:8.53
Population Density Sq Mi:22.09
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:−5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:−4
Elevation M:69
Elevation Ft:226
Coordinates:44.1833°N -99°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code
Postal Code:12993
Area Code:518
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:36-031-80775
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0979625[2]
Pop Est As Of:2016
Population Est:1285

Westport is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 1,312 at the 2010 census.[3]

The town is on the eastern border of the county and is south of Plattsburgh and south of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[4] Westport is inside the Adirondack Park.

Westport is the birthplace of the Adirondack chair.[5]

The Essex County Fair is held in the town.[6] The Essex County Fairgrounds was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[7]

History

Early history

In 1642, Jesuit missionary Isaac Jogues was tortured by Iroquois at Coles Bay. He survived and was eventually saved by merchants from New Amsterdam.

The town was founded by William Gilliland in 1764 who surveyed an area in the southern part of the town and was granted 2300acres; he also established the neighboring towns of Elizabethtown, named for his wife, and Willsboro. Gilliland originally called his patent "Bessboro" after his little daughter.[8] The original settlement, which may have supplied wood to Benedict Arnold's troops, was completely destroyed during the American Revolutionary War in connection with British General John Burgoyne's march from Canada to Saratoga. The first permanent settlement was in 1785.[9]

Incorporation

The town of Westport was established in 1815 from part of the town of Elizabethtown. The community of Westport in the center of town incorporated as a village in 1907. The community abandoned its status as an incorporated village on December 31, 1992.

Westport the resort

By the mid-nineteenth century, Westport was a fashionable resort town. Its social scene was regularly reported on in The New York Times and by the Boston press. Like many other East Coast resorts, its popularity gradually declined, starting in the 1930s, as first automobiles and then airplanes made possible a wider selection of vacation sites. Since the 1950s, however, Westport's lakeshore property has steadily increased in value. Although once most of the "summer people" stayed for weeks, now distinctions are not as clear: there are "year-round summer people" whose livelihood stems from outside Westport, weekenders whose principal residence is fairly close by (for example, Albany, which is two hours distant by car), and commuters to workplaces as distant as Plattsburgh, New York, or Middlebury, Vermont.

Westport is home to Camp Dudley, YMCA, the oldest summer camp in continuous operation in the United States, founded in 1885 by Sumner F. Dudley, who moved to Westport in 1891. Meadowmount, the summer school for string players founded by Ivan Galamian, is 8miles northwest of the center of town, in the town of Lewis. Westport is known as the ice fishing capital of Essex County.

Westport is home to one of the only two professional theatres in the Adirondacks proper, the second being Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake. The Depot Theatre was founded in 1979 and operates out of the historic Amtrak railway station. The 136-seat, air-conditioned theatre hosts plays and musicals on its main stage during the summer months, as well as an annual gala.

The Camp Dudley Road Historic District, Champlain II Shipwreck, Essex County Fairgrounds, First Congregational and Presbyterian Society Church of Westport, Lake View Grange No. 970, and Vergennes canal boat are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 173km2, of which 150.7km2 is land and 22.4km2, or 12.93%, is water.[3]

The eastern town line is formed by Lake Champlain and the border of Vermont. The town is inside the Adirondack Park.

New York State Route 9N, New York State Route 22, and County Route 44 are north-south highways in Westport. NY-9N and NY-22 become conjoined in Westport village. Interstate 87, the Northway, passes across the northwestern part of Westport, with access from Exit 31 (NY-9N).

Birding

Several sites on the Lake Champlain Birding Trail are located in Westport:[11] [12]

Demographics

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 1,362 people, 593 households, and 381 families residing in the town. (Note that since the census excludes summer residents, the figures in this section are for year-round residents only.) The population density was 23.3 people per square mile (9.0/km2). There were 887 housing units at an average density of 15.2 per square mile (5.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 593 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $49,917. Males had a median income of $31,042 versus $26,550 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,063. About 5.2% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Westport is served by the Bouquet Valley Central School. The Westport Central School merged with the Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School in 2019; high school students from Westport, Elizabethtown, and Lewis were relocated to the former Elizabethtown-Lewis School building, while elementary students moved into the former Westport campus. The new school district mascot is a Griffin (a combination of the previous two mascots of Lion and Eagle). Westport also has a branch of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension and is the mailing address of the Meadowmount School of Music (see above). Additionally, the Depot Theatre (above) runs a summer apprentice program for children ranging from elementary school to high school age.

Public transport

See also: Westport (Amtrak station). Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Westport, operating its Adirondack daily in both directions between Montreal and New York City. A bus connection is available from Westport to Lake Placid. The Amtrak station also houses the Depot Theatre.

On August 28, 2006, at approximately 6:45 p.m. local time, a Greyhound bus traveling from New York City to Montreal overturned on the Adirondack Northway in Westport after suffering a blown tire, killing five and injuring 48.[14]

Access to medical care

Westport is in a rural area in the Adirondack Park, and so most of its access to medical care is via the ferry operated by Lake Champlain Transportation Company. The nearest emergency department is Elizabethtown Community Hospital, a 25-bed rural hospital 9miles to the west, with eight doctors on its active medical staff.[15] About by car to the northeast in Burlington, accessible via ferry, is the emergency department of University of Vermont Medical Center, a large, full-service hospital affiliated with the University of Vermont. During times when the ferry from Essex is not running, the nearest full-service emergency department is at CVPH Medical Center, in Plattsburgh, north of Westport. Slightly closer, though a slower drive over rural roads, is Porter Hospital in Middlebury, Vermont, accessible via the bridge at Crown Point.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital operates a small satellite clinic in Westport.

Notable people

Some notable Westport residents, past and present, include:

Communities and locations in Westport

Inhabited locations

Geographical locations

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. July 4, 2017.
  2. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. January 31, 2008. United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007.
  3. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Westport town, Essex County, New York. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. March 7, 2016.
  4. Google Maps
  5. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/home/sfl-flhg01chairnbsep01,0,4792496.story "Adirondacks: The thrones of summer"
  6. http://www.essexcountyfair.org/ Essex County Fair
  7. http://www.westportny.net/Uploads/EVNBDTRD.PDF Letter notifying the Westport Planning Board, reproduced on the website of the Town of Westport
  8. Royce, Caroline Halstead (1902). Bessboro: a history of Westport, Essex Co., N.Y.. Open Library. p. 3.
  9. A Walking Tour Guide to Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain by Jessica Roemischer, Westport, NY: The Westport Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Historical Society, [1998]. Discussed in the section on section on Historical Background. (Pages not numbered.)
  10. Web site: National Register of Historic Places. September 6, 2013. Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/23/13 through 8/30/13 . National Park Service.
  11. http://www.lakechamplainbirding.org/sites.html Lake Champlain Birding Trail
  12. Web site: High Peaks Audubon Society Trip Reports . September 4, 2007 . June 20, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080620013706/http://www.highpeaksaudubon.com/tripreports.htm . dead .
  13. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  14. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060829.wbuscrash0829c/BNStory/National/home Greyhound bus bound for Montreal crashes
  15. http://www.ech.org/staff.html Medical Staff & Specialty Physicians, Elizabethtown Community Hospital
  16. Book: Wiley, Edgar J. . 1917 . Catalogue of Officers and Students of Middlebury College . Middlebury, VT . Middlebury College . 10 . .
  17. http://www.pressrepublican.com/news/local_news/harvested-metal-wire-recall-farm-heritage/article_efa720ed-036c-5c26-a7aa-0400983992c1.html "Harvested metal, wire recall farm heritage"
  18. Web site: Cutting, John Tyler, (1844–1911). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. October 30, 2012.
  19. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/books/david-g-hartwell-editor-who-specialized-in-science-fiction-dies-at-74.html David G. Hartwell, Literary-Minded Editor of Science Fiction, Dies at 74
  20. Web site: HIGBY, William, (1813–1887). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. October 30, 2012.
  21. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQQtwsnweUB8dtyiPtnUZrCBH2Yw "Storied woodswoman wants to return to her cabin in Adirondacks"
  22. Web site: Osborne, John Eugene, (1858–1943). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. October 30, 2012.
  23. Web site: Case Patten Stats. Baseball Almanac. October 30, 2012.
  24. Web site: STONE, Joseph Champlin, (1829–1902). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . October 30, 2012.