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April Local History Book Club
April 8 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
April 8, 2026, Meeting of WCHS Local History Book Club
The Washington County Historical Society’s Local History Book Club will meet from 12:30 to 1:30 on Wednesday, April 8, at
the Slate Valley Museum, 17 Water Street, Granville, NY. Membership in the historical society is not required.
the Slate Valley Museum, 17 Water Street, Granville, NY. Membership in the historical society is not required.
The topic is the role of Jay Gould, billionaire, in Granville’s slate industry. Any biography of Gould can be read such as
those by Greg Steinmetz, Maury Klein, and Edward Renehan. Online articles can be researched. A 1976 Post Star article
reported that Gould (1836-1893) caused middle Granville to grow in the 1860s. He purchased the Rutland and
Washington Railroad in 1863 and a slate quarry thereafter. Gould financed a row of frame dwellings for his slate quarry
employees on what is now Route 22A. The town is said to have had the only working red slate quarries in the world.
During his residency in the town, Gould was a well-respected and well-liked businessman.
those by Greg Steinmetz, Maury Klein, and Edward Renehan. Online articles can be researched. A 1976 Post Star article
reported that Gould (1836-1893) caused middle Granville to grow in the 1860s. He purchased the Rutland and
Washington Railroad in 1863 and a slate quarry thereafter. Gould financed a row of frame dwellings for his slate quarry
employees on what is now Route 22A. The town is said to have had the only working red slate quarries in the world.
During his residency in the town, Gould was a well-respected and well-liked businessman.
Future sessions of the club will feature topics related to the larger Adirondack area as well as works by local authors.
Upcoming discussions include: local covered bridges, Le Loup’s Bloody Trail from Salem to Argyle (1859), and flax and
linen in Washington County. For additional information, email Connie Harris Farrington at
conniehfarrington@outlook.com.
Upcoming discussions include: local covered bridges, Le Loup’s Bloody Trail from Salem to Argyle (1859), and flax and
linen in Washington County. For additional information, email Connie Harris Farrington at
conniehfarrington@outlook.com.