The Mill Pond dam- the only remains left of the Ironworks.
The first settlers of the area were a family known as the Bennetts. They settled in 1800 and soon drew around 200 more settlers over the next ten years. In 1811, the Elba Iron and Steel Manufacturing Co. built a large ironworks complex that brought workers and economic prosperity to the area. The Ironworks was a huge supplier for the government in the War of 1812. The Ironworks only lasted for six years, shutting down in 1817 with a destructible cold summer. The close of the Ironworks almost destroyed the community with only seven settlers remaining. The area picked up again when Gerritt Smith ( a wealthy land owner) gave land in North Elba to freed blacks. After the Civil War the population rose and Lake Placid became a booming community.
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