Willsboro, New York
| Willsboro, New York | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Paine Memorial Library, built in 1930
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 Location in Essex County and the state of New York |
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| Coordinates: 44°22′29″N 73°24′24″W / 44.37472°N 73.40667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Essex |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| • Town Supervisor | Shaun Gillilland (R) |
| • Town Council |
Members' List
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| Area | |
| • Total | 73.4 sq mi (190.1 km2) |
| • Land | 42.7 sq mi (110.7 km2) |
| • Water | 30.7 sq mi (79.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,025 |
| • Density | 47/sq mi (18.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 12996 |
| Area code(s) | 518 Exchange: 963 |
| FIPS code | 36-82271 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0979643 |
| Website | www |
Willsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, in the United States, and lies 30 miles (48 km) south of the city of Plattsburgh. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 2,025. The town is named after early landowner William Gilliland.
During the American Revolution, British troops under John Burgoyne camped on the Bouquet River.
The region was first settled by Europeans in 1765 by William Gilliland. Originally called "Milltown" by its founder (for the sawmill he located on the falls of the Bouquet River, located in the center of the town), it was renamed "Willsborough" (subsequently shortened to "Willsboro") shortly after the Revolutionary War, in honor of the founder.
The town has always had a thriving agricultural and tourism tradition, though the Industrial Revolution made its mark in the community as well. Through much of its history, Willsboro's main employer was a paper mill (which produced the wood pulp used in the making of paper). A blue limestone quarry was also an important industry locally. The stone quarried from this mine was utilized in the construction of the Albany State Capitol and the Brooklyn Bridge.
One of the noted residents was the paper manufacturer Augustus G. Paine, Jr., who resided in Willsboro for a portion of the year, when he was not in New York, since his large business was located in Willsboro. He commissioned the architect C. P. H. Gilbert to construct the Essex County Bank in 1921. In May 1930, Paine donated a whole library to the town of Willsboro, in memory of his mother, in the sum of $150,000. Both the bank and the library were constructed by Gilbert in the Neoclassical style.
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