Keene received its charter on 19 March 1808. It consists of the hamlets of Keene, Keene Valley, and St. Hubert’s. It was formed from portions of Elizabethtown and Jay, and until 1848 it included all of the land now lying in North Elba, where Lake Placid has been the home to two Winter Olympics. The greatest numbers of high peaks in the Adirondacks in a single location rise heavenward in Keene. At the elevation of 5,470 feet above sea level, Mount Marcy is the highest peak in New York State. The numerous streams and ponds of these mountains help to make them an awe-inspiring sight for those interested in communing with nature. The mountains and the waters cannot be separated from the history of the town or its people.

The forbidding nature of the mountainous regions of New York contributed to their late settlement. When Benjamin Payne, the first purported settler, came to Keene he followed blazed trees all the way from Westport on Lake Champlain. He brought his belongings on a "jumper" which was not more than two posts with the goods slung between them and dragged behind a horse, mule or ox.

Farmers, gristmill and sawmill owners, and merchants supplying small articles of daily needs settled most of the arable lands along the AuSable River valleys.

The "Freshet of 1856" devastated the area. A massive landslide coupled with nine inches of heavy rain and the spring thaw raised the waters in the marshy lowlands by 12-13 feet. Consequently, the state-sponsored dam gave way and residents along the AuSable River lost their homes and businesses.

Iron and other minerals were found in Essex County. For the next two generations, small mines and forges, supplying local farming needs, became the prominent industry. During the Civil War effort, Essex County became the major source of needed iron. As a result, additional skilled labor was required. Immigrants seeking opportunities came from Montreal, Massachusetts and New York City. The wealthy settled in the area seeking lands and riches.

After the Civil War, the area’s population shifted west with the jobs and opportunities.

During this time, a young landscape artist by the name of Perkins settled in the area for two years. His paintings inspired his colleagues to travel to the Adirondacks to see what he had seen. Local men who knew the terrain were begged and bribed to guide the desperate artisans to their mountain-peak meccas. The Adirondack guide occupation was born. As the local population of artists and artisans grew, so did the population of their patrons. Adirondack Great Camps and hotels were built to house those who wanted to ensure that they would always have a place to stay and their own window to the spectacular Adirondack view. The age of the Great Camp and Hotel lasted from about 1880 to WWI, when one of the consequences of the war meant that there was little time or money for the trappings of leisure.

In the 1920’s lumbering became the means to make money off the land. Lumbering stripped the mountaintops and left the land barren. The stage had been set for the formation of the Adirondack Park Agency whose goal was to protect the unspoiled remains of the region.

The forests of the Adirondack Park are part of the original Great Northern Forest that stretched from Maine to the Great Lakes. It is a unique ecosystem that requires man to coexist with his environment with as little impact as possible.