Ticonderoga, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ticonderoga, New York Tekaniataró:ken
Town
Ticonderoga town offices
Location in Essex County and the state of New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Essex
Government
• Type	Town Council
Area
• Total	88.45 sq mi (229.07 km2)
• Land	81.43 sq mi (210.91 km2)
• Water	7.01 sq mi (18.16 km2)
Elevation	663 ft (202 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	5,042
• Estimate  (2016)	4,909
• Density	60.28/sq mi (23.28/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	12858, 12883
Area code(s)	518
FIPS code	36-031-73891
GNIS feature ID	0979547

Ticonderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. In 2010, about 5,042 people lived there. The name "Ticonderoga" comes from the Mohawk words tekontaró:ken. This means "it is at the junction of two waterways."

The Town of Ticonderoga is located in the southeastern part of Essex County. It is south of Plattsburgh.

Ticonderoga's Past: A Look at History

Fort Ticonderoga is on the east side of town on NY 74.

In the 1600s, French explorers like Samuel de Champlain first visited this area. Ticonderoga was on an important travel route. This route used rivers and two long lakes. It connected New York City in the south to the French settlement of Montreal in the north.

The town was a key spot for many battles. These happened during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. Fort Ticonderoga was built by the French in the 1750s. They called it Fort Carillon. The fort was important because it was near a portage. A portage is a place where boats and goods are carried over land between two bodies of water. Here, it was between Lake George and Lake Champlain.

A map of Ticonderoga from 1884 shows important places.

The Town of Ticonderoga was officially created in 1804. It was formed from a part of the town of Crown Point. By the late 1700s, Ticonderoga was known for making wood products. These included paper and lead pencils. The former village of Ticonderoga was at the north end of Lake George. This made it a busy port. The village stopped being a separate village on December 31, 1993. Its services then became part of the Town of Ticonderoga.

Graphite Mining and Famous Pencils

As early as 1812, people started mining graphite in Ticonderoga. Graphite is a type of carbon used in pencils. Commercial mining began in 1832. However, cutting down trees for wood was still the main industry. Graphite was not used much in the 1800s. Most people wrote with pens, not pencils.

Pencils became much more popular in the mid-1900s. The No. 2 HB pencil became the standard for schools. The famous Dixon Ticonderoga pencil got its name from the graphite mined and processed here.

Historic Fort Ticonderoga is located in this town. It is east of the area known as Ticonderoga.

Ticonderoga's Location and Natural Features

Ticonderoga covers about 229.1 square kilometers (88.45 square miles). Most of this area, about 210.9 square kilometers (81.43 square miles), is land. The rest, about 18.2 square kilometers (7.01 square miles), is water.

The town includes the northern end of Lake George. It also has a part of Lake Champlain near its southern end. The La Chute River connects these two lakes. This river is short but flows very fast. The eastern border of the town is the state line with Vermont. The southern border is where Warren and Washington counties meet.

Roads and Travel

Several main roads run through Ticonderoga. New York State Route 9N goes north and south. Another north-south road, New York State Route 22, joins with NY-9N in some parts of the town. New York State Route 74 goes east and west. It crosses NY-9N/NY-22 near Ticonderoga.

Who Lives in Ticonderoga?

In 2010, there were 5,042 people living in Ticonderoga. These people lived in 2,028 homes. About 1,352 of these were families. The population density was about 60 people per square mile. There were 2,581 housing units in the town.

Most of the people in Ticonderoga (98.08%) were White. A small number were African American (0.46%), Native American (0.31%), or Asian (0.27%). About 0.85% were from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people made up 0.41% of the population.

About 31.4% of homes had children under 18 living there. About half of the homes (50.0%) were married couples. About 11.3% had a female head of household with no husband. About 33.3% were not families.

The average age of people in the town was 38 years old. About 26.7% of the population was under 18. About 16.2% were 65 or older. The average income for a household was around $34,160.

Fun Things to See and Do in Ticonderoga

Visiting Historical Places

The H.G. Burleigh House was built in 1894. It is a beautiful Queen Anne-style building. It also has parts that look like Colonial Revival style. This house was once owned by U.S. Congressman Henry G. Burleigh. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. This means it is a very important historical site.

Explore the Star Trek Museum

There is a unique museum in Ticonderoga called the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour. It is on Montcalm Street. This museum lets you explore exact copies of the sets from the original Star Trek TV show! Actors from the show and its movies have even visited it.

James Cawley opened the museum. He paid for it with money he earned as an Elvis impersonator. He got copies of the original set blueprints from a costume designer who worked on the show. It's like stepping right onto the set of the USS Enterprise!

More Historic Spots to Discover

Besides the Burleigh House, many other places in Ticonderoga are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include:

• Amherst Avenue Historic District
• Black Watch Library
• Central School
• Clark House
• Community Building
• Clayton H. Delano House
• Crandall Marine Railway
• Ferris House
• Fort Ticonderoga
• Frazier Bridge
• Gilligan and Stevens Block
• Hancock House
• Lake George Avenue Historic District
• Liberty Monument
• Silas B. Moore Gristmill
• NYS Armory
• Pad Factory
• Ticonderoga High School
• Ticonderoga National Bank
• Ticonderoga Pulp and Paper Company Office
• United States Post Office

Getting Around: Transportation

Train Travel

Amtrak is the national passenger train system. It offers train service to Ticonderoga. The Adirondack train runs daily. It travels between Montreal in Canada and New York City.

Famous People from Ticonderoga

Many interesting people have come from Ticonderoga:

• Henry G. Burleigh – A congressman who represented New York.
• James Cawley – An actor and filmmaker, known for creating the Star Trek museum.
• Grace Hudowalski – The ninth person and first woman to climb all 46 of the highest mountains in the Adirondack High Peaks.
• Charles Quigg – A doctor and lawmaker from Wisconsin.
• John A. Rice – Another doctor and lawmaker from Wisconsin.
• Jarrod Sammis – A state representative from Vermont.

Neighborhoods and Areas in Ticonderoga

• Baldwin – A small community on the western shore of Lake George.
• Black Point – This area is on the eastern shore of Lake George.
• Chilson – A quiet area near the center of the town, along NY-74.
• Eagle Lake – A lake at the northern edge of the town. NY-74 runs along its south side.
• Fort Ticonderoga – The famous historic fort from colonial wars.
• Fort Ticonderoga Station – An area southeast of the main Ticonderoga community. The modern Amtrak train station is about one mile east of the Ticonderoga community.
• Mount Defiance – A hill that is 853 feet (260 meters) high. It overlooks Fort Ticonderoga.
• Putnam Pond – A small lake in the western part of Ticonderoga.
• Street Road – An area in the northern part of town, near NY-9N.
• Ticonderoga – The main community and a census-designated place in the southeastern part of the town. It is located on the La Chute River.
• Ticonderoga Muni (4B6) – A small airport for private planes, north of the Ticonderoga community.
• Wright – A small area in the southeastern corner of Ticonderoga, close to Putnam Station in Washington County.

See also

In Spanish: Ticonderoga (Nueva York) para niños