Argyle, New York
Argyle | |
---|---|
838 | |
FIPS code | 36-115-02561 |
Website | townofargyleny |
Argyle is a
History
The lands of Argyle prior to becoming the town were used as hunting and fishing grounds for Native American Mohicans and subsequently the Mohawk tribes although Huron and Iroquois tribes may also have hunted here.[5] During the period 1628 to 1664, the Mohawk tribe had a near exclusive fur trading monopoly with the Dutch New Netherland Colony based at nearby Fort Orange; now present day Albany. The town of Argyle was formed from the Argyll Patent of 1764 while still in Great Britain's Albany County, Province of New York and became a town in Charlotte County when that county was created on March 24, 1772.
During the
In 1803, part of the town in the south-east portion near Cossayuna Lake was used to establish the new
According to the
During the
Voters in Argyle overwhelmingly passed four resolutions on November 5, 2019, allowing alcohol to be sold within the Town and Village ending Argyle's "dry" status which it had maintained since a few years after the repeal of Prohibition.
The
The Town of Argyle was near the path of totality (98.5%) during the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 according to the WEB site timeanddata.com. The time of maximum solar eclipse in Argyle was at 3:27.05 pm and was viewed with mostly clear weather.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.8 sq mi (150 km2), of which 56.7 sq mi (147 km2) is land and 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) (1.92%) is water. The town mainly lies along the narrow northern ridge of the Taconic Mountains between the Hudson River and New York's border with the State of Vermont. In the western area of the town, farmland and small wooded lots are considered part of the Hudson River valley. A portion of these farmlands are also within the Washington County Grasslands,[13] an approximately 13,000 acre area which is a winter roosting site for state endangered short-eared owls; winter and breeding ground for other threatened and declining grassland birds, including Northern Harrier, Horned Lark, Upland Sandpiper, Eastern Bluebirds and Bobolinks. Snowy Owls are also regular visitors.
In the eastern part of the town, elevations increase, with several mountains reaching over 1,000 feet in height; with the highest being a few feet over 1,120 feet in height north of the hamlet of Goose Island. Two lakes, which both have extensive seasonal camps and year-round homes, are in this portion of the town; the spring-fed Summit Lake and further to the east, the larger Cossayuna Lake. From many locations in Argyle, the Adirondack Mountains can be viewed to the north and west and the Green Mountains of Vermont can be viewed to the east.
NY Route 40 is a north–south highway in the town and NY Route 197 is an east–west highway leading to/from nearby Fort Edward.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 2,341 | — | |
1800 | 4,597 | 96.4% | |
1810 | 3,803 | −17.3% | |
1820 | 2,811 | −26.1% | |
1830 | 3,459 | 23.1% | |
1840 | 3,111 | −10.1% | |
1850 | 3,274 | 5.2% | |
1860 | 3,139 | −4.1% | |
1870 | 2,850 | −9.2% | |
1880 | 2,775 | −2.6% | |
1890 | 2,313 | −16.6% | |
1900 | 1,995 | −13.7% | |
1910 | 1,806 | −9.5% | |
1920 | 1,535 | −15.0% | |
1930 | 1,452 | −5.4% | |
1940 | 1,611 | 11.0% | |
1950 | 1,801 | 11.8% | |
1960 | 1,898 | 5.4% | |
1970 | 2,415 | 27.2% | |
1980 | 2,847 | 17.9% | |
1990 | 3,031 | 6.5% | |
2000 | 3,688 | 21.7% | |
2010 | 3,782 | 2.5% | |
2020 | 3,644 | −3.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] |
As of the
There were 1,313 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,133, and the median income for a family was $44,414. Males had a median income of $32,253 versus $21,250 for females. The
Government
The town of Argyle has the
Culture
Some notable community events include a Memorial Day parade led by Argyle American Legion Post 1518, an annual July 4 parade and chicken barbeque hosted by the men and women of the Argyle Fire-Rescue Department, an Argyle Methodist Church Election Dinner, a Thanksgiving Holiday meal provided by F.E.A.S.T (friends ensuring a super thanksgiving) for those wishing to enjoy a traditional thanksgiving meal, a hometown holiday community celebration with tree lighting the second Sunday of December, book fair by the Argyle Free Library on July 4, the Carl Lufkin Memorial Pull for the Cure - a Garden Tractor and 4WD truck pull in July which raises money for several charities helping in the fight against cancer, a haunted house on weekends in October at the Ransom Stiles house, and a town-wide garage sale over the Columbus Day Holiday.
On September 18, 2021, Argyle honored its Scottish heritage with a Thistle (national flower of Scotland) Day community celebration after a nearly 100-year hiatus. A parade, chicken and pork barbeques, craft and farmers markets, a concert, and fireworks were part of the day's events. The Thistle Day celebration has continued each year since and now includes a bonfire and Scottish games.
In 1983, the former Camp Algonquin summer camp on the east end of Summit Lake was a major film location for the cult slasher movie Sleepaway Camp.
Notable people
- John Allen Family - Frontier family living in South Argyle who were massacred on July 25/26, 1777 by Native Americans attached to British General John Burgoyne's Army as they were moving southwards toward the Battles of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War.
- Alexander Barkley - New York State Republican Legislator during 1865-1866 who lived and died in Argyle. He won statewide election in 1871 and served as Canal Commissioner from 1872 to 1874.
- Ebenezer Clark - Elected to the 1st New York State Legislature which met from Sep 1777 to Jun 1778. Subsequently, elected to the 2nd, 12th, 13th, 15th, and 20-25th state legislatures. Elected by the New York State Assembly in 1799 to serve on the Council of Appointment. Buried in the Old Scots Cemetery in Argyle.
- Evelyn Clark Colfax - Born in Argyle in 1823 and married Schuyler Colfax (Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 1863-1869 and first Vice President for Ulysses S. Grant) on October 10, 1844, at the family home in Argyle.
- Edward Dodd - Moved to Argyle in 1835 from nearby Salem and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1855 to 1859. He was an early member of the Republican Party.
- Eliakim Doolittle (1772-1850), composer[15]
- Julia Spencer-Fleming - Author of mystery novels set in fictional Millers Kill, New York, who lived and attended school in Argyle in the 1970s.
- John Alexander McGeoch An American psychologist and educator who was born in Argyle in 1897. Considered a modern functionalist, his interests focused on human learning and memory. He was the chair of the department of psychology at the University of Missouri from 1930 to 1935, Wesleyan University from 1935 to 1939, and University of Iowa from 1939 to 1942.
- Grandma Moses - Renowned American folk artist; worked for a time in Argyle.
- Solomon Northup - Abolitionist, kidnapped and sold into slavery, who authored the book "12 Years A Slave" lived for a brief time in Argyle.
- Robert S. Robertson - U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Corbin's Bridge in May 1864. He was born and raised in North Argyle, and after the Civil War was elected Lieutenant Governor of Indiana in November 1886.
- Robert B. Scott - U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from a battle during the U.S. - Indian War in 1869. He is buried in Argyle's Prospect Hill Cemetery.
- David Sheridan - Inventor of catheters and philanthropist, who created three medical catheter plants in North Argyle, thus employing thousands.
Communities and locations in the Town of Argyle
Communities
- Argyle – A village within the town, located on NY-40 and NY-197.
- Durkeeetown – A location along the western town line with Fort Edward along County Road 46 and Durkeetown Road.
- hamleteast northeast of Argyle village on County Road 47.
- Lick Springs – A location west of South Argyle.
- North Argyle – A hamlet northeast of Argyle village on NY-40.
- South Argyle– A hamlet south of Argyle village on NY-40.
- The Hook – An area on County Road 45 where there were once hotels for travelers along a coach road and a restaurant called the Hook Pantry.
Geographic locations
- Argyle Airport (1C3) – A grass strip airport, northeast of Argyle village.
- Barkley Mountain – An elevation east of the community of Argyle (627 feet; 191 m).
- Cossayuna Lake – The largest body of water in the town, located in the southeastern corner (Elevation 422 feet (129 m)).
- Dead Creek – A stream exiting from Argyle at the western town line.
- Moses Kill – A stream passing through North Argyle and Argyle village, which eventually enters the Hudson River in the Town of Fort Edward.
- Mud Pond – A small lake north of Goose Island.
- Murdock Mountain – An elevation north of Summit Lake (1,014 feet; 309 m).
- Summit Lake – A lake west of Cossayuna Lake with previous names of Leigh's, Little, and Tinkey's Lake.
- Tamarack Swamp – A swamp by the northern town line.
- Todd Mountain – An elevation running parallel to Coot Hill Road, northwest of Goose Island (1,038 feet; 316 m).
- Wood Creek – A stream exiting from Argyle near the northwestern corner and running north to the Champlain Canal.
References
- ^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- ^ "Metropolitan Areas and Components, 1999, with FIPS Codes". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ Argyle Historian's Office (2013). Argyle 1764-2014. Northshire Bookstore. p. 10.
- ^ MacMorris, Mary McDougall. Argyle Then - Now - and Forever 1764-1964. p. 71.
- ^ a b "Events that Shaped Washington County | Washington County, NY - Official Website". washingtoncountyny.gov. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "People & Places: One Story at a Time". Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ Perry, Kenneth (2019). People of Lowly Life: Early Persons of African American Heritage in Washington County, N.Y.
- ^ [email protected], KATHLEEN PHALEN-TOMASELLI. "Argyle votes 'yes' to alcohol". Glens Falls Post-Star. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "The Dry Life". CNN. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
- ^ "NWS Damage Statement for 08/10/2020 Tornado Event".
- ^ "Washington County Grasslands Important Bird Area (IBA) | Lakes to Locks Passage". lakestolocks.org. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ISBN 9781135623777.