Gabriels

Gabriels, nestled in the town of Brighton within Franklin County, New York, lies within the picturesque Adirondack Park, near Paul Smiths. Initially centered around the Gabriels Sanatorium, founded in 1897 by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy on land donated by Paul Smith and W. Seward Webb, the hamlet has evolved over time. Once owned by Paul Smith’s College, the site transitioned to the Department of Corrections in 1982, housing Camp Gabriels until its closure in 2009. Named after Henry Gabriels, former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg, both the sanatorium and the hamlet flourished as the commercial heart of the region, supported by a train depot serving the Adirondack Division of the New York Central line. While the station’s closure in 1961 marked a shift, Gabriels still thrives today as the vibrant commercial nucleus of Brighton, boasting a post office, local businesses, a Catholic church, and pastoral farms.