The Adirondack Mission of the Presbyterian Church was responsible for founding the following area churches:
Superintendents included:
Tupper Lake Free Press and Herald, June 28, 1945
Rev. Maddox Reviews Story of Growth of Adirondack Mission
Tracing the history of "the mission field nearest home", the Rev. Aaron W. Maddox told the story of the early growth of the Presbyterian Church in the Adirondack region in an address delivered Thursday before the Tupper Lake Missionary Society at the home of Mrs. Elmer Brown, 34 Second st.
After a meeting of the Presbytery of Champlain at Peru, N. Y., in September, 1889, the Saranac Lake Presbyterian Church was organized in 1890, as the first in this area. Under the direction of Richard O. McCarthy of Black Brook and Ausable Forks, superintendent of the Adirondack Mission, other churches were started at Axton, Lake Clear, Indian Carry, the Island Chapel in Upper Saranac Lake, and Brandon, and little later at Childwold, Keese Mills and Santa Clara. The latter, known as the Waverly, or "Guide Board" church, was built in 1908.
Organization of the Tupper Lake Presbyterian Church began with meetings of the congregation in the summer of 1901, in the old schoolhouse now the site of the George Shields home. The Rev. William B. Lusk, then pastor at Keese Mills and superintendent of the Adirondack Mission, was the preacher at the first meeting, but the work of ministering to the new parish was soon assumed by Mr. Maddox, later to become widely known in the North Country for his mission work among the Adirondack lumberjacks. Mr. Lusk was instrumental in the building of the Piercefield Presbyterian Church in 1900.
The first Presbyterian Church building in Tupper Lake was the old Brandon church, which was dismantled and moved to this village, about 20 miles, by rail on Nov. 10, 1901 at a cost of $400. It is still in use today as the Presbyterian manse. The pulpit of the original church is also still in use, at the Sunmount facility. The church was formally organized in 1905, when 28 charter members were enrolled.
Tupper Lake Free Press, July 18, 1946
Services at Indian Carry, Island Chapel
Services have begun for the summer season at the Adirondack Mission churches at Indian Carry and Island Chapel in Upper Saranac Lake, and will continue until September 1st.
The Rev. H. N. Van Derbeck will conduct services at the Island Chapel at 11 a.m. on Sundays, and at Indian Carry at 3:30 p.m. All campers and summer residents of that'area are invited to attend.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, September 3, 1999
Lake Clear News
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Many years ago there was the Harrietstown Presbyterian Church located at the top of Harrietstown Hill, the Lake Clear Presbyterian Church located in Lake Clear, and the St. Regis Presbyterian Church located on the Keeses Mill Road.
The Harrietstown Church was closed and sold and in its place a new church was built in Gabriels. This one being the Gabriels Presbyterian Church.
These three churches shared one minister for their worship services. Then the Gabriels Presbyterian Church was closed and in 1986 the St. Regis Presbyterian Church and the Lake Clear Presbyterian Church became incorporated as the Adirondack Presbyterian Church which now serves Lake Clear Presbyterian Church and St. Regis Presbyterian Church.
The original manse was next to the St. Regis Church. That was sold in June of 1981.
In 1986 a new modular home to serve as the manse was erected on the hill behind the Lake Clear Presbyterian Church.
In the spring of 1897 with the arrival of Rev. William B. Lusk to Paul Smiths, marked the beginning of church services for the guides and their families in the Keeses Mill schoolhouse.
