Editing Hope, New York (section)

== History ==
Prior to European settlement, the land occupied by present-day Hope was within the territory of the [[Mohawk people|Mohawk tribe]], the easternmost tribe of the [[Iroquois Confederacy]] and one of the original "Five Nations" which founded the confederacy sometime around 1450.<ref>Fenton, William N. (1998). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=LNKNhY0MX8UC&dq=The%20Great%20Law%20and%20the%20Longhouse%3A%20A%20Political%20History%20of%20the%20Iroquois%20Confederacy&pg=PP1 The Great Law and the Longhouse: A Political History of the Iroquois Confederacy].'' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. {{ISBN|0-8061-3003-2}}.</ref> Despite its longtime control by the Mohawks, Hope was largely uninhabited when, on July 31, 1772, proprietor John Bergen and 23 of his associates purchased 19,589 acres of land from the Mohawk Turtle Clan. The purchase documents were signed by Mohawk Chief Hendricks, who drew a turtle in lieu of a signature. The land that Bergen and his associates bought became known as "Bergen's Purchase."<ref name="townofhopeny.org">{{cite web|url=https://townofhopeny.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418191140/https://townhope.digitaltowpath.org:10310/content|archive-date=April 18, 2023|url-status=dead|title=Town of Hope}}</ref>

[[File:David Isdell house in Hope, New York.jpg|left|thumb|David Isdell's house, the first stone house built in Hope and a scene of confrontation with Native Americans<ref name="Williams, Donald R 1930. Pg. 126">Williams, Donald R. The Adirondacks 1830-1930. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2002. (Pg. 126)</ref>]] 
Hope was first permanently settled in 1790 near the current south town line by Gideon and Jeremiah Homestead, who arrived from [[Massachusetts]].<ref name="townofhopeny.org"/> The first stone house was built in 1801 by David Isdell, on land he had purchased earlier that same year.<ref name="townofhopeny.org"/><ref name="Williams, Donald R 1930. Pg. 126"/> Wary of Indian attack, Isdell incorporated an escape tunnel in his home for "protection against marauders,"  but unfortunately, his youngest daughter was notoriously kidnapped by  Native Americans while picking berries, and was never heard from again; according to one account she perished in an Indian village. Isdell's home, also known as the "Old Eglin House," collapsed in 1930.<ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Donald R.|title=The Adirondacks 1830-1930|publisher=Arcadia - Charleston, SC|date=2002|page=126|isbn=978-0-7385-1094-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w480-4_U8hwC&dq=David+Isdell+indians&pg=PA126}}</ref>

Hope was originally the southern district of the [[Wells, New York|Town of Wells]], but after its electors voted to separate and form a new town, the  southern district was reorganized as the "Town of Hope" on April 15, 1818, with a population of 608 as of the [[1820 United States census|1820 census]]. In the 1830s, [[Montgomery County, New York|Montgomery County]] ceded Hope to Hamilton County, of which Hope currently occupies the most southeastern part.<ref name="townofhopeny.org"/> In 1850, with booming agriculture, mining, [[Sawmill|sawmills]], and [[tanneries]], Hope's total population peaked at 1,125, with the subsequent decrease mainly due to residents moving away as a result of industrial decline. The town's area was considerably reduced on April 5, 1860, when a large portion of western Hope, with a population of 380, broke off to form part of the [[Benson, New York|Town of Benson]].<ref name="townofhopeny.org"/>

While numerous hotels were built during the late 1800s, the population began to decline with the start of the twentieth century, as the town's formerly dynamic industrial businesses began to cease operations. By 1905 the population had fallen to 317 residents, and by 1925 it had plunged to only 163. Much of the developed land fell into disuse, essentially all industrial activity halted, and a number of the town's [[One-room school|one room schools]] closed. Tourism, however, remained an important industry, and [[New York Route 30]] began to provide travelers with lodging, gas stations, and other amenities.<ref name="townofhopeny.org"/> Today, Hope is a largely undeveloped residential community, with an estimated population of 387 as of 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html |title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014 - U.S Census Bureau |access-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523034651/https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html |archive-date=May 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>