Mount McGregor (mountain) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount McGregor |
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View from Mount McGregor eastern overlook in 2007
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,070 ft (330 m) |
| Geography | |
 Mount McGregor
Location in New York Adirondack Park
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| Location | Saratoga County, New York, U.S. |
| Parent range | Adirondack Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Corinth quadrangle |
Mount McGregor is a mountain located in Saratoga County, New York. It stretches across three towns: Wilton, Moreau, and Corinth. This mountain is an important part of the Palmertown Range. The Palmertown Range is one of the main mountain chains in the large wilderness area of New York.
Mount McGregor has two lakes on it, Lake Bonita and Lake Anna. These lakes were once popular spots for fishing.
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Mountain History
Early Days of Palmertown Mountain
The mountain was first known as Palmertown Mountain. It got this name from a group of Native Americans. They moved to this area from Massachusetts after a conflict called King Philip's War.
Renaming and First Hotel
In 1876, a man named Duncan McGregor bought the mountain. He paid its overdue taxes. After buying it, he renamed the mountain after himself. He also built a hotel there called the Mountain House.
The Balmoral Hotel Era
In 1881, Duncan McGregor sold the mountain. The new owner was the Saratoga, Mount McGregor and Lake George Railroad. This railroad company was owned by Joseph William Drexel. Mr. Drexel built a special small train track, called a narrow-gauge railroad, from Saratoga Springs up to the mountain top.
At the summit, he built a large hotel named the Hotel Balmoral. This hotel could hold up to 300 guests. Sadly, the Hotel Balmoral burned down in 1897.
President Grant's Last Days
In 1885, Joseph Drexel offered his private cottage on the mountain to his friend, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant was a former president of the United States. He was very ill at the time.
President Grant spent the last six weeks of his life in this cottage. He worked hard to finish writing his life story, called his memoirs, before he passed away. Today, this cottage is kept exactly as it was when he died. It is now called the Grant Cottage State Historic Site. It is a special place listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A Place for Healing
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Later, The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company bought 1,200 acres of Mount McGregor. They built a special hospital called a sanitarium there. This sanitarium was for people suffering from a lung disease called tuberculosis.
The facility opened in 1914. It grew to have about 30 buildings and could care for up to 350 patients. Building it cost around $3 million.
Changes Over Time
In 1945, the State of New York bought the facility. It was used to help soldiers recovering from World War II. As fewer veterans needed care, the facility changed.
In 1976, it became a place for people with developmental disabilities. These are people who need special support and care. Later, it was changed again into a prison, called the Mount McGregor Correctional Facility.
In 2013, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the prison would close. The Mount McGregor Correctional Facility officially closed its doors in July 2014.
Mount McGregor Today
The Grant Cottage State Historic Site is still open for visitors. However, you can only access the area during the Historic Site's open hours.
More than 700 acres of the former prison land were given to Moreau Lake State Park. This means there are now new trails for hiking and exploring, including access to the Lake Bonita area. The remaining 325 acres of the former prison property are available for new development ideas.
