(elegant music) - [Announcer] Major funding for "Discovering Jefferson County" is provided by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, dedicated to improving the well-being of communities by helping disadvantaged children and families.

Online at dmjf.org.

(upbeat music) The William G. Pomeroy Foundation, committed to helping people celebrate their community's history by providing grants for historic markers and plaques nationwide.

More about grant and partnership opportunities at wgpfoundation.org.

And by T. Urling and Mabel Walker.

Additional support provided by these sponsors, who believe in the educational and cultural mission of WPBS-TV.

(upbeat music) (bright music) - Good morning!

Right on time!

- I'm excited!

And payment for yesterday's lesson.

After I got home yesterday, I started looking more into Cape Vincent and Sackets Harborand the role they played in the War of 1812 and the Revolutionary War.

I drove out to the battlefield with my family and just imagined the battle on the edge of the water.

Did you know that some of the early industries in the area included lumbering and ice harvesting?

Ice harvesting!

I come from the southern states.

I had no idea that was an actual process.

- Stick around and you'll see it happen because most areas still do it as part of their festivals to remind people of the local heritage.

- I imagine it's the same with all the military history, too.

Reenactments, boat tours, historical events.

Jefferson County knows how to tell a story.

And the historic buildings and homes here, so many are so well preserved.

They each have their own story, too, I'm sure.

- Well, that they do.

As does Fort Drum.

Where your husband is stationed now wasn't always known as Fort Drum.

Once upon a time it was known as Pine Plains.

So let's start today's discovery there.

(dramatic music) The Lower Canada Rebellion in Canada during the 1830s and 1840's prompted a new round of military preparations in the North Country.

The United States purchased land in Sackets Harbor, where it developed Madison Barracks, a base for artillery units.

However, the Army soon recognized it wasn't enough.

"So, what happens in the late 19th century, is that the Army realizes that they need more land for training soldiers.

And so they approached Watertown Chamber of Commerce and they say, "Do you have a space somewhere in the county with more land where we can do larger military maneuvers?

We'd like to bring the calvary for instance, and that involves horses and men and big guns."

And actually, the Chamber of Commerce says, "Do we have the place for you.

It's the Pine Plains.

And so you have this very, very sandy landform which is essentially the ancient glacial sand deposits from earlier iterations of Lake Ontario, and it's not any good for farming.

There's even a great quote; "The only thing the Pine Plains are good for is raising hell and huckleberries."

- [Narrator] Pine Plains, later named Pine Camp after it was established by the military, would be used by the Army for decades, eventually seeing its name changed to Fort Drum.

In 1907, the first military unit came to Pine Plains to train on large-scale military maneuvers.

The training and the lands worked out very well for the military.

So much so, that they purchased an additional 11,000 acres with the intent to return each year for training.

Madison Barracks was still very much in use at this time, and military personnel stationed there would also take part in the training.

They could often be seen marching the route between the barracks in Sackets Harbor to Pine Plains.

The area known as Pine Plains would eventually be changed to Pine Camp, and then again to Camp Drum, in 1951.

The name change was in honor of Lieutenant General Hugh Drum.

General Drum served as the First United States Army's chief of staff during World War I.

He was also commander of the First Army during the initial days of World War II.

In 1935, the largest peacetime maneuvers were held at Pine Plains and several surrounding farmlands.

Some 36,000 soldiers throughout the northeast took part, and in one instance, the men attacked and defended in tactical exercises for close to 36 hours.

The Army had leased 100 square miles for the use in these war games, and were considered so successful by the War Department, that another 9,000 acres of land was purchased afterward.

Today, Fort Drum consists of roughly 107,000 acres of land.

The outbreak of World War II saw the Army tap Pine Camp for major expansion.

And an additional 75,000 acres of land was acquired via eminent domain, which displaced a total of 525 families.

During the expansion, five villages were eliminated, others were reduced drastically in size, and a total of 3,000 buildings, including many schools and churches, were abandoned, to accommodate the expanding post.

100 tracts of land were taken over by Labor Day, 1941.

Contractors began working at a cost of $20 million dollars over a ten-month period to build an entire city to house the incoming divisions scheduled to train at Pine Camp.

When all was said and done, over 800 new buildings were constructed.

In 1974, the Army assigned a permanent garrison, and Camp Drum was renamed Fort Drum.

On September 11, 1984, the Army announced Fort Drum would become the new home of the 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division.

Its mission is to train to rapidly deploy by air, sea, and land, anywhere in the world, prepared to fight upon arrival and win.

Since 2001, the 10th Mountain Division, Light Infantry, has been the most deployed unit in the US Military.

While historic commanders and lieutenants can be traced back to Fort Drum, many more, and their stories, can be found in surrounding Jefferson County communities.

Brownville, for example, was first settled around 1799 as one of the first towns in Jefferson County.

There's a beautiful mansion there, and locals are proud to share its history.

(playful music) Brownville is named after one of our great, national military heroes, General Jacob Brown, who started his early years as a smuggler.

Young Jacob was one of the first settlers of Brownville, an area originally inhabited by the Oneida tribe, and one of the first to be settled in Jefferson County.

- He and his brother, John, came up the river to the North and settled in Brownville.

They built their log cabin, and then they sent for the number of the Brown family to move up there, which they did.

- [Narrator] In September of 1788, the Oneidas, by treaty, conveyed the greater part of their land to the State.

This treaty was confirmed by the United States in 1784.

Less than a decade later in 1791, Alexander Macomb bargained for a large tract of the area, ultimately selling it to a European landowner.

A local property manager was appointed to oversee things and to sell to any interested parties.

Before his smuggling days, young Jacob Brown was a school teacher and land surveyor.

At one point in his young adult life, Brown saw the advantage of selling a product known as "potash" in Canada.

The smuggling of the ash-like product earned himself the nickname "Potash" Brown.

In the early days when potash was created, potassium was leached from wood ashes and concentrated by evaporating the leachate in large iron pots.

The ash was used for making gunpower and fertilizer.

- When the Browns came to the Brownville area and they cut down the trees and they burned the excess wood in the stumps and found that the ash was a fertilizer.

When they had planted their crops a little on the late side, the ash made them grow faster and they found out that the potash was a good fertilizer and it had a market in Canada.

So they started selling it in Canada.

- [Narrator] The sales of potash generated plenty of cash that allowed the family to further invest in the area.

And so they began building what was supposed to be a structure to house prisoners during the war of 1812.

But it wasn't finished on time.

Started sometime in 1811, the Brown Mansion is a 22-room limestone structure that took four years to complete.

The war ended before construction was finished.

The Browns occupied the upper floor during this time, and eventually made the mansion their permanent residence.

Today, the mansion is the Brownville-Glen Park Library and the village clerk's office.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

As for General Brown, he achieved victory over the British at the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor.

The result saw him commissioned as a Brigadier General in the US Army.

His many victories over the British made Brown a national hero.

Enough that when he passed on in 1828, he was given a mile-long funeral procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

Wow.

A genuine war hero.

His mansion is magnificent.

Georgian style, correct?

- Yes.

- What other homes locally have this kind of historical significance?

- Oh, well, Chaumont's historical district has over two dozen homes and other structures that have remained unchanged since they were built, mostly in the 1800's.

One area in particular stands out, and is on the books as historic lot number four.

(bright music) Part of historic lot number four is known as the Macomb Purchase.

Macomb's Purchase is a large historical area bought in 1791 by Alexander Macomb, a land speculator who flourished during the American Revolutionary War.

In 1874, the area was incorporated as the village of Chaumont in the town of Lyme and was named in honor of Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont.

- He came here because he was a French nobleman who was very instrumental in helping us to win the American Revolution.

He and Benjamin Franklin are the ones that got the French government to help us.

And for his help, he was given land grants here in the North Country.

- [Narrator] The first Europeans settled in an area just a few miles up the Chaumont River in 1802, which they called "Old Town Spring."

However, these settlers suffered from chronic illnesses and moved from the area to what is now known as Point Salubrious.

- They believed the area was unhealthy, but of course at that time they didn't know much about germs or anything.

When they moved the population, they chose the Chaumont area and the first ones settled on Point Salubrious.

And that's why it was named Point Salubrious, because of the health problems at Old Town Spring.

It was called "Point Salubrious," which means "point of good health."

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] The 1.1 square mile village is nestled on the southern side of the Chaumont River, where it empties into Chaumont Bay, an extension of Lake Ontario.

Chaumont Bay lies within what is known as "The Golden Crescent."

Aptly named because it's shaped like a crescent, the area is the largest freshwater bay in the world.

It boasts some of the finest bass fishing opportunities available anywhere.

As such, fishing has been vital to the economy of the village.

But that wasn't the only industry that put them on the map.

- The other major industry was shipbuilding.

There were shipbuilding centers in Chaumont, Three Mile Bay, and on Point Peninsula.

And the shipbuilding went on through most of the 1800s.

Most of the ships that were built were working ships, which were used to carry limestone and things like that.

The main industry today, and pretty much the only industry, is tourism.

And a huge part of that is sport fishing, because we are still a very important fishing center.

- [Announcer] One can only marvel at the structures in the Chaumont Historic District.

Buildings and homes there represent several architectural "styles" from the 1830s to the 1930s.

Examples of the Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Eastlake, and Queen Anne can be found.

- The Chaumont Historical District is an area of unique houses and businesses, which take up the Western end of Main Street in Chaumont, and Washington Street.

It's compromised of 23 or 24 houses, which have remained unchanged since they were built, which is one of the things that has to happen for a building to be on the Historic Register.

One of the most unique and important things about the Historic District in our area, is that the Old Cedar Grove Cemetery in Chaumont is the only cemetery in the state which is listed on the Historic Register.

- Are there lots of stone houses and other buildings like this in Jefferson County?

- Oh, yes.

Hundreds were built of limestone before 1860.

The Chaumont House for example, in the town of Lyme, is James Le Ray de Chaumont's first stone house in Jefferson County.

Now, there's another very historic stone home of note just down the road in Carthage.

That's now the home of the Four River Valleys Historical Society.

So let's start with that home, and find out the history of that particular stone house.

(bright music) The Town of Champion in Carthage was settled in 1797 by Noadiah Hubbard, the first settler in the area.

Hubbard came to the area after buying 2,000 acres of land from General Henry Champion and Lemuel Storrs, a pair of major landholders.

The price, along with the potential to make a profit, was too good to turn down.

The young entrepreneur settled in and eventually built a limestone homestead on part of the acreage in 1820.

His eldest son, Hiram, lived there while his father lived in a wood frame building across the road.

In 1831, Noadiah built a graystone house larger than any other in the in the area, in the center of the village.

One would expect then, that the town would be named after Noadiah Hubbard.

But money talks, and such was not the case.

- Henry Champion also liked his own name.

And after Noadiah bought the land, a lot of people said, "Why isn't it Hubbardville?"

Well, General Champion said, "If you name the place after me," he said, "when you get your church, I will get you a bell for it."

Well now, a bell is a big status symbol, and it's very expensive, and it's not gonna keep you warm in winter, it's not gonna feed you in the summer, it's not gonna do any of those things that people need in the wilderness, but it's status.

- [Narrator] Champion bought that bell.

At one point it cracked, and was sent to Troy, New York, for repairs.

Champion stepped up and added $100 of his own silver coin to be melted in with the rest of the materials used to repair the bell.

So you see, money really does talk.

- People said afterwards that it really did sound better.

(church bell rings) - [Narrator] Another town, known as Carthage, has a more fiery history.

Because so many settlements were built of timber, fires were quite common.

The most memorable started on the morning of October 30th, 1884 in West Carthage.

Much of the village was destroyed, and quite a number of residents were left homeless.

The flames began at a mill in West Carthage, spreading quickly from building to building.

Previous fires in Carthage forced the village to purchase equipment to combat any future flames.

This included a steamer hand pump and over 50 feet of hose.

But West Carthage had nothing.

- Carthage came over with their steamer, and their hose pump, and two hose carts, and they were working on trying to get the fire under control, until somebody realized it had already gone ashore in Carthage, and Carthage was on fire.

And they went and started ringing the bells over there, and the Carthage firemen had to pull out.

They had to leave, head back for the bridge, and get back to the other side.

People in West Carthage were upset by that, but what were they gonna do?

You'd help your neighbor, as long as you can, but then you've got to help your family.

- [Narrator] During the blaze, a train arrived at the station, sending word that Carthage was aflame and in desperate need of help.

Watertown sent a contingency of men and equipment, a hand pump and hoses on a flatbed, via the railroad to Carthage.

The Lowville and Boonville fire departments also sent help by way of train.

Despite the manpower, the fire burned all night, finally succumbing to the efforts in the early morning.

Over 150 buildings, houses, businesses, and mills were destroyed.

Close to 1,000 residents were left homeless, with a north country winter not far behind them.

- So a lot of people lost their home, their business, and their livelihood.

So, people helped each other.

When I talked to my fourth graders about this, I'd say, you know, "Would you be ready to take two other families into your home for the winter?

Share your clothes, share your food?"

I don't think most people would be, but that's what had to happen, because there just wasn't a place.

But the interesting thing is, four years later, all that you see on the river bank and in the center of Carthage was rebuilt without any federal help.

(dramatic music).

It must have been so much harder to fight a fire back in the day.

No fire hydrants.

Buildings were made of dry wood.

Safety standards and building codes hardly existed like they do today.

- Well, that's very true.

And Carthage isn't the only town in Jefferson County to have experienced such a devastating fire.

Watertown had one that wiped out early Public Square.

(bright music) In 1796, Benjamin Wright, a popular land surveyor, mapped out what is now the city of Watertown.

Wright and his fellow surveyors scoped out the land from Macomb's Purchase and spent two years developing a map of the area.

At the time, Watertown was one of the least populated areas of Jefferson County.

But thanks to Henry Coffeen, the first settler in Watertown, it fast became the county seat.

- When you're the county seat, all county business comes from here.

You'd have the county courthouse.

You'd have the jailhouse.

You'd have all those.

And it would bring those professionals to the area that work in those areas also.

He certainly knew what he was doing, because after that was done in 1804, Watertown started to grow at a rapid rate.

- [Narrator] After the war of 1812, Watertown began to expand even more with the development of Public Square.

The railroad was finished in 1851, making travel to Watertown easier.

Once the Black River Canal was finished in 1855, the use of hydropower attracted more businesses and jobs to the area.

It truly was a time of innovation and progress.

Several hotels, like the Harris House, The Globe Hotel, the Crowner Hotel, and the American Hotel were also booming, and regularly welcomed overnight guests.

But one would meet its demise in the middle of the boom.

On Sunday, May 13, 1849, a fire started behind the American Hotel on Public Square.

Within minutes the hotel was enveloped in flames, and guests barely escaped.

The only source of water for firemen was an old cistern on Public Square fed by a spring.

It wasn't enough.

The fire destroyed over 100 buildings, wiping out most of the business district.

But the flames didn't end there.

In an odd twist of fate, more fires over the next three years destroyed nearly all of the remaining buildings.

The loss resulted in the one of the greatest rebuilding booms of the 19th century.

With a strong work force and already developed infrastructure, the expansion of textile industries led to a new era of prosperity in Watertown, making it a popular destination for wealthy northeasterners.

This class of new wealth began building homes and living in Watertown, becoming the city's "elite."

This wealthy class was comprised of influential community members, and a fresh generation of people eager to make a name for themselves.

In fact, in the 1890s and early 20th century, Watertown had more millionaires per capita than any other place in the United States.

- So much loss with those fires.

But it sounds like it came back around and there was great economic gain.

Who would have known that Watertown was once full of millionaires?

Every story of Jefferson County enamors me more and more.

Author Marietta Holley.

There's got to be a great story behind her.

I read a lot, but I confess, I have never heard of Josiah Allen's Wife.

- (chuckles) Well, Josiah Allen's Wife is actually a pseudonym for Marietta Holley.

She was a famous humorist and author who lived in southern Jefferson County.

And at the height of her career, she was more famous than Mark Twain!

But we'll tell you more about her in part three of "Discovering Jefferson County."

Plus, pirates, smugglers, and how it all plays a role in today's tourism.

- [Announcer] Major funding for "Discovering Jefferson County" is provided by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, dedicated to improving the well-being of communities by helping disadvantaged children and families.

Online at dmjf.org.

(upbeat music) The William G. Pomeroy Foundation, committed to helping people celebrate their community's history by providing grants for historic markers and plaques nationwide.

More about grant and partnership opportunities at wgpfoundation.org.

And by T. Urling and Mabel Walker.

Additional support provided by these sponsors, who believe in the educational and cultural mission of WPBS-TV.

(upbeat music) (elegant music)