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Founded in 1765, Essex NY is one of the earliest European settlements on the west side of Lake Champlain.
It is also one of the most intact examples of pre-Civil War village architecture in the United States. |
The Essex Ferry began its regular operation sometime before 1790 and is still in use today.
However, water transportation for commerce has never regained the importance it once had before the railroad arrived in the 1850's.
Until that time, Lake Champlain was the trade route of choice. |
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With its good harbor, abundant natural resources and industrious inhabitants, Essex was in an excellent position to prosper from all the commerce on the lake.
By 1850, it had become one of the largest towns on lake Champlain, with a population of 2,351.
As wealth poured into the town, large Greek Revival homes replaced earlier Georgian and Federal designs. |
And then suddenly it all stopped.
The railroad took the place of the lake as the primary mode of transportation.
The population dwindled to 1,600 by 1860, and very few new houses were built after that time.
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Essex today remains primarily as it was in the 1850's: a beautiful and well maintained snapshot of the architecture of the time.
In fact, the entire village of Essex, New York, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 for this reason. |
Download 22 new wallpaper photos (a $21.78 value). Available for free until August 25, 2009.
Have a great week,
Todd
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