1906 Murder in the Adirondacks
of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette
Exhibit during Winter of 2005 through the Autumn of 2006

Grace Brown	Chester Gillette

The Town of Webb Historical Association's new exhibit for the winter of 2005 - through the summer of 2006 is dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the murder of Grace Brown by her lover Chester Gillette at Big Moose Lake in the Town of Webb. Many people have been fascinated with this story. Chester Gillette, a prep school graduate, met Grace Brown, a farmer's daughter, in 1905 while they were both employed at a skirt factory in Cortland, New York owned by Chester's uncle. Their relationship was kept secret from most of their friends and family. In 1906 Grace discovered that she was pregnant and shortly thereafter she and Chester embarked on a trip to the Adirondacks which Grace assumed was to be their wedding trip. At Big Moose Lake, in the Town of Webb, Herkimer County, Chester rented a boat at the Glennmore Hotel and rowed to a secluded location in South Bay. Chester and Grace and the boat never returned to the hotel that night. Grace's body was found the next day at the bottom of the lake and Chester was arrested in nearby Inlet two days later. Following a month long trial at the Herkimer County Courthouse, Gillette was convicted of the crime, based on circumstantial evidence, transferred to the NYS Correctional Facility at Auburn, NY, and executed in an electric chair in 1908. The trial captured the attention of the whole country at the time and was later immortalized in a novel by Theodore Dreiser entitled "An American Tragedy."

The Exhibit premiere was held on December 4th, 2005 (1pm-4pm) at the Town of Webb Historical Association's annual Victorian Holiday Open-House. Contact the Historical at 315.369.3838, or by email to Gail Murray, Director, for additional details.

Many events will take place in the region during summer of 1906. Below is a list of links for additional information:

• "An American Tragedy" - Novel which made the trial famous, by Theodore Dreiser - a review

• Dunn's Boat Livery Historic Tours - website

• Herkimer County Historical Society - Herkimer County Jail & Courthouse Information

• The History of Grace Brown - by Kristina Stiles

• Brandon, Craig. Murder in the Adirondacks. Utica, New York: North Country Books, Inc., 1986, 1995

• The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York - Transcript of the Court of Appeals Trial

• Sharon's Memoir of the "Fatal Journey" - by a Gillette descendent

• Utica Observer Dispatch Comprehensive 100th Anniversary Article & calendar of 2006 events. 

Additional Photos & Events coming soon - Please check back.

Contact the Director Gail Murray if you have stories to share.

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Last Updated: June 3, 2006