WCHS Local History Book Club

Meeting of WCHS Local History Book Club

Washington County Historical Society’s Local History Book Club will meet from noon until 1 PM on Friday, Sept. 8, at the society’s headquarters, 167 Broadway, Fort Edward.  Washington County Historical Society membership is not required for participation.  

The discussion will focus on the history of apples in Washington County and vicinity.  Attendees can read any book on the topic.  Dawn Chenier of Hartford will report on the life of Johnny Appleseed and Peter Beyer of Granville will report on activities of Tom Brown, North Carolina orchardist who is currently rediscovering “lost” apple varieties. The use of the local canal for shipment of area apples will also be discussed, as well as locations of current orchards in Washington County.                        

The group meets regularly on the second Friday of the month at noon, usually at the Historical Society in Fort Edward.  The October meeting will be held at Mountainside Free Library, in the town of Queensbury.  Attendees are asked to read any biography of Andrew Carnegie, whose funds contributed to the building of the library in 1904.

Future sessions of the club will include books about the larger Adirondack area as well as works by local authors.  Proposed topics include the temperance movement in our area, sheep farming in Washington County, and the life of Salem resident Asa Fitch, historian and entomologist.  For additional information, email Connie Harris Farrington at connieandlee@roadrunner.com.