Brighton, Franklin County, New York
Encyclopedia
Brighton is a town in Franklin County
, New York
, United States. The population was 1,682 at the 2000 census. It was named after Brighton, England by early surveyors in the region.
The Town of Brighton is in the southwest part of the county and is inside the Adirondack Park.
Paul Smith's College
is in the community of Paul Smiths, a hamlet of Brighton.
The Town of Brighton was set aside from the Town of Duane Town of Duane
in 1858. James M. Wardner was elected its first supervisor. Apollos "Paul" Smith
arrived in 1859 and gradually built up a hotel in the community that bears his name. Having become an important Adirondack Hotel, Paul Smith's College was established by his family. The College now uses the land where the hotel once stood along Lower St. Regis Lake. Also around that time James Wardner had a small hotel on Rainbow Lake.
Among the "second round" of settlers in the Town of Brighton after its pioneers Follensby, S. Johnson, the Rice brothers, Amos and Levi; Oliver Keese and Thomas A. Tomlinson; James and Seth Wardner, were the Ricketsons, the Rands, the Dustins, Jute Q. King and his son, Philemon King. They were scattered along the highway from Keese Mill and McColloms to Paul Smiths to Easy Street to the Split Rock Road and to Rainbow Lake and Jones Pond.
The hamlet now-called Gabriels actually originated back when only the Rands, the Ricketsons, the Dustins, the Otis' were settled on farms nearer to the Split Rock Road and Ricketson Brook in the southern part of the town along the boundary with the Town of Harrietstown than where Gabriels is currently situated. It wasn't until the Adirondack & St. Lawrence Railway came in 1892 that Gabriels expanded northward with many settling near the railroad station. The railroad brought the Sister's of Mercy with their tuberculosis sanitorium, it brought Muncil's saw mill. Paul Smith's Hotel immediately started a stage line to the railroad station.
Also during the 19th Century, sanatoria for the treatment of tuberculosis
were erected. The Gabriels Sanatorium. opened in 1897, is now Camp Gabriels
, a New York prison.
The Brighton Town Hall was designed and built by Benjamin A. Muncil
in 1914. Muncil was a talented local builder who also designed and built Marjorie Merriweather Post
's Camp Topridge
, and White Pine Camp
, which was used as a summer White House of US President Calvin Coolidge
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 83 square miles (215 km²), of which, 78 square miles (202 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (12.9 km²) of it (5.99%) is water.
New York State Route 30
is a north-south highway in the town and intersects New York State Route 86
at Paul Smiths.
The Town of Brighton is in the southern portion of Franklin County which is separated in a curious way (unique to the Adirondack region of the State of New York) from the main part of the county by many miles of NYS forest preserve lands (See also Adirondack Park, NYS Forest Preserve, the Blue Line, the Adirondack Park Agency). Consequently, there is a subtle disconnect between the main goings-on in the county from those in the northern versus the southern portion.
The majority of the Town of Brighton is woodlands, lakes, streams and ponds (both publicly and privately owned) with a few areas of developed hamlets and farmland (privately owned).
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,682 people, 319 households, and 203 families residing in the town. The population density
was 21.6 people per square mile (8.3/km²). There were 591 housing units at an average density of 7.6 per square mile (2.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.37% White, 18.55% African American, 0.65% Native American, 1.19% Asian, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.
There were 319 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples
living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 11.7% under the age of 18, 37.5% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 215.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 246.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,679, and the median income for a family was $48,250. Males had a median income of $35,952 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $11,995. About 3.0% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Brighton Architectural Heritage Committee, 2002. Brighton 2000: Life in the Town of Brighton, Franklin County, New York in the year 2000, Brighton Architectural Heritage Committee, Paul Smiths, NY, 153 pp. (Available on CD).
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 1975. A Preliminary Vascular Flora of the Paul Smiths-Saranac Lake Area, The Adirondacks, New York, With Notes on the Climate, Geology, and Soils, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY.
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 1981. Paul Smiths Flora II: Additional Vascular Plants, Bryophytes (Mosses and Liverworts), Soils and Vegetation, Local Forest History, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY.
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 1992. Adirondack Upland Flora, The Chauncy Press, Saranac Lake, N.Yl, 316 pp. (In this work, Dr. Kudish, as a forest ecologist brings together all the factors leading to why it is certain plants, trees, bushes grow where they do in way understandable to the mere layman. While applicable to the whole Adirondack Park, Dr. Kudish made extensive use of the Town of Brighton and the surrounding area.)
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 2004. Historical Update: Paul Smith’s College Lands, Forests, and Buildings 1981 to 2004, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY, 76 pp., incl. index. (Contains much information about the Town of Brighton)
“Town of Brighton Smart Growth Plan,” 9 July 2009, prepared by F.X. Browne, Inc., Saranac Lake, NY., 36 pp. (incl. biblio), six appendices provide supporting information.
Wardner, Charles A., 2010. Footprints & Sunset on Adirondack Trails: The Memoirs of James Manchester Wardner 1831-1904, privately published by Joan Wardner Allen, printed by Graphics North, Jay, NY.
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...
, 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. The population was 1,682 at the 2000 census. It was named after Brighton, England by early surveyors in the region.
The Town of Brighton is in the southwest part of the county and is inside the Adirondack Park.
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College is a private college and is the only four year institution of higher education located within the boundary of the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York...
is in the community of Paul Smiths, a hamlet of Brighton.
History
The first settlers in this area arrived around 1815.The Town of Brighton was set aside from the Town of Duane Town of Duane
Duane, New York
Duane is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 159 at the 2000 census. The town is named after James Duane, a developer and grandson of New York City Mayor James Duane....
in 1858. James M. Wardner was elected its first supervisor. Apollos "Paul" Smith
Apollos Smith
Apollos Smith founded the Saint Regis House in the town of Brighton, known universally as Paul Smith's Hotel, one of the first wilderness resorts in Adirondacks...
arrived in 1859 and gradually built up a hotel in the community that bears his name. Having become an important Adirondack Hotel, Paul Smith's College was established by his family. The College now uses the land where the hotel once stood along Lower St. Regis Lake. Also around that time James Wardner had a small hotel on Rainbow Lake.
Among the "second round" of settlers in the Town of Brighton after its pioneers Follensby, S. Johnson, the Rice brothers, Amos and Levi; Oliver Keese and Thomas A. Tomlinson; James and Seth Wardner, were the Ricketsons, the Rands, the Dustins, Jute Q. King and his son, Philemon King. They were scattered along the highway from Keese Mill and McColloms to Paul Smiths to Easy Street to the Split Rock Road and to Rainbow Lake and Jones Pond.
The hamlet now-called Gabriels actually originated back when only the Rands, the Ricketsons, the Dustins, the Otis' were settled on farms nearer to the Split Rock Road and Ricketson Brook in the southern part of the town along the boundary with the Town of Harrietstown than where Gabriels is currently situated. It wasn't until the Adirondack & St. Lawrence Railway came in 1892 that Gabriels expanded northward with many settling near the railroad station. The railroad brought the Sister's of Mercy with their tuberculosis sanitorium, it brought Muncil's saw mill. Paul Smith's Hotel immediately started a stage line to the railroad station.
Also during the 19th Century, sanatoria for the treatment of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
were erected. The Gabriels Sanatorium. opened in 1897, is now Camp Gabriels
Camp Gabriels
Camp Gabriels was a minimum security state prison, located in northern New York, USA. This prison was located in the village of Gabriels in the Town of Brighton in Franklin County. The location of the former prison is inside the Adirondack Park....
, a New York prison.
The Brighton Town Hall was designed and built by Benjamin A. Muncil
Benjamin A. Muncil
Benjamin A. Muncil was an American master builder in the Adirondacks early in the 20th century. He was a major figure in the architectural development of the Adirondack Great Camps; among his many projects was Marjorie Merriweather Post's Camp Topridge, and White Pine Camp, a summer White House...
in 1914. Muncil was a talented local builder who also designed and built Marjorie Merriweather Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post
-External links:******...
's Camp Topridge
Camp Topridge
Camp Topridge is an Adirondack Great Camp bought in 1920 and substantially expanded and renovated in 1923 by Marjorie Merriweather Post, founder of General Foods and the daughter of C. W. Post. The "camp", in Paul Smiths, in the U.S...
, and White Pine Camp
White Pine Camp
White Pine Camp is an Adirondack Great Camp on Osgood Pond in Paul Smiths, New York. It served as the Summer White House for US President Calvin Coolidge from July 7 through September 18, 1926....
, which was used as a summer White House of US President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
.
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 83 square miles (215 km²), of which, 78 square miles (202 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (12.9 km²) of it (5.99%) is water.
New York State Route 30
New York State Route 30
New York State Route 30 is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 in the Southern Tier to the Canadian border in the state's North Country, where it continues into Quebec as Route 138. On a regional level,...
is a north-south highway in the town and intersects New York State Route 86
New York State Route 86
New York State Route 86 is a long state highway located within Adirondack Park in northern New York, United States, linking Franklin County to Essex County. The western terminus of the route is at NY 30 in the hamlet of Paul Smiths. The eastern terminus is at NY 9N in Jay...
at Paul Smiths.
The Town of Brighton is in the southern portion of Franklin County which is separated in a curious way (unique to the Adirondack region of the State of New York) from the main part of the county by many miles of NYS forest preserve lands (See also Adirondack Park, NYS Forest Preserve, the Blue Line, the Adirondack Park Agency). Consequently, there is a subtle disconnect between the main goings-on in the county from those in the northern versus the southern portion.
The majority of the Town of Brighton is woodlands, lakes, streams and ponds (both publicly and privately owned) with a few areas of developed hamlets and farmland (privately owned).
Demographics
Census
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 1,682 people, 319 households, and 203 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 21.6 people per square mile (8.3/km²). There were 591 housing units at an average density of 7.6 per square mile (2.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.37% White, 18.55% African American, 0.65% Native American, 1.19% Asian, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.
There were 319 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% 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, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 11.7% under the age of 18, 37.5% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 215.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 246.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,679, and the median income for a family was $48,250. Males had a median income of $35,952 versus $26,250 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 $11,995. About 3.0% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Brighton
- Easy Street – A hamlet east of Paul Smiths on NY-86. It is also known as "Paul Smiths Easy Street."
- GabrielsGabriels, New YorkGabriels is a hamlet in the Town of Brighton in Franklin County, New York inside the Adirondack Park near Paul Smiths, New York. The village grew up around a cure facility for tuberculosis,The Gabriels Sanatorium, opened in 1897 by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy. The land was donated by Paul Smith...
– A hamlet in the southeast part of the town, located on NY-86 at the junction of County Road 30, the site of Camp GabrielsCamp GabrielsCamp Gabriels was a minimum security state prison, located in northern New York, USA. This prison was located in the village of Gabriels in the Town of Brighton in Franklin County. The location of the former prison is inside the Adirondack Park....
, a former minimum security state prison.. - Jones Pond – A lake north of Gabriels.
- Keese MillKeese Mill, New YorkKeese Mill is a hamlet west of Paul Smiths, New York in Franklin County, New York in the Adirondacks. It is named for a sawmill that was located on the Keese Mill dam on the Saint Regis River...
– A hamlet west of Paul Smiths. - Lower St. Regis LakeLower St. Regis LakeLower St. Regis Lake is a part of the St. Regis River in the Adirondacks in northern New York State. At its northern edge is Paul Smith's College, former site of Paul Smith's Hotel. Along with Upper St...
– A lake south of Paul Smiths where Paul Smith's CollegePaul Smith's CollegePaul Smith's College is a private college and is the only four year institution of higher education located within the boundary of the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York...
is located. - McCollums – A hamlet in the northwest part of the town on NY-30.
- Meacham Lake – A lake partly in the town at the north town line.
- Osgood Pond – A lake northeast of Paul Smiths.
- Osgood River – A stream flowing toward Macomber Lake past McCollums.
- Paul SmithsPaul Smiths, New YorkPaul Smiths is a hamlet in the Town of Brighton in Franklin County, New York, on Lower Saint Regis Lake, in the Adirondacks, 10 miles north of Saranac Lake, located at 44°26' North 74°15' West....
– A hamlet in the south part of the town on NY-30. - Rainbow Lake – (1) A hamlet near the east town line, north of Gabriels on County Road 60, and (2) A lake at the east town line near the community of Rainbow Lake.
- Spitfire LakeSpitfire LakeSpitfire Lake is a part of the St. Regis River in the Adirondacks in northern New York State. Along with Upper and Lower St. Regis Lake, it became famous in the late 19th century as a summer playground of America's power elite, drawn to the area by its scenic beauty and by the rustic charms of...
– A lake south of Lower St. Regis Lake. - Upper St. Regis LakeUpper St. Regis LakeUpper St. Regis Lake is a part of the St. Regis River in the Adirondacks in northern New York State. Along with Lower St. Regis Lake and Spitfire Lake, it became famous in the late 19th century as a summer playground of America's power elite, drawn to the area by its scenic beauty and by the...
– A lake at the south town line.
Further reading
Collins, Geraldine, 1977. The Brighton Story, North Country Books, Lakemont, NY, 202 pp., incl. bibliography.Brighton Architectural Heritage Committee, 2002. Brighton 2000: Life in the Town of Brighton, Franklin County, New York in the year 2000, Brighton Architectural Heritage Committee, Paul Smiths, NY, 153 pp. (Available on CD).
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 1975. A Preliminary Vascular Flora of the Paul Smiths-Saranac Lake Area, The Adirondacks, New York, With Notes on the Climate, Geology, and Soils, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY.
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 1981. Paul Smiths Flora II: Additional Vascular Plants, Bryophytes (Mosses and Liverworts), Soils and Vegetation, Local Forest History, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY.
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 1992. Adirondack Upland Flora, The Chauncy Press, Saranac Lake, N.Yl, 316 pp. (In this work, Dr. Kudish, as a forest ecologist brings together all the factors leading to why it is certain plants, trees, bushes grow where they do in way understandable to the mere layman. While applicable to the whole Adirondack Park, Dr. Kudish made extensive use of the Town of Brighton and the surrounding area.)
Kudish, Dr. Michael, 2004. Historical Update: Paul Smith’s College Lands, Forests, and Buildings 1981 to 2004, Paul Smith’s College, Paul Smiths, NY, 76 pp., incl. index. (Contains much information about the Town of Brighton)
“Town of Brighton Smart Growth Plan,” 9 July 2009, prepared by F.X. Browne, Inc., Saranac Lake, NY., 36 pp. (incl. biblio), six appendices provide supporting information.
Wardner, Charles A., 2010. Footprints & Sunset on Adirondack Trails: The Memoirs of James Manchester Wardner 1831-1904, privately published by Joan Wardner Allen, printed by Graphics North, Jay, NY.