Forestport - Gateway to the Adirondacks.
The township of Forestport is comprised of three hamlets: Forestport, Woodgate and Otter Lake. Situated in Northern Oneida County, just ½ hour north of Utica, it is located on Route 28 and is the gateway to the western portion of the Adirondack Park The Adirondack Scenic Railroad stops at the Forestport train station where you can get on or off. Forestport also boasts a section of the North Country National Scenic Trail, part of a network that spans seven northern states from North Dakota to eastern New York.
The community of Forestport received its name from the logging community it once was. Located on Black River and near the canal system, it was a focal point for industry, saw mills and the shipping of logs. Forestport Station is where the rail line, built in 1892, sill operates today. Located there is the Buffalo Head Restaurant, an historic building built in the early 1900s, and today used as a restaurant. The current town hall on Woodhull Street was built as the first central school in 1927.
Moving north to the community's of Woodgate, the Woodgate Library building was built in 1881 as the communities one room school house. Converted to the library in 1931 an addition was added in 1994. Today the library is home to an extensive history and photo collection of the area. On Bear Creek Road in Woodgate, the former Woodgate School building is unique in its construction style. The building housed students as the last common school district in New York State until 1974 when the district merged with the Town of Webb Schools of Old Forge.
Next door to the school is the Woodgate Community Hall, built in 1912, today it serves summer audiences with lecture, history and theatre programs. The railroad stations located in Forestport, Woodgate and Otter Lake, all built in the early 1900s also have a unique construction design. Today, all three are privately owned.
Moving past White Pine Lake on Route 28 to Otter lake, the community is rich in history. Site of the New York state Music Camp in the forties, this building became a hotel that was later destroyed by fire. A historic marker denotes the location of the music camp on Route 28 near the current fire hall which was Otter Lake's first school.
The community chapel in Otter Lake is the oldest church in the region being dedicated in 1861 in Hawkinsville and moved to Otter Lake in 1921. The year of 2004, the building was placed on the national historic register. It is the only building designated on the register in the township.
