Plattsburgh

Museum and book shop. Local history.

At former air force base entrance, a small park with aircraft on display.

Guided tour of historic house, free admission to active military, Canadian currency accepted at par.

This statue was built in 1912 by the local French-American community to honor explorer Samuel de Champlain as "Navigator, Discoverer, Colonizer." It is now controversial, and there is an informational plaque nearby that points out that Native Americans had been living in the area for ages before Champlain is credited by some non-Natives as having "discovered" the lake he renamed after himself, but the monument is nonetheless impressive and in a beautiful spot.

This 135-foot-tall monument celebrates the general who won the last battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of Plattsburgh, which was a naval engagement on Lake Champlain in 1814. It is not in a typical form for an obelisk, as it narrows in steps instead of diagonal lines near the top and is topped by a striking eagle. There are friezes and inscriptions near the base and excellent documentation in front of the monument.

Opened 1890 as the Plattsburgh Normal and Training School, a two-year teachers' college destroyed by fire in 1929 and rebuilt in 1932. As a charter member of the State University of New York (established 1948), SUNY Plattsburgh changed from a two-year institution to a four-year, public liberal arts college. It has about 6000 students. Visitors may attend athletic events, concerts, guest speaker presentations, forums on current events and poetry readings.

The Rockwell Kent Gallery (established 1989) owns 34 paintings created by Rockwell Kent between 1900 and 1965, as well as a large collection of prints, drawings, dinnerware, books, design art, photographs, bookplates, archives and personal items from his travels and life at Asgaard Farm near Ausable Forks. The Nina Winkel Sculpture Court represents 45 years of artistry by the late Nina Winkel in works of terracotta, stone, bronze and copper.