For today's Tuberculosis Thursday post, we want to share a nice surprise from a museum visitor this summer! Local piano player Benjamin Hundley played Béla Bartók's piece, "Evening in the Country," from the facsimile manuscript we have on display in our Art of the Cure Exhibit. He graciously shared a recording of it with us! This piece was played on the Bartok piano in the John Black Room in the Saranac Laboratory Museum; the piano  was originally located in the home next to the Bartók Cabin. Bartók's wife, Ditta, often walked next door the play the piano during the summer of 1945. The original manuscript copy of "Evening in the Country" was given to the family of Manuel H. and Pilar G. Benero by Béla Bartók in 1943. Pilar Benero was a local piano teacher who befriended Ditta and often played piano with her.

Béla Bartók was first sent to Saranac Lake for his health because his illness was thought to be a recurrence of the tuberculosis he struggled with as a young man; he was later diagnosed with leukemia. Unfortunately, Bartók's time in Saranac Lake was not successful in treating his illness, and he died in New York City on September 26, 1945.

Click above to hear the recording of "Evening in the Country," courtesy of Benjamin Hundley.

To learn more about Bartók's time in Saranac Lake, visit our wiki!

[Image: a manuscript copy of "Evening in the Country," 1943, courtesy of the family of Manuel H. and Pilar G. Benero.]

This past Sunday, July 21, we celebrated the birthdays of two of Saranac Lake's Trudeaus -- Garry Trudeau of Doonesbury fame, and his father, Dr. Frank Trudeau, who would have turned 100. It was a great party at the museum, with members of the Trudeau Family and special guests. Our thanks to Trudeau Institute for co-hosting the event with us. We will share more photographs soon, stay tuned!

Are you/do you know a high school student interested in local history? Historic Saranac Lake is looking for high school students for a paid summer internship! Interns should be friendly, energetic, and interested in Saranac Lake history. Interns will greet visitors and assist with special projects.

Internships are approximately 10-12 hrs/wk, at $12/hr. These positions are made possible by the Ralph Kelly Educational Fund, supported by Kay and Marvin Best.

Click the button below to learn more and apply! Applications are due by FRIDAY JUNE 15!

Not sure which postcard you want to send for National Postcard Week? How about an entire book of Saranac Lake scenes?! This folio of 18 postcards includes scenes of skiing, dogsledding, and boating, as well as images of Hotel Saranac, Saranac Inn, downtown Saranac Lake, Lower Saranac Lake, and Fish Creek Campground (among others!). It was printed in 1938, and cost 1.5 cents to mail.

There’s lots of Saranac Lake area history to explore on our wiki, so take a trip over and search for your favorite subjects!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, TCR # 269]

Today’s sunshine and blue skies reminded us of this next National Postcard Week pick! This linen postcard shows a scene of summer fun at the Saranac Inn. This large, luxurious hotel was originally built as the Prospect House in 1864 at the northern end of Upper Saranac Lake. The Prospect House was a small hotel that accommodated 15 guests. Eventually it grew to fit 100 guests, and in 1886 was purchased by an investment group headed by Dr. Samuel B. Ward, who renamed it Saranac Inn and renovated and enlarged the hotel.

In 1916 the hotel was purchased by the owner of the Harrington Hotel in Washington, DC, who completely rebuilt the structure, adding two stories, elevators, and a private bath in each room. It underwent further enlargement in the 1920s, and noted Saranac Lake architect William G. Distin was responsible for much of the design work. At its height, between the enlarged main hotel and the many lakeside cottages and platform tents favored by some guests, it could accommodate a thousand guests.

Unfortunately, after the Great Depression, the hotel’s business suffered and ownership changed hands many times. It was eventually sold off piecemeal at auction, and in the mid-1970s, the main hotel was disassembled for salvage. Finally, on June 17, 1978, a spectacular seven-hour fire destroyed what was left. A small collection of cottages that grew up around the Inn (the first dozen were built by the Inn owners) still exists today.

In its heyday, the Saranac Inn played host to Presidents Grover Cleveland (on his honeymoon!) and Chester A. Arthur, as well as New York Governors Charles Evan Hughes and Al Smith. To read more about the extensive history of this luxury hotel, see more photograph, and read letters sent from the Saranac Inn, visit our wiki!