The Ticonderoga Historical Society will present a free public program on Friday, August 5 at 7 p.m.  at the Hancock House, 6 Moses Circle, Ticonderoga.  “Mapping the Adirondacks” will be presented by Pete Nelson, who will discuss the life and work of Rochester physician William Watson Ely.

“Who produced the first detailed map of the Adirondack wilderness, showing most of the water courses, peaks and topography,” said Nelson.  “The answer might surprise, for it was not one of the well-known professionals, but an amateur.”  Ely’s Map of the New York Wilderness dominated the world of Adirondack maps from the 1860’s until nearly the turn of the century.  

Nelson is a mathematics teacher and history lecturer at North Country Community College, a co-founder of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative and an avid writer, lecturer and Adirondack history buff whose articles appear regularly in numerous regional publications (such as the Almanack).  He is currently writing a book on early Adirondack surveyors.

The program will be held outdoors, under a tent and attendees should bring their own lawn chairs.  Reservations may be made by calling the Hancock House at 518-585-7868 or via e-mail to:  tihistory@bridgepoint1.com.

A portion of W.W. Ely’s Map of the New York Wilderness from 1867. (Source: New York Heritage Digital Collections, Adirondack Experience Library, https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16694coll65/id/7033/rec/1)