Browse the Map
Select a Region Below

Richelieu
Valley

Lake
Champlain

Lake
George

Champlain
Canal

Select a Region along the Lakes to Locks Passage
 

Whitehall

Whitehall, at the intersection of Lake Champlain and the Champlain Canal, commands a historically significant shipping and transportation corridor as well as a place in American history. Whitehall's history is interpreted at the Skenesborough Museum, located along the canal in the center of Whitehall.

French and Indian War veteran Philip Skene established Skenesborough, a vast 56,000-acre empire at the head of Lake Champlain, in 1759. Skene, a committed Loyalist, was in England petitioning the King to designate Skenesborough a Crown Colony when the Revolutionary War broke out. Skene's sawmills and the harbor and shipyards of his settlement were commandeered by the Americans to build the first American military fleet over the summer of 1776. The War of 1812 was fought farther north on Lake Champlain, however the shipyards of Whitehall again supplied ships for the American fleet. After the Battle of Plattsburgh, the boats were scuttled in Whitehall harbor. Today, Whitehall is considered the birthplace of the American Navy.

The local economy depended on the waterways. Boat building in the local shipyards brought skilled tradesmen and artisans to the village during the eighteenth century. Throughout the nineteenth century, goods-laden boats from Pennsylvania and New York City coming up the canal passed boats coming down the lake from Montreal and Burlington. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought silk mills to Whitehall, where abundant water powered mills that shipped finished silk ribbon and cloth to urban markets by canal boat, lake sloop or railcar.

More than 140 years ago, the Delaware & Hudson began service through Upstate New York. Today, Amtrak's Adirondack carries on the nostalgic and romantic service from the Hudson Valley through the Champlain Valley to Montreal, showcasing the history and scenic beauty of the region along the way. Station service is available in Whitehall at the corner of Main Street and Saunders Street. Click here to view the Adirondack Route Guide.

Town of Whitehall
58 Skenesborough Drive
Whitehall 12887
Tel. 499-1535

Town of Whitehall Historian
Carol Senecal
327 Buckley Rd.,
Whitehall 12887
Tel. 499-1801,

Village of Whitehall
1 Saunders St.,
Whitehall 12887
Tel. 499-0871

Town of Hampton
2419 Co. Rte 18,
PO Box 119,
Hampton 12837
Tel. 282-9830 (O)

Town of Hampton Historian
John Mead
18 Pearl St.
Hudson Falls 12839
Tel. 747-0174,

Town of Dresden
1 Lillians Way
Clemons, NY 12819,
Tel. 499-1813
fax 499-2763

Town of Dresden Historian
Agnes Peterson
PO Box 1B,
Clemons, NY 12819

Town of Putnam
Tel. 547-8317 (O),

Town of Putnam Historian
Rose Blood
Tel. 547-8452

For more information on dining or lodging, please contact:
Washington County Tourism Association
383 Broadway
Fort Edward, NY 12828
Phone: 888-203-8622

Whitehall Chamber of Commerce
130 Main Street
Whitehall, NY 12887

Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce
5 Warren Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Phone: 518-798-1761
Fax: 518-792-4147
frontdesk@AdirondackChamber.org

 
 

I Love New York Americas Byways NY Scenic Byways Explore NY Quebec-New York Corridor