DONATE TO OUR COLLECTION

We welcome your donations to our collection! Please read about the scope of our collection below, and use the form at left to tell us more about your object(s). We do not purchase objects for the collection except in exceptional circumstances, and we do not accept donations left at the museum anonymously. Please read our collections policies for more information on access and use of our collections. If you have questions or concerns about a possible collections donation, please contact Chessie Monks-Kelly, Museum Administrator. 

What We Collect

Historic Saranac Lake collects printed and manuscript materials, maps, photographs, film, video and audio tapes, paintings, artifacts, ephemera, and other items which were created in, used in, or related to the Saranac Lake area, as defined by Saranac Lake Central School District.

Areas of Particular Interest:

• The tuberculosis industry in Saranac Lake, c. 1884-1954, including doctors, scientists, patients, caregivers, and others involved in the industry.
• The Saranac Laboratory and its body of scientific research and publications.
• The life and work of Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau and his descendants.
• Patients who came to Saranac Lake for tuberculosis treatment..
• The architecture of Saranac Lake, especially its cure cottages.
• Saranac Lake’s Union Depot and railroads.
• The Bela Bartok Cabin and Bela Bartok’s time in Saranac Lake.
• Daily Life in Saranac Lake and the surrounding communities (as defined by the school district).

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What We do NOT Collect

​We do not collect materials on the general history of the Adirondacks, the history of communities outside of the Saranac Lake Central School District, or TB treatment in other locations, except in cases where they belonged to or relate to notable persons or events in the Saranac Lake area. This is intended to reduce redundancy with collections of other local institutions with more appropriate collections scope and expertise.

View a sample deed of gift - this form is required for all collections donations.