Place:Port Henry, Essex, New York, United States

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Port Henry is a village in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census.

The Village of Port Henry lies on the east side of the Town of Moriah and is approximately one hour's drive (45 miles or 72 km) south of Plattsburgh. It is south-southwest of Burlington, VT, north of Albany, NY, and south of Montreal, Quebec.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Port Henry is in a tract of land set aside by the British Crown for veterans of the Seven Years War (also known as the French and Indian War). Although a mill was built in 1765, no other European-American settlers arrived until 1785, after the American Revolutionary War. The Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk and Oswegatchie, members of the Seven Nations of Canada, were still living in the town until after 1800. Most of the Iroquois from the territory of New York had been resettled in Canada, forced out of New York and the United States due to their alliance with the British during the war.

In the early years, timber harvesting was a major industry and 20 mills were located in the area. The first dock was built on Lake Champlain by 1820 for shipping lumber to other ports.

Early settlers discovered iron ore a few miles inland. Its extraction and processing became an important industry in the township for about one hundred and fifty years. A blast furnace constructed in 1822 in Port Henry was one of the first in the United States, and Republic Steel established major operations in the county. The village residents used Lake Champlain and the Hudson River to transport its ore and products to major markets such as Albany and New York City. Later a railroad connected the village to markets.^[1]

The Village of Port Henry was incorporated in 1869.

By the end of the 19th century, residents harvested smelt from the lake for the restaurant trade, by ice fishing. This became important winter recreation and continues to attract tourists.

Port Henry is currently the location of "Retro Film Studios, LLC", a film studio that focuses on both old television classics (including "Star Trek", "The Wild Wild West"), science fiction classics (including "Buck Rogers"), and supporting the local community and film industries. Full production film shoots are held approximately twice a year, college interns attend as learning experiences, and commercials and stock footage for local purposes are also filmed there. In addition, RFS participated in "Fort Ticonderoga" events and currently puts on the annual "The Haunted Homestead" each October at the Penfield Homestead Museum in Ironville as a fundraising effort for the Homestead. The studio is routinely visited by and has been featured by large media outlets including CBS, G4, The New York Times, and others. The film shoots at RFS bring in approximately 200 people from around the world to work, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Scotland, England, Ireland, Austrailia, Russia, Canada, all 50 United States, and other locations.

Research Tips