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HISTORIC SARANAC LAKE
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Honoring John Black's 125th Birthday

1/28/2022

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Improvements to the bookcases in the John Black Room.
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Ken of Gochenaur Construction working on updates to the bookcases.
Today marks John Baxter Black's 125th birthday, and what better way to mark the occasion than with improvements to the John Black Room Library! We are working to return this room to its original use as a library and meeting space, and have just finished modifying the built-in bookcases to safely house the museum's book collections and make them visible to the public. The addition of security bars and plexiglass-enclosed display shelves and cases will protect the important volumes in our collection while allowing museum visitors and researchers to explore our book holdings. This space will also host small-scale rotating exhibits, including our current Pandemic Perspectives Exhibit.

This wing of the Laboratory was dedicated in John's memory by his family, following his death in 1923. About ten years ago, we hosted a visit from John's nephews, John and Peter Black. Pleased to see the lasting legacy of their family in Saranac Lake, John and Peter generously supported our work to restore the laboratory and open it as a museum. The modern improvements to the John Black Room are made possible by a generous grant from the Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation Fund of the Richland County Foundation. We are grateful for the Foundation's ongoing support, which allows us to preserve the legacy of John Black in Saranac Lake. 

Our thanks to Ken of Gochenaur Construction for his careful execution of our vision for this space. Stay tuned for more news on improvements to the room, and our work with our book collection!

For more about the legacy of John Black in Saranac Lake, visit our website.
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Portrait of John Baxter Black in Saranac Lake.
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Photograph of the John Black Room in the 1947.
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The John Black Room with updated bookcases and the Pandemic Perspectives Exhibit.
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Friday Link: The Latest from Dick Monroe!

1/21/2022

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PictureGlasses made by Dick Monroe out of historic bottles.
We have loved following Dick Monroe’s adventures in bottle diving, so here’s the latest update! Dick has been experimenting with making drinking/cocktail glasses out of damaged historic bottles that he discovers while diving. Check out his latest piece in the Adirondack Almanack to follow along!
Dick’s support has been tremendous for helping us care for our collections; we can’t say thank you enough! If you missed the original sale on Collins Brothers bottles, you’re in luck! There are just a few bottles left for sale on our website. All of the funds go to purchase supplies to house and care for our collections.

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Tuberculosis Thursday: Thank you Nurses!

1/20/2022

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Saturday is National Hug a Nurse Day, so who better to celebrate this Tuberculosis Thursday than the nurses who worked with TB patients in Saranac Lake! This photograph shows the 1931 graduating class of the nursing school at Trudeau Sanatorium.

The D. Ogden Mills Training School for Nurses started in 1912 to train former patients as nurses, with the idea that they would less susceptible to illness, and had an understanding of the experience of curing.

Thank you to nurses past and present for all of your hard work!

Learn more about the Training School on our wiki.

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, TCR 582. Courtesy of Jan Dudones.]

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Image of the Week: Happy Anniversary, Hotel Saranac!

1/18/2022

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Did you know that this week marks the fourth anniversary of the re-opening of Hotel Saranac? Time flies, but this c. 1930s postcard shows that their historic facade looks as good as the day it was built! We wish them many more years making history in Saranac Lake!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection.]
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Image of the Week: Bundle UP!

1/11/2022

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It's REALLY cold, so be sure to bundle up before you hang out with your friends outside! These unidentified tuberculosis patients are wearing fashionable fur coats, which were popular with patients because they spent most of their days out on cure porches, regardless of the weather. Socializing was an important part of keeping the patients' spirits up!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2021.6.16. Courtesy of Karen Lewis and Beth Glover.
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Thank you Madden's!

1/10/2022

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We're sending a HUGE thank you to Bill Madden and the crew at Madden's Transfer & Storage for moving our offices out of the Trudeau Building and into the Saranac Laboratory Museum last week. We appreciate all your hard work and ongoing support! We're clearing out the building so we can get started on construction soon, so stay tuned for a big update on the project!

Did you know that Madden's is the longest-running business here Saranac Lake? The original delivery business was started in 1898 by the first William Madden, who hauled goods to and from Union Depot. It became Madden's Transfer and Storage in 1914, and the family eventually purchased the curling club property in 1944. The business is still located there today! Learn more about the history of Madden's on our wiki: https://localwiki.org/hsl/Madden%27s_Transfer_and_Storage
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Image of the Week: Tobogganing!

1/5/2022

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The moment before takeoff on the toboggan run near Petrova School, c. 1920s. This toboggan run was in operation near Petrova before the LaPan Highway to Tupper Lake was built. The run was open to the public, and was described in a 1935 letter from TB patient William Treybal to his daughter Marian, "you [...] would get quite a thrill going down on it." 

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection.] 
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Historic Saranac Lake at the Saranac Laboratory Museum
​89 Church Street, Suite 2, Saranac Lake, New York 12983
​(518) 891-4606 - mail@historicsaranaclake.org ​
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Historic Saranac Lake is funded in part by:
  • the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature;
  • a Humanities New York SHARP Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal American Rescue Plan Act;
  • an Essex County Arts Council Cultural Assistance Program Grant supported by the Essex County Board of Supervisors.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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​© 2021 Historic Saranac Lake. All Rights Reserved. Historic photographs courtesy of the Adirondack Room, Saranac Lake Free Library, unless otherwise noted. Copy and reuse restrictions apply. ​
  • Visit
  • Events
  • About
    • Visit
    • Historic Saranac Lake
    • The Museum
    • Trudeau Building
    • PRESS Room
    • History Matters Blog
  • Research
    • Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Local Wiki
    • Resources
    • HISTORY MATTERS Blog
  • Projects
    • Trudeau Building
    • Architectural Preservation
    • Collections
    • The Bartok Cabin
    • Oral History Project
    • Cure Porch on Wheels
    • School Outreach
    • Special Exhibits >
      • Pandemic Perspectives
  • Support Us
  • Contact
  • Museum Store