A History of the Island

"The Island has had many names - Great Island, Munro's Island, Roger's Island, Freeman's Island and others." Narratives of Old Fort Edward, Anne E. Brislin. Again known as Rogers Island, the Island has a long and varied history. It was a stopover point for Native Americans at Wahcoloosenchaleva or "Great Carrying Place," as Fort Edward was known, since it was the point in the Hudson River where travelers had to disembark from their canoes and carry them overland. During the French and Indian War, it faced Fort Edward and had many military buildings, a hospital and a cemetery. It is the birthplace of American Special Forces, where Robert Rogers organized his famous Rangers unit. Later, the Island became the site for several private homes, a Civil War training and mustering grounds, a crossing point for railroads into Fort Edward, and a construction site for barges used in the war effort during World War I. More recently it has been has been used as an entertainment site for the Idle Hour Club, Bradley Recreational Park, and Rogers Island Visitors Center.These Cement Barge models were paraded in Fort Edward during a World War I Liberty Bond Parade. The barges were manufactured on the island by Holler, Davis & Flood. They were used to transport war material during the war. In



the year 1900 ... the Fort Edward Idle Hour Club was born. The club was organized by a small group of businessmen, who were looking for a place to escape from their occupations on weekends. In the early years, the club was usually referred to as the "idle Hour Camp.' With its first location at Crockers Reef [by the guard gate] near the hamlet of Fort Miller. [Later] the Idle Hour Club was forced to move; finally locating on Rogers Island, in 1906, where it stands today. [There] the Club constructed,' a large building on a concrete wall or foundation,' on the southernly part of the island and south of the old 'gut' of channel." The Idle Hour Club, Compiled by Charles Mullen.Railroads played an important role in the growth of Fort Edward and in the early years they all crossed the Island. The Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad first came to the area, crossing the Island from Moreau Station to Fort Edward. Later railroads included the D&H, Canadian Pacific, and Amtrak.The Island Grove School was a preparatory school located on the northern end of Rogers Island. It served students circa 1877 to 1881, filling in the educational gap while Fort Edward Collegiate Institute was rebuilding after its original building was destroyed by fire in 1877.

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Jane McCrea
Rogers Island - Fort Edward, NY
The Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY
The Hudson River at Fort Edward
The Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY
The Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY
The Hudson River at Fort Edward
Fort Edward War Memorial, a War Memorial
Rogers Island — Fort Edward, NY
The Island

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