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Just to put a final footnote on the Historical Society's events of last weekend. We celebrated our founders, Nathan Beman and Benjamin Roberts, and noted that they were both veterans of the American Revolution.
Pictured is a list of the 13 men that served in that war and that were buried in the soil of Chateaugay.
Although our community was not settled until 1796, which was 13 years after the war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Chateaugay still has a very real and a very strong connection to those who served in the conflict that gave birth to our nation.
Some of these men were in Chateaugay in the earliest years of the community, and others moved here somewhat later, but all were laid to rest here and deserve recognition for their service.
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Thanks to all who attended our Kiosk Dedication and Summer Exhibit opening this morning. Unfortunately, the dedication ceremony was held in a light drizzle but was well attended.
Following the brief ceremony on the Chasm Road, we moved to the second floor of the Town Hall for a reception and the 2025 Summer Exhibit entitled: “Chateaugay’s Founders – Nathan Beman and Benjamin Roberts”
We much appreciated the attendance and the positive comments. The exhibit will be open every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 9am until noon through September 27.
Also, remember to visit Chateaugay’s new Heritage Trail. The guide to the 66 locations throughout the Town and Village is available in an on-line version, which can be accessed via the Historic Sites section of our website or by scanning or photographing the QR code with a smart phone or tablet. the QR code can be found on any of the 30 historic markers located throughout the town and village.
A heartfelt thanks go out to...
J. William Bouchard, Chateaugay Central School graduate, professional archeologist, and team leader for the cultural excavation that located the Nathan Beman Homestead. He was the author of the excellent project report that became the foundation for our storyboards for the Beman kiosk.
The NYS Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for its approval of our overall plans and the role its funding played in making it possible for our ideas to become a reality
Assemblyman D. Billy Jones for his support and encouragement, especially for the legislative grant which allowed for historic marker purchases
County Legislator Greg Janisewski for his unwavering support of our group and its mission and especially for kick-starting the kiosk construction project
Jeremy Evans, of the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency & Economic Development Corporation, for endorsing our concept of an information kiosk at the Nathan Beman Historical Preserve
The Franklin County Highway Department for installing the culverts at the kiosk site which allowed construction to begin
Chateaugay Supervisor Donald Bilow and the entire Town Board for providing the space for the Archival Center in the Town Hall, and for supporting and encouraging the Society’s visions for all of our ongoing projects to preserve and highlight Chateaugay’s Past
Highway Superintendent Roger LaBombard and the entire Town Highway Crew for installing our historic markers throughout the Town
Heather Locklin, Town Theater Director, for being so accommodating with our use of the Town Hall facilities and for her role in our local advertising
Chateaugay Village Mayor Matthew Clark and the Entire Village Board for its continued support and encouragement of our various activities to preserve Chateaugay’s past.
Village DPW head, Wayne Knechtel, and the entire DPW Crew for installing historic markers throughout the Village
Ronald Jarvis Construction, especially Ronnie Jarvis and Ernie Silver, whose skill and dedication not only built the kiosk, but made sure every detail was perfectly done
Nicole Davis and the entire staff at Davis Designs and Printing for flawlessly producing our publications and for honoring our order requests, no matter how “last minute” they might have been, with good grace, professionalism, and the highest quality printing production
Because of all of the efforts noted above, Chateaugay now has a “monument” to our founder, Nathan Beman, and a 66-location Heritage Trail for residents and visitors to enjoy, while using either an on-line version or a full color resource book as a guide. It really does take a whole community working together to bring concepts to reality. Thank you all.
To view full size images and read captions, click on an image.
FREQUENTLY MISSED OR LARGELY UNKNOWN EXAMPLES OF “ARTWORK” AND ADVERTISING IN CHATEAUGAY FROM OVER THE YEARS
I was thinking about a certain group of images as I worked in the Chateaugay Historical Society’s photo collection just recently. There have been some scenes that were viewed by the public which were often presented on a larger and very dramatic and visual scale. Others were quite small and mostly never seen.
The images show 7 of those scenes:
The first two were advertisements painted on the McCoy Milling Co. building that still stands and fronts onto River Street. The first is on the north-facing wall, and the second is on the south-facing brick wall that extends out beyond the former Key Bank building (seen in this photo as appearing above the former Mills Diner).
The third image shows the Rexall ad painted on the west wall of the building that was originally known as the Jackson block at the Four Corners (presently vacant, it was last occupied by Mills Restaurant, Leonard’s Restaurant, and Hometown Family Chiropractic). The ad is barely discernible today as the years of weather delivered by strong west winds have faded it into obscurity.
The fourth image is a scene of Chateaugay Lake that was painted on the floor safe that sat in the former Hyland Hardware store on East Main St. It is quite small and has been seen over the years by a very, very small percentage of Chateaugay Citizenry.
The fifth photo shows the stage backdrop (or “drop”) curtain in Cantwell Hall. This assembly space was in the large space on the second floor of the former Pearl’s Department Store building om the south side of East Main Street and was the town’s main performance and meeting place prior to the construction of the Town Hall in 1911. It was donated by Mr. C.W. Henry, and actor and artist, who frequently performed on the Cantwell Hall stage. He painted and gifted it in 1909. It contained a view of the Johnston cottage, which sat on Squaw Island on Chateaugay Lake. This photo of the Cantwell Hall stage was taken around 1910 and shows L to R - Fred Kennedy (cut off), Morton Gillette, Kimball Gilette (the father), Harry Gillette, Ully Campbell, and John Boomhower. The image here is the only clear view of the curtain to have surfaced thus far.
The sixth image is a black and white rendering of the full-color drop curtain in the Town Hall in Brainardsville. It was painted by the same Mr. Henry, who did the Cantwell Hall curtain. This drop curtain had a scene of Chateaugay Lake in the center, and the painted reproductions of the business cards of locals who had built the hall. This original image dates to around 1920.
The seventh, and final photo, is of the drop curtain that hung on the auditorium stage in the new Chateaugay Central School on River Street. This too, was a scene of Chateaugay Lake. Unfortunately, no image of just the curtain itself has been uncovered. The photos we have are peeks at the curtain as it hung behind various class or band photos taken with the groups assembled on stage. At some point over the years, the curtain was removed, and its ultimate fate is unknown.
There you have it; another short glimpse into a little-known or largely overlooked part of our community’s fascinating history…
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