In the 19th century, Moriah and Port Henry, New York, profited from the richest iron mines in the country.
First used to make cannonballs for the American revolutionaries, Moriah's iron contributed to the Union's ships, guns, and even the ironclad USS Monitor in the Civil War. In the years that followed, the founders of Witherbee, Sherman & Company built grand houses, churches, schools, and gardens, making these small industry towns very attractive to those ready for a better quality of life. While the industrial age extremes of wealth led to some of the most distinctive architecture and hamlets in upstate New York, the lives of the miners who worked for them were far more challenging and their work more dangerous. From the stories of immigrant miners to the silent-film industry in Port Henry, this book documents the last 150 years of culture and recreation on Lake Champlain and in the Adirondacks.