The History of Warren County

Scenic Warren County - Lake George from The Top o' the World

Warren County was established on March 12, 1813 from neighboring Washington County. The county was named for Revolutionary War patriot and hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill, General Joseph Warren. The first annual meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the business of the courts was held at the Lake George Coffee House in the Village of Caldwell. In 1815, James Caldwell, a major patentee of the town of Caldwell, deeded land along the shore of the lake just north of the coffee house to the County of Warren for the “sole use and benefit of the inhabitants.” In 1819 the first building housing the courthouse, jail & clerk’s office was erected with Lake George as the county seat. The county evolved over time and today contains 11 towns, one village, and one city.

Genesis of the Towns in Warren County

• 1762…Town of Queensbury formed, the first town in the county
• 1792…Town of Lake Luzerne formed from Queensbury, known as Fairfield until 1808, Luzerne until1963
• 1792…Town of Thurman formed, known as Athol from 1813-1853, returning to its original name in 1853
• 1799…Town of Bolton formed from Thurman
• 1799…Town of Chester formed from Thurman
• 1805…Town of Johnsburg formed from Thurman
• 1807…Town of Hague formed from Bolton, known briefly as Rochester
• 1810…Town of Lake George formed from Bolton, Thurman and Queensbury; called Caldwell until1963
• 1813…Town of Warrensburg formed from Thurman
• 1838…Town of Horicon formed from Bolton and Hague
• 1839…Glens Falls formed from Queensbury, and incorporated as a village; chartered as a city 1908
• 1853…Town of Stony Creek formed from Thurman