Pierrepont's old work gathered around turnpike and falls

Pierrepont has the feel of a town built by distance, grazing land, and waterpower. The town history says Pierrepont was erected in 1818 from Russell and Potsdam and named for Hezekiah B. Pierrepont, who owned a large share of the territory. It describes the surface as hills and valleys, with soil especially suited to grazing. Cheese and butter were the principal work, with five or six factories operating.

The road story matters just as much. Settlement was limited until the Plattsburgh-to-Carthage turnpike opened through the town in 1812-13. Pierrepont Center formed where the Canton-Colton road met the St. Lawrence turnpike, and Cyrus Grannis built early grist and saw mills on Grannis Brook nearby.

Then there is Hannawa Falls, in the northeast part of town on the Raquette River. The place was once known by names including Cox’s Mills, East Pierrepont, and Ellsworth. Its dam and sawmill began in 1819; a grist mill followed in 1822. Read together, Pierrepont is not just scattered countryside. It is turnpike, grazing country, mills, river work, and small centers that grew where a North Country road or stream could carry the load.