Editing Moriah, New York

{{other uses|Moriah (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Moriah, New York
| settlement_type                 = [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|Town]]
| image_skyline                   = Moriah Town Hall, Port Henry, New York.jpg
| imagesize                       = 
| image_caption                   = Moriah Town Hall in [[Port Henry, New York|Port Henry]]
| image_flag                      = 
| image_seal                      = <!-- Maps -->
| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = <!-- Images -->
| image_map                       = Essex County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Moriah highlighted.svg
| mapsize                         = 260px
| map_caption                     = Location in [[Essex County, New York|Essex County]] and the state of [[New York (state)|New York]]

<!-- Location -->| coordinates                     = {{coord|44|3|26|N|73|29|26|W|region:US-NY|display=inline}}
| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name                = United States
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Essex County, New York|Essex]]
| established_title               = 
| established_date                = <!-- Area -->
| government_footnotes            = 
| government_type                 = [[Town council]]
| leader_title                    = [[Town supervisor]]
| leader_name                     = Matthew Brassard ([[United States Republican Party|R]])
| leader_title1                   = [[Town council]]
| leader_name1                    = {{Collapsible list
 |title       = Members' list
 |frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 |title_style = <!-- (optional) -->
 |list_style  = text-align:left;display:none;
 |1           = • Thomas Anderson ([[United States Republican Party|R]])
 |2           = • Nathan Gilbo ([[United States Republican Party|R]])
 |3           = • Paul Salerno ([[United States Republican Party|R]])
 |4           = • James Curran ([[United States Republican Party|R]])
}}
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref>
| area_magnitude                  = 
| area_total_km2                  = 184.17
| area_total_sq_mi                = 71.11
| area_land_km2                   = 167.03
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 64.49
| area_water_km2                  = 17.14
| area_water_sq_mi                = 6.62

<!-- Population -->| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 302
| elevation_ft                    = 991
| population_total                = 4716
| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = 
| population_density_km2          = 25.61
| population_density_sq_mi        = 66.32

<!-- General information -->| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code                     = 12960
| area_code                       = [[Area code 518|518]]
| website                         = {{URL|townofmoriahny.gov}}
| footnotes                       = 
| timezone                        = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset                      = -5
| timezone_DST                    = EDT
| utc_offset_DST                  = -4
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = 36-031-48428
| blank1_name                     = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info                     = 0979238
| pop_est_as_of                   = 
| pop_est_footnotes               = 
| population_est                  = 
| name                            = 
}}
'''Moriah''' is a [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|town]] in [[Essex County, New York|Essex County]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States. Lying within the [[Adirondack Park]], it is situated in the eastern part of the county, {{convert|47|mi}} by road south-southwest of [[Burlington, Vermont]], {{convert|55|mi}} south of [[Plattsburgh (city), New York|Plattsburgh]], {{convert|115|mi}} north of [[Albany, New York|Albany]], and {{convert|116|mi}} south of [[Montreal]], Quebec.<ref>Google Maps</ref>  The population was 4,798 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US3603148428| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Moriah town, Essex County, New York| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=March 4, 2016}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Homer Dodge Martin MAI001.jpg|thumbnail|left|''The Iron Mine, Port Henry, New York'', c. 1862, painted by [[Homer Dodge Martin]]]]
This area was inhabited for thousands of years by varying cultures of [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]]. At the time of European encounter, the area was inhabited chiefly by the historic [[Iroquoian]]-speaking [[Mohawk people|Mohawk]] of the [[Iroquois Confederacy]] to the west of [[Lake Champlain]], with the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking [[Mahican]] people to the south.

In 1749, French [[Jesuits]] attracted numerous Iroquois (mostly [[Onondaga people|Onondaga]] fleeing warfare in the western part of present-day [[New York (state)|New York]]) to a site on the [[Oswegatchie River]] near present-day [[Ogdensburg, New York|Ogdensburg]]. The Jesuit priests founded a [[mission (station)|mission]] village and fort. The Iroquois were required to [[religious conversion|convert]] to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] to live there. The converted Iroquois and their descendants became known as the "[[Oswegatchie people|Oswegatchie]]", and were considered "nephews" to the [[Iroquois|Six Nations]] of the Iroquois. They were among the [[Seven Nations of Canada]] that allied with the French during the [[Seven Years' War]] (known as the French and Indian War on the North American front) and with the British during the [[American Revolutionary War]], in part due to their strong trading ties and cultural links.<ref>John A. Dickinson, "La federation des sept feux de la Vallee du Saint-Laurent: XVIIe-XIXe siecle by Jean-Pierre Sawaya. [review]", ''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 105, No. 1 (February 2000), pp. 202-203</ref> After the Seven Years' War ([[French and Indian War]]) and British victory, the colonial government granted some of its soldiers land in the region, which was ceded to Britain by the French.

It was not until 1785, after the American Revolutionary War, when most of the Iroquois allies went to [[Upper Canada]] with the [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]], that the first European-American permanent settlement was made here. At the time, local Native Americans still hunted in the area. They were called the [[St. Regis River|St. Regis]] and Oswegatchie Indians, although both groups were Catholic Iroquois, primarily Mohawk and Onondaga.<ref name="Essex">[http://www.adkhistorycenter.org/esco/tow/moriah.html "Moriah, NY"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321091440/http://www.adkhistorycenter.org/esco/tow/moriah.html |date=March 21, 2007 }}, Essex County Historical Society, Adirondack History Center Museum, accessed January 31, 2011</ref> Relations were initially friendly, but American settlement patterns pushed the Native Americans from their hunting grounds. (The St. Regis group were Catholic Mohawk who lived at the reserve of ''[[Akwesasne]]'', whose territory along the [[St. Lawrence River]] included land within the boundaries of both Canada and New York. Today it is recognized in the United States as the [[St. Regis Mohawk Reservation]] and in Canada as Akwesasne.)<ref>[http://www.wampumchronicles.com/sevennations.html Darren Bonaparte, "The Seven Nations of Canada: The Other Iroquois Confederacy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213085554/http://www.wampumchronicles.com/sevennations.html |date=December 13, 2004 }}, ''The Wampum Chronicles'', accessed January 2, 2009</ref>

The Town of Moriah was formed in 1808 from the town of [[Elizabethtown, New York|Elizabethtown]].

The discovery and mining of [[iron]] in the [[Adirondacks]] caused a boom in the local economy. This area also processed iron in [[smelting]], and shipped products from [[Port Henry, New York|Port Henry]] on Lake Champlain. These operations were conducted from 1824 until 1971. The Iron Center Museum in Port Henry recalls and interprets that past era.<ref name="Essex"/><ref>{{Cite news
| title = SPECTRUM: Iron Center strong in mining memories »
| work = Press-Republican
| access-date = February 15, 2013
| date = September 15, 2007
| url = http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x155111863/SPECTRUM-Iron-Center-strong-in-mining-memories/print
}}</ref>

Winter ice-fishing for [[smelt (fish)|smelt]] on the frozen Lake Champlain has been a popular sport for more than a century. Tourists come to join residents in this activity.

[[File:Port Henry Pier.jpg|thumb|Port Henry Pier]]

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|184.2|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|167.0|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|17.1|km2|order=flip}}, or 9.31%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

The eastern town line is formed by [[Lake Champlain]] and the border of [[Vermont]].

[[New York State Route 9N]] is a north-south highway near Lake Champlain. [[Interstate 87 (New York)|Interstate 87]], the Northway, crosses the northwestern corner of Moriah.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 842
|1830= 1742
|1840= 2595
|1850= 3065
|1860= 3466
|1870= 4683
|1880= 7379
|1890= 6787
|1900= 4447
|1910= 6754
|1920= 6626
|1930= 6191
|1940= 5952
|1950= 5796
|1960= 5837
|1970= 5244
|1980= 5139
|1990= 4884
|2000= 4879
|2010= 4798
|2020= 4716
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Port Henry, NY, train station.jpg|thumbnail|right|The [[Port Henry station|Port Henry Amtrak station]] provides passenger rail service to the town.]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 4,879 people, 1,894 households, and 1,253 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|75.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 2,253 housing units at an average density of {{convert|34.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 94.71% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.79% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.20% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.47% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.06% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.21% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.55% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.30% of the population.

There were 1,894 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.9 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,903, and the median income for a family was $39,827. Males had a median income of $31,747 versus $21,592 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,721.  About 8.5% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

== Communities and locations in Moriah ==
*Bartlett Pond - A pond by the northern town line, northeast of Mineville.
*Bulwagga Bay - A bay of Lake Champlain, southeast of Port Henry.
*Cheever - An area of Port Henry located north of the village along Route 9N on the way to [[Westport, New York|Westport]].
*Grover Hills - A hamlet north of Moriah Center and immediately south of Mineville at County Road 7 (Plank Road) and Pilfershire Road.
*[[Mineville, New York|Mineville]] - A hamlet northwest of Port Henry at County Road 7 (Plank Road/Fisher Hill Road) and County Road 6 (Raymond Wright Road).
* Moriah - The [[Hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] of Moriah is west of Port Henry at County Road 42 (Tarbell Hill Road) and County Road 7 (Center Road/Moriah Road).
*Moriah Center - A hamlet north of Moriah on County Road 7 (Plank Road/Center Road) at County Road 4 (Dugway Road/Ensign Pond Road) and County Road 70 (Witherbee Road).
*Mullen Bay - A bay of Lake Champlain, north of Port Henry by the northern town line.
*Newport Pond - A 25 acre pond beside County Road 6 (Tracy Road) west of Witherbee, seven miles west northwest of Port Henry. Namesake of a former royal fish pond in [[Newport, Essex]], England.
*[[Port Henry, New York|Port Henry]] - A hamlet (formerly a village) on the shore of Lake Champlain; functions as the economic center of the town.
*[[Witherbee, New York|Witherbee]] - A hamlet near the northern town line and immediately west of Mineville at County Road 70 (Witherbee Road/Dalton Hill Road) and County Road 6 (Raymond Wright Road/Tracy Road).
[[File:Memorial Hall Close Up.jpg|thumb|Witherbee Memorial Hall]]

== Notable people ==
*[[Tony Adamowicz]], racing driver
*[[Robert Garrow]], serial killer who murdered several women in the [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]] area in 1973
*[[Johnny Podres]], [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] pitcher and 1955 [[World Series]] MVP. Born in [[Witherbee, New York|Witherbee]].
*[[Jonathan Tarbell]], born in Moriah, lieutenant colonel of the [[91st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment]] and promoted to [[brevet (military)|brevet]] [[brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] of United States Volunteers during the [[American Civil War]].
*[[Tom Tyler]], early 20th-century film star
*[[Raymond R. Wright]], [[Vietnam War]] [[Medal of Honor]] recipient
*[[Wallace T. Foote Jr.]], 19th-century US Congressman

[[File:Witherbee church.jpg|thumb|Former St. Michael's Catholic Church in Witherbee]]

[[File:Mineville Witherbee Post Office.jpg|thumb|Mineville-Witherbee Post Office]]

==See also==
*[[Moriah Central School District]]

==References==
<references />

==Further reading==
* D. Peter MacLeod's notes on the [http://www3.sympatico.ca/donald.macleod2/border.html Treaty of Kahnawake, 1760] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913233456/http://www3.sympatico.ca/donald.macleod2/border.html |date=September 13, 2019 }}
* D. Peter McLeod, (1996) ''The Canadian Iroquois and the Seven Years' War'', Ottawa & Toronto: The Canadian War Museum & Dundurn Press.  Canadian War Museum Historical Publication No. 29.
* D. Peter McLeod, ''Northern Armageddon: the Battle of the Plains of Abraham'', Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2008.
* Jack Campisi and William A. Starna. "On the Road to Canandaigua: The Treaty of 1794", ''American Indian Quarterly'', Vol. 19, No. 4 (Autumn, 1995), pp.&nbsp;467–490

==External links==
* [http://porthenrymoriah.com Town of Moriah/Village of Port Henry], official website
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070321091440/http://www.adkhistorycenter.org/esco/tow/moriah.html "Moriah, NY"], Essex County Historical Society, Adirondack History Center Museum

{{Coord|44|02|46|N|73|30|18|W|type:city_region:US-NY|display=title}}
{{Essex County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Essex County, New York]]
[[Category:Towns in New York (state)]]