TOWN OF KEENE
A Brief Narrative History

Settlers began clearing and otherwise improving land within the present borders of the Town of Keene as early as 1794, but it wasn't until 1808 that Keene was incorporated as a separate town. Parts of the town were taken from the existing towns of Elizabethtown and Jay; until 1848 the Town of Keene included all of the present Town of North Elba. The first settlers came up the river from Jay and staked claims along the Ausable River, in particular on the nearly rock-free farmland between the present Norton Cemetery and Johns Brook.

For the first few years, most continued to live elsewhere while they improved their land; but Benjamin Payne was the first to take up permanent residence in l 795 on land near the current intersection of routes 73 and in between Keene and Keene Valley. Other settlers soon followed, and by 1805 almost every lot near the Ausable River plus some upland areas had been claimed.

Many of the arrivals after 1800 came from Keene, New Hampshire, and a Stephen Griswold is generally credited with suggesting that this town also be called ''Keene'', By 1810 (the first census as a separate town) the population was 645. 1810 also saw the beginning of construction of the Northwest Bay Road which ran from Westport (Northwest Bay) through Keene and North Elba and eventually to Hopkinton on the St. Lawrence River. This road established Keene as a gateway to the interior Adirondacks, a role that continues to this day. In addition to farming, by 1825 there were several forges producing iron, a store, and an inn with associated tavern in the building that is now the Elm Tree inn.

The 1820's also saw the establishment of schools in both Keene and Keene Valley. By 1845 the population had risen to 809 as the iron industry continued to expand, but after that the population slowly declined to 720 in 1870.

After the Civil War, transportation improved and made Keene and the rest of the Adirondacks available to tourists. 'The first hardy adventurers were followed by artists whose work encouraged many others to come. Keene Valley and the Ausable Lakes held the greatest attraction for most tourists so that an area of the town that, up to that time had been merely a collection of farms along the Ausable, by 1880 had three large hotels (Beede House, Tahawus House, and Adirondack House,) two stores (Estes and Crawfords,) and many smaller boarding houses. Additional employment came from both guiding and caring for the many horses the visitors required.

The hamlet of Keene likewise experienced a revival of the iron industry with a deep shaft mine near Molly Nye Road producing quality ore for the local forges. Keene also remained an important stop for travelers with the Elm Tree lnn supplemented by the Owls Head Inn, a much larger hotel located across the street from the Elm Tree Inn. This passage became easier after 1880 when a road was finally built along the Cascade Lakes, replacing the more difficult original route behind Pitchoff.

Soon summer visitors also began to build their own cottages so that in 1882 Crawford's water-powered saw mill on Johns Brook was replaced with a steam-powered mill near the present Keene Valley Country Club. The effort to grow enough food and provide lumber for residents and visitors plus the many horses needed to power all this activity resulted in the population growing to 910 by 1880 and ultimately over 1,400 (higher than the present day) by 1910. Included in this peak of population were lumbermen who supplied pulp logs for the Rogers Company paper mill in Ausable Forks. It was during the ''Golden Age'' from 1880 to 1920 that not only were many summer cottages built but also many of the present houses in both hamlets.

The 1920's, however, saw the population again begin to decline. Roads and railroads made it possible to travel more widely, and by 1930 all three of the large hotels were gone or, in the case of the Beede House successor St. Hubert's Inn, converted to a private club. Improved roads also permitted the importation of much more food, making many of the local farms unnecessary; and the advent of automobiles reduced the need for horses and consequently those who cared for them. During World War Two, the population further declined as people left to join the service or to work in defense plants. Many elected to stay in their new locations so that the population by 1950 had shrunk to just over 400 - enough to keep a few stores and maintain the existing summer cottages in addition to school and town employment. The biggest change during this period was the widening and paving of the highway through Chapel Pond Pass in 1935. Now Keene Valley, as well as Keene, was suddenly on a major through route.

Although the advent of increased traffic did not immediately change the town, the history since 1950 has seen a continuous expansion of the summer community with a corresponding increase in the number of year-round residents required to provide for their needs. Just as in earlier years the initial isolation of Keene was changed by the arrival of the telegraph, later the telephone, and then paved roads, more recent changes have included the advent of cable television in 1980 and internet access in the 199O's.

by Tony Goodwin