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History is a collection of stories. Gouverneur has been fortunate to have benefactors whose stories and contributions of time, effort and money continue to support and enhance the community. Many individuals and families were involved in thriving, successful businesses and other endeavors. Our community still owes them a debt of gratitude.

For a more complete look at those who have contributed to Gouverneur history, go to the Riverside Cemetery Tour pages.

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- The diaries of Henry Sheldon (b. 02 Jul 1814, d. 02 May 1873) Transcribed by Frances Holst, Kansas City, MO. The Gouverneur Museum would like to thank her for her work and willingness to donate the transcriptions to our website.
- Civil War soldiers from Gouverneur. This list is searchable by using our site search tool. This list sent to the Museum by John Austin, De Kalb, NY on December 16, 2010, reformatted by Shari Barnhart, museum webmaster.
- Learn more about the Gouverneur Memorial Arch.
- The individuals below were community benefactors and elected officials whose work and generosity contributed to the rich history of our community.
Click the name to read the story...
Gouverneur Morris Harvey D. Smith Edwin Dodge The Kinney Family
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- THE 1917 DEAN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS RING MYSTERY
Sometimes you find a historical mystery in an everyday object. This was the case for Lynda H. Andrews, history detective. A unidentified Dean High School class ring had been found in the floorboards of 71 Austin Street. It had passed from one owner of the house to the next. But whose ring was it? Shouldn't it be returned to the family of this 1917 graduate? 

Click here to read about this mystery and how it was solved.
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- THE CENTENNIAL FOUNTAIN
 In 1876, the people of Gouverneur erected a fountain in the Village Park to commemorate the country's 100th anniversary. In 1957, the fountain was removed. In 2010, efforts to revive this tradition are underway.

Click here to read about the Centennial Fountain.
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BOOKS ABOUT GOUVERNEUR HISTORY

Gouverneur's history has been well documented over the years in publications which commemorated significant events. Jane Ann Williams Parker, in 1890, wrote one of the first books about Gouverneur's history, entitled Gouverneur, Past and Present. Her book was republished for the country's Bicentennial by the Historical Association under the title, Gouverneur, A History 1805 to 1890. Parker's work was enhanced by the work of editors Margaret H. Gleason and Margaret E. Nulty. They added photos and genealogies to enhance Parker's words.

Julius Bartlett, a town historian in 1955, wrote about this early period for the Sesqui- Centennial History, published in 1955 by the Historical Association. In 2005, the scrapbooks were opened again for Gouverneur's Bicentennial and notable events from 1955 to 2005 were selected to be included with Julius Bartlett's essay.

Use the website's Search Tool, to search the text of the books. The books were scanned and the links below are the pdf version of those scanned pages. Some of the sections have been broken into parts to make the download easier. The books are available for purchase in the Museum Shop.

 janeJane A. W. Parker
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Gouverneur, A History 1805-1890
by Jane A.W. Parker		 Gouverneur, Bicentennial History 1805-2005
Compilled by the Bicentennial Committee
parker bicent