Jefferson County NY wrote: > Bid of history to lighten the day. > > In 1941 the United States Army faced the need for additional training > areas and Fort Drum Pine Plains was the areas chosen for expansion. > > At only 17,000 acres, the post needed additional space for training > the units stationed there. > > On Labor Day, September 1, 1941 the army took over 84,000 acres, displacing > North Country families and eliminating the villages of LaRaysville, > > Sterlingville, Lewisburg, North Wilna and Woods Mills, as well as smaller > settlements of Slocumville, Reedville, Nauvoo, Spragueville, East Antwerp > and Alpina. East Antwerp lost one-third of its property taxes. Leray > lost a quarter, Philadelphia a third and part of Diana disappeared > altogether. > > The two thousand people would be forced to relocated from 525 families, > > three thousand buildings would be removed, including 24 schools, 6 churches > and a couple post offices. They would be paid "fair market" value for > their land and would be relocated by the New York Defense Relocation > Corporation > under the Farm Security Administration. > > On October 19, 2002, the Town of Watertown Historical Society > TWHS@imcnet.net , and > the Jefferson County Historical Society sponsored a "A Step Back In Time" > with a tour of these forgotten towns an village on Fort Drum. The Fort Drum > Cultural Resources Office, guided us through the areas. > > As we walked over the old village streets and visited the cemeteries, > you could see a few tears in the eye of many who had not been back to their > birth place in over 60 years. Everything's gone now, just as few old > foundation remain. > > Interesting military history shows that a larger number of men from > Sterlingville enlisted to fight in WWII. > > Lynn Thornton has created the following site. He has done a beautiful > job. http://wc4th.homestead.com/Lostvillages.html > > The trip was inspired by the newly released book on Sterlingville by > Keitha Kellogg Petersen. Both historical society have copies of the book for > sale. Copies can be mailed. > > Copies can also be found in the local book stores in Jefferson County > NY, and at your local library. > > The burials and tombstone readings form the ft drum cemeteries will be > online for research in the near > future at www.nnygenealogy.com > > Bonita L Shafer > Jefferson NYGenExchange County Coordinator > http://www.genexchange.org/county.cfm?State=ny&County=jefferson > Maryland State Coordinator,Genexchange > http://www.genexchange.org/state.cfm?state=md > American History & Genealogy Project > http://www.nnygenealogy.com > > xx > > ----- > List Admin - nyjefferson-rooters-Owner@listserv.genexchange.com > Jefferson NY GenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/county.cfm?state=NY&county=Jefferson > NY GenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/state.cfm?state=NY > USGenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/us.cfm > Mailing Lists: http://www.genexchange.org/maillistform.cfm

Charmaine Sounds like a good trip I missed this one but a few years ago went to Lewisburg.. If any one has any interest in the subject this is a very good book. Charmaine wrote: > Jefferson County NY wrote: > > > Bid of history to lighten the day. > > > > In 1941 the United States Army faced the need for additional training > > areas and Fort Drum Pine Plains was the areas chosen for expansion. > > > > At only 17,000 acres, the post needed additional space for training > > the units stationed there. > > > > On Labor Day, September 1, 1941 the army took over 84,000 acres, displacing > > North Country families and eliminating the villages of LaRaysville, > > > > Sterlingville, Lewisburg, North Wilna and Woods Mills, as well as smaller > > settlements of Slocumville, Reedville, Nauvoo, Spragueville, East Antwerp > > and Alpina. East Antwerp lost one-third of its property taxes. Leray > > lost a quarter, Philadelphia a third and part of Diana disappeared > > altogether. > > > > The two thousand people would be forced to relocated from 525 families, > > > > three thousand buildings would be removed, including 24 schools, 6 churches > > and a couple post offices. They would be paid "fair market" value for > > their land and would be relocated by the New York Defense Relocation > > Corporation > > under the Farm Security Administration. > > > > On October 19, 2002, the Town of Watertown Historical Society > > TWHS@imcnet.net , and > > the Jefferson County Historical Society sponsored a "A Step Back In Time" > > with a tour of these forgotten towns an village on Fort Drum. The Fort Drum > > Cultural Resources Office, guided us through the areas. > > > > As we walked over the old village streets and visited the cemeteries, > > you could see a few tears in the eye of many who had not been back to their > > birth place in over 60 years. Everything's gone now, just as few old > > foundation remain. > > > > Interesting military history shows that a larger number of men from > > Sterlingville enlisted to fight in WWII. > > > > Lynn Thornton has created the following site. He has done a beautiful > > job. http://wc4th.homestead.com/Lostvillages.html > > > > The trip was inspired by the newly released book on Sterlingville by > > Keitha Kellogg Petersen. Both historical society have copies of the book for > > sale. Copies can be mailed. > > > > Copies can also be found in the local book stores in Jefferson County > > NY, and at your local library. > > > > The burials and tombstone readings form the ft drum cemeteries will be > > online for research in the near > > future at www.nnygenealogy.com > > > > Bonita L Shafer > > Jefferson NYGenExchange County Coordinator > > http://www.genexchange.org/county.cfm?State=ny&County=jefferson > > Maryland State Coordinator,Genexchange > > http://www.genexchange.org/state.cfm?state=md > > American History & Genealogy Project > > http://www.nnygenealogy.com > > > > xx > > > > ----- > > List Admin - nyjefferson-rooters-Owner@listserv.genexchange.com > > Jefferson NY GenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/county.cfm?state=NY&county=Jefferson > > NY GenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/state.cfm?state=NY > > USGenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/us.cfm > > Mailing Lists: http://www.genexchange.org/maillistform.cfm > > ==== NYLEWIS Mailing List ==== > List Mom for Lewis County, NY is Jan Cortez. My email is cristian@netonecom.net. If you have any concerns, send me a note, otherwise enjoy the list and post often. It helps get your message out. > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237