This weekend we hosted some special guests for a great presentation and house tour! CJ Moore and Nancy Broermann published the book, "Maria Longworth Storer: from Music and Art to Popes and Presidents" this spring, and we were happy to have them present about their research! They discovered that the Longworth-Nichols-Storer family had many connections to TB, Saranac Lake, and Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau while researching the life of the fascinating woman who founded Rookwood Pottery. After their presentation, we toured Highland Manor on Park Avenue, which was the home of Maria's son, Dr. Joseph Nichols. Dr. Nichols came to Saranac Lake to work for Dr. Trudeau after curing from TB.

On Sunday, our Museum Administrator Chessie took CJ and Nancy to visit the grave of Dr. Nichols and his wife, Mary, and to see the WWI Memorial where Mary is listed for her work overseas. A great time was had by all, and everyone learned a lot, so we want to thank CJ and Nancy for sharing their research with us, as well as Kathy and Ralph Bonavist for their hospitality.

We will soon have copies of "Maria Longworth Storer" for sale in our gift shop!

Today marks the 94th anniversary of the death of Christy Mathewson, who died in Saranac Lake after an unsuccessful battle against tuberculosis. Mathewson was one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time, and was among the "First Five" inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. To learn more about Mathewson's career and time in Saranac Lake, visit our wiki.

Thanks to Jim Clark for always honoring Christy's memory and for sharing this card from his collection.

[Historic Saranac Lake Digital Collection, TCR # 436]

Historic Saranac Lake members and interested future members are invited to HSL's Annual Meeting at 7PM on Wednesday, November 6. This year's meeting will feature a presentation on the history of Paul Smith's Hotel and College from Neil Surprenant. Copies of the book, "Images of America: Paul Smith's Hotel and College," are available for purchase in our gift shop. The Annual Meeting will also feature a brief meeting of the general membership to confirm our new board members and executive committee. This meeting will take place in the John Black Room at the Saranac Laboratory Museum.

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.]