The Personal Side of the Adirondacks

This museum offers a personal look into the people who built the Adirondacks. The museum is open from 10 am until 5 pm during the summer and early fall, seven days a week. The Brewster Library portion of the museum is open year round. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for students. Children under the age of 6 are free. The museum is located in an old school building in Elizabethtown, just two hours from Albany, New York or Montreal Canada.

The collection at the museum includes various artifacts that exhibit more than two hundred years worth of living in Essex County and the Adirondack area. Included in the artifacts are a 1920's stage curtain advertising Adirondack businesses, an 1850's Washington printing press, various artifacts from the 18th century, an 1887 Concord stagecoach, an iron bobsled from the 1932 Olympic games, a wide collection of antique dolls, an Adirondack lean-to, and a 58-foot fire observation tower. There are also numerous exhibitions and special events throughout the year.

The Colonial Gardens surrounding the museum was created in 1956 and features a variety of native plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees. The design is intended to recreate that of Hampton Court, England and of Colonial Williamsburg.

The museum is an excellent destination for school groups and educational field trips. Teachers have access to free education projects and teacher's guides online. The purpose of the materials are to help children tour the museum and apply what they learn to their lives. There is a research paper content held every year for 12th graders, as well as the Index for Essex County Compendium resource guide.

The special John Brown tour offered by the museum take tourists down an historic route. You will need a road map to finish the tour and enjoy it to its fullest. There is both driving and walking on the tour, but there are portions that are no longer accessible for modern day travelers. The total mileage of the tour is 67, and you will need approximately 3 hours to complete it. You can do so in one day, or you can make stops along the way and take a few days to complete the entire route. You will finish the tour in beautiful Lake Placid, New York. On the Trail of John Brown is Mary Brown's interpretation of the funeral of John Brown, an abolitionist who traveled from Vermont to North Elba New York. There are numerous buildings along the route that are still in existence and moving along the same path this man traveled during the anti-slavery movement is both a moving and educational experience.

There are numerous events and programs held at the museum throughout the year including an annual maple sugar festival and a supernatural tour. Visitors are encouraged to visit the online bookstore prior to their arrival at the Adirondack History Centre to ensure they are prepared for the experience that lies ahead of them. If you would like to learn more about life in the Adirondacks, as well as the history of abolitionist John Brown, head to the Adirondack History Centre Museum in Elizabethtown, New York.