Historic Buildings:

Virtually every building in Historic Essex is architecturally significant and warrants a visit. While exploring, special notice should be paid to the following residences.

• Dower House (c. 1785) was the home of Essex founder, William Gilliland
• Hickory Hill (c. 1822) was built for the Ross Family in the Federal style and modeled after a home in Salem, New York
• John Gould House (1833) is possibly a precursor to Greystone
• Blockhouse Farm (1836) is the only complete temple-form Greek Revival house in Essex
• Sunnyside / Harmon Noble House (1835) the house reflects classical Greek motifs and the octagonal schoolhouse/office exhibits Gothic Revival details
• Noble Clemons House (c. 1850) this Italianate manse is crowned with a rooftop cupola
• Wilder House this is the only example of Second Empire architecture in Essex
• Greystone (c. 1853) this high-style Greek Revival mansion is located across from the Essex Ferry Landing in Essex hamlet
• Rosslyn (c. 1826) the house reflects the Greek Revival and Federal styles, while the boathouse is a late 19th century Eastlake-design

Arts, Activities and Shopping:

• Adirondack Art Association Gallery, 518-963-7270
• Cupola House Gallery, Essex, 518-963-7222
• Essex Theater Company, Essex 518-963-4500
• Neighborhood Nest Antiques, Essex 518-963-4652

Other Businesses:

• Emmet Carter is a green design firm located in Essex that specializes in historically sensitive renovation and non-toxic, ecologically sustainable building practices.

Outdoor Recreation:

• Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is a network for hiking, walking, skiing, snowshoeing, birding, tracking, and picnicking in and around the Champlain Valley in New York State’s Adirondack Park. CATS trails encompass a rich tapestry of preserved wildlife habitats, pastoral farmland, historic villages, scenic woodlands, and a diverse aquatic system of streams, rivers, wetlands, ponds including the Boquet River and Lake Champlain.
• Coon Mountain is owned and maintained by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy/Adirondack Land Trust. The well-marked trailhead and parking area is on the north side of the Halds Road in Westport. The Halds Road is reached by traveling south from Essex on the Lakeshore Road (Essex Co. Route 9). Essex's Main Street turns into the Lakeshore Road after it leaves the hamlet. Turn right onto Halds Road and watch for the trailhead parking area on your right. The trail winds, sometimes steeply, to the summit of Coon Mountain in one-half mile. The views of the Champlain Valley and the surrounding farmlands are inspiring. The hike is popular with local residents who appreciate having this new, easily accessible hike. On our last trip to the top we encountered another local family exercising their llamas with a hike up Coon Mountain.
• Poke-o-Moonshine Mountain The fire tower-peaked summit is a more strenuous hike of just over a mile leaves from the Poke-O-Moonshine State Campground on NYS Route 9 north of Lewis. The summit offers gorgeous views of the Champlain Valley to the east and the Adirondack high peaks to the west.

Nearby Museums:

• Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, New York 518-585-2821
• Adirondack Center Museum of the Essex County Historical Society, Elizabethtown, New York (518) 873-6466
• Penfield Museum, Ironville (Crown Point) New York 518-597-3804
• Kent-Delord House Museum, Plattsburgh, New York 518-561-1035
• Alamanzo and Laura Ingalls Widler Homestead, Burke, New York, 518-483-1207
• 1812 Homestead, Willsboro, New York 518-963-4071
• Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, 802-985-3344
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Basin Harbor, Vermont 802-475-2022
• Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont, 802-388-2117