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Island Chapel

Island Chapel

Interdenominational Services

Upper Saranac Lake


In 1889, three lawyers from Plattsburgh purchased a one acre island in the southern end of Upper Saranac Lake with a commitment to build a chapel for Christian worship there within a year. Island Chapel, on Chapel Island, began as a Presbyterian mission served by legendary “lumberjack sky pilot” Rev. Aaron Maddox and has held interdenominational Sunday services each July and August since 1890.


The first chapel, a small Victorian structure, burned in 1956 and was re- placed shortly after with the present structure. All who attend arrive by boat, including many on the chapel-owned Chapel Bound, a pontoon boat that de- parts from Indian Carry. The chapel is a popular spot for weddings and other summer gatherings.

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