Wells, New York

Last updated

Wells,Brent, New York
Wells Town Hall, New York.jpg
Wells Town Hall on Main Street
Hamilton County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Wells highlighted.svg
Location in Hamilton County and the state of New York.
Coordinates: 43°23′45″N74°17′22″W / 43.39583°N 74.28944°W / 43.39583; -74.28944
Country United States
State New York
County Hamilton
Government
  Type Town Council
   Town Supervisor Beth Hunt (R)
   Town Council
Members' List
  Highway SuperintendentClay Earley Jr. (R)
Area
[1]
  Total
178.36 sq mi (461.96 km2)
  Land176.80 sq mi (457.91 km2)
  Water1.56 sq mi (4.05 km2)
Elevation
1,696 ft (517 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
683
  Density3.61/sq mi (1.39/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
12190
Area code 518
FIPS code 36-041-79059
GNIS feature ID0979615 [2]
Website Official website

Wells is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Joshua Wells, a land agent, who built the first mills in the area. It is in the Adirondack Park and on the eastern border of the county. It is northwest of Schenectady.

Contents

History

The area was first settled around 1798. The town was formed in 1805 while still part of Montgomery County, and was set off from parts of the towns of Mayfield and Northampton. The town was subsequently reduced by the formation of other towns in Hamilton County, to include Hope (1818) and Long Lake (1837).

The town of Gilman was reportedly named for settler John Gilman.[ citation needed ] Elias P. Gilman petitioned the state and had surveys of Gilman made in 1838. [3] Land was taken from Wells in 1841, but much of that region was returned to Wells when Gilman was dissolved in 1860. Wells has been increased subsequent to its initial formation by parts of Mayfield (1812, 1816), Northampton (1816), and Lake Pleasant (1858).

War of 1812

The United States of America declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. The settlers of Wells and Lake Pleasant were afraid of potential attacks from Native Americans who allied with the British Empire to attack American settlements. The Native Americans were seen roaming in the forest hunting, trapping and fishing. Despite no attacks, the Adirondack settlers, who considered themselves on the northern frontier boundary of the St. Lawrence, fled from their homes and scattered themselves to the counties of Saratoga, Rensselaer and Montgomery. All inhabitants except the Peck family left Lake Pleasant, and so did a large majority leave Wells. An application was made by a remaining few settlers to New York governor Daniel D. Tompkins for an order to raise a company of volunteers from Lake Pleasant and Wells to create a militia in order to "allay the fears of the inhabitants," to protect them from a possible massacre and to encourage them to return to their homes. The petition was granted and William B Peck of Lake Pleasant was commissioned captain of the Wells and Lake Pleasant Home Guards of Company C under Montgomery counties militia 122 regiment. Lt. John L Francisco of Wells later took command of the militia, as William Peck retired from his post. [4]

The War of 1812 brought a need for roads to be built so United States forces could invade Canada. A military road was created through the town of Wells to reach the St. Lawrence river so men and provisions could be transported easily into Canadian territory. [5]

Plane crash

A Massachusetts Air National Guard plane crash occurred on September 17, 1986, in Wells. Four planes were involved in the training mission and two of the four crashed into the Adirondack mountains, killing one pilot and injuring the other. [6] The crash is said to have been the inspiration for a two-part episode of The X-Files , set in the nearby village of Northville, New York, but no filming took place in either location. [ citation needed ]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 178.4 square miles (462 km2), of which 177.2 square miles (459 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.66%) is water.

The eastern town line is the border with Warren County.

New York State Route 30 is a north-south highway. New York State Route 8, an east-west highway, runs concurrently with NY-30 in the central part of Wells.

The area was first settled circa 1798.

Recreation

Wells is a small rural community set on Lake Algonquin. The town is a tourist destination for outdoor activities including boating, kayaking, hiking, camping, fishing, and snowmobiling. In the winter it hosts ice racing on the lake. Every year, Old Home Days is hosted during the first full weekend of August.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1820 331
1830 3402.7%
1840 3657.4%
1850 53245.8%
1860 73838.7%
1870 81710.7%
1880 1,11336.2%
1890 1,29816.6%
1900 908−30.0%
1910 742−18.3%
1920 652−12.1%
1930 527−19.2%
1940 5677.6%
1950 507−10.6%
1960 5396.3%
1970 60412.1%
1980 6273.8%
1990 70612.6%
2000 7374.4%
2010 674−8.5%
2020 6831.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

As of the census [8] of 2010, there were 674 people living in the town, organized as 322 households and 205 families. The population density was 3.8 inhabitants per square mile (1.5/km2). There were 780 housing units at an average density of 4.4 per square mile (1.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.61% White, 0.54% African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.27% of the population.

There were 322 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,107, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $34,821 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,174. About 8.5% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Wells

Adjacent towns and areas

The southern border of Wells is formed by the towns of Benson and Hope. The town of Arietta is at the western border, Lake Pleasant is the northwestern border, and Indian Lake is the northern border. The towns of Stony Creek, Thurman, and Johnsburg in Warren County are to the east.

References

  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. History of Hamilton County
  4. Loose, Steve. "War of 1812 Pension Application of Washington Craig of Wells." War of 1812 Pension Application of Washington Craig of Wells. N.p., May 14, 2008. Web. August 25, 2013.
  5. Aber, Ted, and Stella Brooks King. The History of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant, NY: Great Wilderness, 1965. Print
  6. Warren, John (November 18, 2009). "A Short History of Adirondack Airplane Crashes". Adirondack Almanack. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. "2010 Census - New York - Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). United States Census Bureau pdf 52. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2023.