William Madden Born: 1851
Died: 1926
Married: Bridget Murray
Children: William F. Madden, Sr.
William H. Madden was the first of four William Maddens (to date) to live in Saranac Lake. He was one of six brothers who immigrated from Ireland, landing in Montreal and walking to Jay, New York, where they settled, according to his grandson. Seeking better business opportunities, William Madden moved to Saranac Lake, where he began a delivery business that has grown to become Madden's Transfer and Storage.* He built a house for his family at 16 Church Street, on the northeast corner of Church and Helen Street, in 1889. He and his wife had a son they named William F. Madden; he became William F. Madden, Sr. His son William F. Madden, Jr., known as Bill, still operates the moving business. Bill's son, William Madden III, also called Bill, served as mayor of Saranac Lake from 1987 to 1994.
* "Madden's Transfer and Storage dates to 1898, when William Madden, Sr. [sic: no, plain William Madden, Sr.'s father] started hauling goods and materials from the train station on Depot Street to local stores. [Madden's business] was originally located on Broadway but later moved to the area where Pendragon Theatre is now. In 1944, the family purchased the Curling Club property on River Street, now the current site of Madden's Garage, and later acquired property on LaPan Highway where Madden's Transfer and Storage is now located."
Source
- Knight, Chris, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, "Village salutes businesses, launches business initiative," May 11, 2011.
