Port Henry in Essex County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Moriah Plank Road

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 18, 2024

1. Moriah Plank Road Marker

Inscription.
Horse drawn wagons hauled iron ore from mines to Port Henry over this road until 1869.

Erected 1937 by State Education Department.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.

Location. 44° 2.926′ N, 73° 27.72′ W. Marker is in Port Henry, New York, in Essex County. It is at the intersection of Broad Street and College Street, on the left when traveling west on Broad Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Henry NY 12974, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

in the Adirondacks & North Country,

and in the Champlain Valley.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Village of Port Henry (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Free Library (about 600 feet away); World War I Memorial Honor Roll (about 800 feet away); Lakes to Locks Passage (about 800 feet away); Champlain Academy Bell (approx. 0.2 miles away); Champlain Academy (approx. 0.3 miles away); Shore Line (approx. 0.3 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Henry.

Also see . . .
1. Moriah's wooden highway: To the lake shore via plank road (by Lou Varricchio). Excerpt:

Famous among upstate New York's
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jostling "corduroy roads" made of puncheons (split logs or heavy slabs of timber) was the Moriah Plank Road which lasted from before the Civil War until the railroad arrived locally by the 1870s. This toll road, a short one when compared to other New York roads, used over a million boards cut in local mills. The mini highway of wood was built of pine, and hemlock rich in tannic acid, a plant polyphenol, that resisted rotting. It was designed for handling heavy horse-drawn wagons carrying iron ore from the mines in Port Henry to the shore of Lake Champlain (although local farmers and merchants were happy to transport their goods to the lake, too).

(Submitted on July 31, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. The Railroads of Port Henry: Making Iron Transportation More Efficient. Excerpt:

The Moriah Plank Road had greatly improved the transporting of iron ore from the Moriah mines to the lakeshore furnaces and docks, but the mining companies needed a railroad. In 1868, Port Henry Iron Ore Company funded and began construction of the line. When the Lake Champlain & Moriah Railroad replaced the Moriah Plank Road, the effect on mining operations was significant, reducing the cost per ton of ore shipped from 90 cents over the Moriah Plank Road to 32
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 18, 2024

2. Moriah Plank Road Marker
Looking west along Broad Street from College Street.
cents per ton by rail.

(Submitted on July 31, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Moriah’s Ensign Pond and the Great Flood of 1869. Excerpt:

By all accounts, this flood reaped horrendous destruction over its course. It was also one of many disastrous floods which occurred across the northern part of the state and parts of New England on April 20-24, 1869. The rapidly-melting snows of winter, along with heavy rainfall, caused dams to break and rivers to overflow. The Lake Champlain & Moriah Railroad Company had a portion of their railroad bed along Mill Brook, ready to have tracks laid upon it, washed away. The beds of the Whitehall & Plattsburgh Railroad also suffered damage. The Moriah Plank Road, which ran to Port Henry, was so badly torn up that iron ore operations along it had to be suspended until the road and bridges could be repaired.

(Submitted on July 31, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 209 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.