Discover Quaint Granville NY

The "1878 History of Washington County" mentions that the St. Francis Indians claimed their ancestral rights to hunt, fish and trade in Granville, finding here their best beavers. Today Granville NY, lying in the northeastern portion of the county at the confluence of the Mettawee and Indian Rivers, is still a very desirable area.

The Mettawee Valley runs north and south with several hamlets interspersed. The village of Granville contains approximately half of the town's population of 5,400. Hamlets in the town are South Granville, Middle Granville, North Granville, Truthville and Raceville.

The town is fortunate in having rich farmland where several modern agricultural plants aid in making Washington County one of the leading dairy counties in the state. The land also provides other agricultural endeavors such as maple sugaring and fruit farming.

Additionally, the land form of the area has distinctive deposits of slate. Granville is Splitting red slate block. sometimes called the Slate Capital of the World. These slate deposits were discovered just before the Civil War, and they made quarrying the leading industry in the town for a century. The slate industry today, using modern techniques, continues to be an important business. It is interesting to note that the area has the only working red slate quarries in the world. The picturesque slate quarries are a hallmark to the area. The Slate Museum in the Village of Granville is preserving artifacts and information tracing the development of this fascinating industry in the Slate Valley.

The town also boasts several other thriving industries. Telescope Folding Furniture Co., Inc . is nationally known for summer and casual furniture. Norton Co. operates a sealant division manufacturing foam tape sealants for automobiles, mobile homes, appliances and other uses. J & J Lingerie manufactures quality women's sleepwear.

Civic pride and enthusiasm is manifest in the town's support of its many active community fraternal, religious and service groups. The dedicated volunteers of the five town fire companies and one rescue squad have given the area a modern, highly trained emergency aid corps coordinated by a mutual aid system.

Little league for boys and girls maintains a recreational park with nine fields for many summer

Each of the hamlets contains one or more active church congregations of various denominations. For example, a church school recently opened with support of the 200 year old Truthville Baptist Church, and the South Granville Congregational Church has sustained an active congregation continuously since 1790.

There are 25-30 other special interest clubs and societies in Granville NY-too many to list individually. One of particular interest, however, is the Granville Area Chorus which continues to express the love of choral music that has always been a trait of the community.

The gift of Franklin Pember in the 19th century established a unique library and museum in the area. Public interest has continued to support the Pember Library, making it one of the most up-to-date and extensive literary collections in the area. Mr. Pember donated his large collection of natural life specimens to the museum - a collection that includes specimens now extinct and of great value to modern researchers. Another recent gift to the Pember Museum has added a large tract of land in nearby Hebron to be used as a nature preserve.

Granville enjoys a pleasant relationship with its neighboring Vermont towns. The New York State Certified School System draws students from the Vermont towns of Wells and Pawlet, and offers continuing education to adults in the area.

This border town relationship also is evident in commerce as the town continues to be a crossroads for shopping. For summer and winter recreation, most Granvillians feel beautiful Lake St. Catherine in nearby Vermont is an annex to the town.

Many hunters and fishermen today would agree with the St. Francis Indians of long ago that the area's well- stocked trout streams, deer, small game populations and restored wild turkey flocks deserve traveling long distances to enjoy.

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