Visit Big Moose Lake In New York, The Inspiration For A Place In The Sun
By Lea Monroe|Published September 02, 2019
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Lea Monroe
Author
Writer for Only In Your State. Scribbling about all things New York and Buffalo related while also keeping you updated on the latest travel news! Inquiries: Lmonroe@onlyinyourstate.com
If you’re one of the many New Yorkers that love to go exploring up north in the Adirondack Mountains, you may already be familiar with Big Moose Lake and the scenic small towns that surround its shores. Along the lake, you can find gems like Big Moose Inn – a quirky waterfront restaurant that’s a popular spot to dine at. One thing you may not know about this body of water is that it was actually where a famous murder took place, a tale so eerie it would go on to inspire novels and films. If you’ve yet to hear the tale of Grace Brown, let us tell you all about it.
When it comes to the Adirondack Mountains, you may be well-versed in the Olympic history that lies within Lake Placid, but have you heard about the murder that happened out on Big Moose Lake back in 1906?
Starring big-time actors and actresses like Elizabeth Taylor, the 1951 film A Place In The Sun was inspired by Grace Brown's untimely death in Upstate New York.
Raised on a dairy farm in New York's Otselic Valley, Grace Brown always aspired to escape her small-town life and once she was old enough she did just that by making the move out to Cortland.
While Grace had always longed for something more, ultimately it would be her move out to Cortland that would lead to a series of unfortunate events for her. After she made the move, she began working at the Gillette Skirt Factory where she would come to unknowingly meet her future murderer.
While working at the factory, Grace Brown would begin a secret relationship with the factory owner's son - Chester Gillette. As a successful and handsome young man in town, sadly Chester felt that Grace, as a factory worker, wasn't suitable to join his well-known family.
After the relationship continued on behind closed doors, Grace would eventually make the mistake of telling Chester that she was pregnant with his child during the summer of 1906 in an apparent attempt to persuade him to marry her.
Once Chester heard the news from Grace, he then took matters into his own hands. Since Grace had went back to live with her parents after bringing the pregnancy to light, Chester not too long after invited Grace on a getaway up to the Adirondack Mountains.
Filled with excitement over the idea that Chester could possibly be proposing on this trip, Grace joined Chester out on Big Moose Lake - together renting a boat during the July 1906. Tragically, Chester's only intention for this trip was to murder Grace and any evidence of their relationship ever existing.
When the boat was never returned back to the man the young couple had rented it from, a search party went underway out onto the late, where Grace's body and the capsized boat were quickly discovered. Chester Gillette had taken a tennis racket and hit Grace over the head, knocking her into the water and murdering her, and after, fleeing the scene.
Not too long after, the boy was found hiding in a local hotel room, initially denying to even know who Grace Brown was. After his arrest, Chester Gillette's trial began where letters between himself and Grace were unveiled to all. In 1908, Chester was found guilty and executed in Auburn Prison.
Did you realize that the old movie A Place In The Sun was inspired by this true-life tale? If you’ve ever watched a film or read a book inspired by a true-life New York event, be sure to share it with us in the comments!
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