In 2001 Piercefield celebrated the centennial of the incorporation of the township including Childwold, Gale, Piercefiled and Conifer. Prior to that, back in 1886, Lake Usher, a banker from Potsdam, purchased land in Piercefield. By 1892 Mr. Usher had formed the Piercefiled Paper and Mining Corporation. The land was cleared and readied for construction of a road for trucking of materials to the Mohawk and Malone Railway. In 1897, the Racquette River was bridged at Piercefield and linked the community to Tupper Lake. The logging industry flourished and every year thousands of cords of pulpwood were boomed in on the Racquette at Piercefield, awaiting transformation into paper at the International Paper Company plant there.

The year 1933 brought about lean times for Piercefield when International Paper closed its operations - many families relocated to other International Paper Company sites. In 1946 Charles I. Ruderman, of Gouverneur, bought the entire 80 acre village of Piercefield and planned to make it a community for disabled veterans*.

Today the Piercefield area is known for fishing, snowmobiling, hunting and hiking. Nearby Mount Arab is the last remaining fire tower in St. Lawrence County existing at it's original location. The fire tower  and observer's cabin has been restored by the Friends of Mount Arab and a summit interpreter is often on duty during the summer months.

*Historical information obtrained from"Celebrating 100 Years: Town of Piercefield's Cookbook and More...".

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04.20.06