00:28in New York State, in the Adirondack Park, in Hamilton County, in the town of Lake
00:37Pleasant, in the Village of Speculator, hidden away, secluded in the forest at
00:45the end of a rustic trail, is the Peck's Family Cemetery. This area is known by
00:55some local residents as Peck's clearing. In the cemetery are three gravestones with
01:06a simple stone wall surrounding them. The gravestones belong to Lieutenant Colonel
01:15Loring Peck, his wife, Jane Burke Peck, and their son, Loring Peck Jr.
01:26There is no gravestone for a Sila Saterli, who is also buried there, but it is
01:37believed that two stones within the gravesite mark the head and foot of where
01:44he is buried. To find this hidden treasure in a local Adirondack Forest, you must
01:52begin following South Shore Road. South Shore Road follows the southern side of
02:01the lake, Lake Pleasant. You can find South Shore Road off of Route 30 and then
02:10Downey Road in Speculator, or off of Route 8 in front of the county buildings in the
02:19town of Lake Pleasant. As you follow South Shore Road, you will eventually reach a
02:26very sharp turn. The sharp turn is up the hill west of Cherry Brook Crossing and
02:37Bearhurst Lakeside Cottages. On one side of this sharp turn is a beautiful log cabin with a rustic garage.
02:47Across the road are two landmarks. One is an old brown sign. The sign says Grave
03:00Site of Colonel Peck Revolutionary War 1743 through 1833. Near the brown sign is an
03:11historical marker titled Peck's Farm. It is not encouraged to park on the side of the
03:21road in front of these landmarks. It can be dangerous with cars suddenly appearing
03:29around the sharp turn in both directions. Just a few yards west of these landmarks is a hidden
03:39rustic road. There is a clearing within the entry of this road for parking. There is a beaten footpath
03:51that follows along South Shore Road which connects the landmarks and the rustic road. After you
04:02have parked your vehicle, you must follow the rustic road by foot. The forest on both
04:11sides is private property. The road is named Old Stage Drive. You will see stone walls on
04:23each side of the road placed there by those who built it many many years ago. After you have passed a
04:32building to your right, the road will become very rugged. There may be wet areas along this road even during dry
04:44seasons. You will once again passed a building to your right. When you do, the road will narrow to a footpath.
04:56Follow this path till you reach a stream. You will then find a bridge to cross, that is, if the stream hasn't flooded it away.
05:12After crossing the stream, you will find the footpath going up a hill. Near the top of this hill, the path will turn left.
05:24You might see rusty metal discs nailed to trees as markers for the path. It is possible that you will run
05:38into trees that have fallen across the path. Eventually, you will come upon a clearing.
05:46Where we're located here along Colonel Peck's trail is believed to be the location of one of the buildings on Colonel Peck's farm.
05:56Behind me, you will find areas where the wall cabin or whatever building they had used to be. There are places of stone for each corner of the building. And if you look below me, this is an old well.
06:14This is an old well that we believe was used on the farm itself.
06:22The pine needles covered path will still be easily seen. The path will soon divide into two. You will see a tree of odd shape to your left.
06:38The right of the path may have branches laid across to prevent travelers from going further.
06:46Take the path to the left. It will lead you into a thick pine forest on a hill.
06:54At the top of the hill, you will see a large stone wall surrounding the Peck's family cemetery.
07:04Lieutenant Colonel Loring Peck and his wife Jane Burke Peck
07:08Lieutenant Colonel Loring Peck and his wife Jane Burke Peck lived in
07:35Bristol, Rhode Island until May 1798 when they settled in Amenia, Dutchess County, New York.
07:50In the year 1811, Loring Peck with his son William Burke Peck purchased neighboring lands
07:59of Ebenezer and Amos Green in the town of Wells, Montgomery County, New York State near a lake
08:11called Lake Pleasant.
08:14It was there that they started a farm with his other sons George, Loring Jr., and Richard
08:23Peck.
08:27Loring Peck was a captain in the Continental Army of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1783 during
08:39the American Revolution.
08:42He was in Babcock's Rhode Island State Regiment, Lippets Rhode Island Regiment, Rhode Island
08:52State Militia Senior Class Regiment, Bristol Company Senior Class Regiment, and many more.
09:03After the war, Loring Peck became a Lieutenant Colonel of the Bristol and Timberton Rhode Island
09:11Regiment.
09:14Lieutenant Colonel Peck is believed to be the only Revolutionary War officer buried in Hamilton
09:23County, New York.
09:27Colonel Loring Peck had the title of fence viewer when Lake Pleasant became a town in 1812.
09:40He kept the title until 1819.
09:47His wife, Jane Burke Peck, passed away at the age of 70 in 1824.
09:58Colonel Peck died at the age of 90 on July 29, 1833.
10:09Colonel Loring Peck's son, Loring Peck Jr., was in the Home Guard Militia of Lake Pleasant
10:18and Wells during the War of 1812.
10:23He kept the family farm till the end of his life.
10:28He also lived with William Fish by 1850, who some believe was his son-in-law married to his
10:38daughter Juliette.
10:42Loring Peck Jr. died on May 5, 1861 at the age of 79.
10:54Selah Satcherly was a resident of Lake Pleasant.
11:00He had a wife named Mariah Dodge, two daughters and also two sons who served in the American
11:12Civil War.
11:16He was a farmer at the age of 44 in 1850.
11:23He lived on the north side of Holmes Hill, two miles down the Old State Road, or what we
11:33now call South Shore Road.
11:38Satcherly was a trustee of School District Number 1 in 1858.
11:49In 1865, after his two daughters died of smallpox during an epidemic that plagued the region, Selah
12:03Satcherly also passed away from smallpox.
12:10His body was buried in the Peck's family cemetery under darkness.
12:17For more information on finding Lieutenant Colonel Peck's cemetery, contact our local Chamber
12:45of Commerce.
12:47If you are watching this video on YouTube, there will be a link below.
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