Argyle, New York

The lands of Argyle prior to becoming the town were used as hunting and fishing grounds for Native American Mohicans and subsequently the Mohawk tribes although Huron and Iroquois tribes may also have hunted here. [7] During the period 1628 to 1664 the Mohawk tribe had a near exclusive fur trading monopoly with the Dutch New Netherland Colony based at nearby Fort Orange, now present day Albany. The town of Argyle was formed from the Argyll Patent of 1764 while still in Great Britain's Albany County, Province of New York and became a town in Charlotte County when that county was created on 24 March 1772. During the American Revolution citizens of the town had divided loyalties between the Crown and the Rebel cause although records indicate at least 95 men with Argyle ties joined the American militia.[8] Many settlers may have been influenced by the killings of Jane McCrae in Fort Edward and the John Allen family in South Argyle prior to the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. In 1784 the State of New York renamed Charlotte County as Washington County in honor of George Washington. During the time of the 9th New York State Legislature Argyle was officially formed as a town on 23 March 1786.[9] Since many of the original settlers were from Argyll, Scotland, they adopted the name of their native land to the town. Although population growth was slow, the town was the most populous in the county by 1790.

In 1803, part of the town in the south-east portion near Cossayuna Lake was used to establish the new Town of Greenwich. In April 1818, an additional portion of the town in the north-west corner along the Hudson River was taken by New York State legislative act to establish the Town of Fort Edward.[9]

According to the first census of the United States in 1790, a small number of Argyle residents, along with those from other towns in NY, held slaves prior to the final abolition of slavery in New York State on 5 July 1827. In 1790, 14 slaves were reported in the Argyle census count, 29 in 1800, and 15 in 1810. In the early- to mid-1800's, Argyle was also home to abolitionists and the Ransom Stiles home and the County Poor House were believed to be stops on the underground railroad for southern slaves fleeing to Canada.[10]

During the American Civil War, approximately 90 men of Argyle enlisted with the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company F (Washington Country Regiment), according to the New York State Military Museum. Among the many battles fought, the 123rd participated in the Battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Atlanta, and the March to the Sea. Additional New York volunteer infantry regiments which, at times, contained soldiers from Argyle according to "The History of Washington County" published in 1878, were the 22nd, 43rd, 44th, 93rd and 96th Infantry Regiments and the 2nd Cavalry and Harris Light Cavalry units. At least four additional men with Argyle ties enlisted with the 20th, 26th and 31st New York Colored Infantry Regiments.[11]

The U.S. National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down near the hamlet of Goose Island on Monday, 10 August 2020. Damage to roofs and sidings of nearby homes was limited and no injuries were reported although many tree trunks were snapped or uprooted.[12] According to TornadoHistoryProject.com at least five tornadoes have been confirmed touching down in Washington County since 1950 although this is the first to be confirmed within Argyle during that time.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.8 sq mi (150 km²), of which, 56.7 sq mi (147 km²) of it is land and 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km²) of it (1.92%) is water. The town mainly lies along the narrow northern ridge of the Taconic Mountains between the Hudson River and NY's border with the State of Vermont. In the western area of the town farmland and small wooded lots are considered part of the Hudson River valley. A portion of these farmlands are also within the Washington County Grasslands,[13] an approximately 13,000 acre area which is a winter roosting site for state endangered short-eared owls; winter and breeding ground for other threatened and declining grassland birds, including Northern Harrier, Horned Lark, Upland Sandpiper, Eastern Bluebirds and Bobolinks. Snowy Owls are also regular visitors.

In the eastern part of the town elevations increase with several mountains reaching over 1,000 feet in height; with the highest being a few feet over 1,120 feet in height north of the hamlet of Goose Island. From many locations in Argyle the Adirondack Mountains can be viewed to the north and west and the Green Mountains of Vermont can be viewed to the east.

Panoramic View of Argyle, New York; June 2018

NY Route 40 is a north–south highway in the town and NY Route 197 is an east–west highway leading to/from nearby Fort Edward.

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 3,688 people, 1,313 households, and 1,000 families residing in the town. The population density was 65.1 people per square mile (25.1/km²). There were 1,798 housing units at an average density of 31.7 per square mile (12.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.94% White, 0.22% Black or African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

There were 1,313 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,133, and the median income for a family was $44,414. Males had a median income of $32,253 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,403. About 5.3% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

• John Allen Family - Frontier family living in South Argyle who were massacred on 25/26 July 1777 by Native Americans attached to British General John Burgoyne's Army as they were moving southwards toward the Battles of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War.
• Alexander Barkley - New York State Republican Legislator during 1865-1866 who lived and died in Argyle. He won statewide election in 1871 and served as Canal Commissioner from 1872 to 1874.
• Evelyn Clark Colfax - Born in Argyle in 1823 and married Schuyler Colfax (Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 1863-1869 and first Vice President for Ulysses S. Grant) on 10 October 1844 at the family home in Argyle.
• Edward Dodd - Moved to Argyle in 1835 from nearby Salem, New York and served as a member of the U.S House of Representatives from 1855 to 1959. He was an early member of the Republican Party.
• Eliakim Doolittle (1772-1850), composer[15]
• Julia Spencer-Fleming - Author of mystery novels set in fictional Millers Kill, New York who lived and attended school in Argyle in the 1970s.
• John Alexander McGeoch An American psychologist and educator who was born in Argyle in 1897. Considered a modern functionalist, his interests focused on human learning and memory. He was the chair of the department of psychology at the University of Missouri from 1930 to 1935, Wesleyan University from 1935 to 1939, and University of Iowa from 1939 to 1942.
• Grandma Moses - Renowned American folk artist worked for a time in Argyle.
• Solomon Northup - Abolitionist, kidnapped and sold into slavery, who authored the book "12 Years A Slave" lived for a brief time in Argyle.
• Robert S. Robertson - U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Corbin's Bridge in May 1864. He was born and raised in North Argyle and after the American Civil War was elected Lieutenant Governor of Indiana in November 1886.
• Robert B. Scott - U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from a battle during the U.S. - Indian War in 1869. He is buried in Argyle's Prospect Hill Cemetery.
• David Sheridan - Inventor of catheters and philanthropist who created three medical catheter plants in North Argyle thus employing thousands.