Beaver dam failure blamed for business damaging flood in Lake George

A flood on the night of Friday, May 16 caused damage to Whippoorwill Motel and Campsites, Ledge Rock Hill Winery, and Lake George Electric Bike Rentals, all owned by the Morgan family.

Connor Morgan, manager and part owner of the Route 9 businesses, told The Chronicle the flood caused extensive damage to the campground’s buildings and roadways. The bike rental building also was flooded and bikes were lost, and “the winery lost thousands of dollars in wine inventory and supplies, all stored in the tasting rooms basement, which flooded completely,” he said.

Mr. Morgan said the flood happened at 9:30 p.m. and continued until 3 a.m.

He said it was caused by “a beaver dam that failed” followed by a culvert that “could not handle the amount of water, so it overflowed directly into the winery and campground.”

The businesses persevered. A Whippoorwill Facebook post announced they would be open for Memorial Day and gave a shout out to a list of people “that dropped everything to bring equipment, labor, food and wisdom.”

“We rebuilt everything at great cost but were able to reopen for Memorial Day weekend,” Mr. Morgan told The Chronicle.

“You all have made this hardship more manageable,” the Facebook post said.

Copyright © 2025 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved