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Image of the week: National Cat Month

8/30/2022

22 Comments

 
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Image of the week: September is National Cat Month, and we're definitely celebrating over here at Historic Saranac Lake! This photograph of Caroline, a tuberculosis patient in the early 1920s, was captioned, "the little-little kitten is Betty. The other one is Buck." Which kitten do you think is Betty, "the little-little" one? Happy National Cat Month to felines past and present!


[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2022.20.4. Gift of C. A. Orso.]
22 Comments

Image of the Week: National Dog Month

8/2/2022

14 Comments

 
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August is National Dog Month, so why not take your best friend out for an adventure? This unidentified dog and his human companion were in search of the finest fish Lake Flower had to offer!​​ We don't know if they caught anything though...


[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, TCR 344. Gift of Anna Ferree.]

14 Comments

Image of the Week: 96 years ago...

7/26/2022

17 Comments

 
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This week marks an important moment in Saranac Lake history! The original wooden Harrietstown Town Hall burned down in a spectacular blaze in the wee hours of July 27, 1926. The building was most likely built in 1882, on land sold to the town by Van Buren Miller. The basement housed the village police office and lockup, and a fire broke out in the cell room around 1AM. Two men in the police lockup were badly burned, and one other died of his injuries. In addition to housing the town offices, the original building was also home to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and the Saranac Lake Odd Fellows Lodge rooms. Damage was estimated at about $75,000, and included the loss of valuable town records and the only complete set of the then-32-year run of the Enterprise.

Learn more on our wiki.

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2022.17.8.14. Gift of the Rice/Duquette Families.]
17 Comments

Image of the Week: Christmas in July

7/19/2022

12 Comments

 
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This hot weather calls for Christmas in July! This image of the former 69 Park Avenue the day after Christmas was taken by TB patient and photographer Edward L. Gockeler. Gockeler lived in this cure cottage in the 1920s. We feel better already just looking at all that snow!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, TCR 372.]
12 Comments

Image of the week: summer picnic!

7/13/2022

9 Comments

 
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Image of the Week: This photograph shows Trudeau Sanatorium patients Jim, Jerry, Rita, Randy, Maria, and Frances having a "picnic on one of the islands," c. 1946. Patients often explored the area, on foot, by car, and even by boat when their doctors and health allowed. This photograph was taken by patient Betty Kelly while curing in the Schiff Cottage in the late 1940s.

Together, let's make history! If you're enjoying these images of the week, please consider becoming a member of Historic Saranac Lake. So much is happening here at the museum, and we want you to be a part of it! As a member of Historic Saranac Lake, your involvement matters so much. We invite you to share your ideas as we plan for the expansion of the museum into the Trudeau Building. And please mark your calendar for our Membership Party on Monday, July 25. Head to our membership page to find out more about our organization and join as a member!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2022.9.1.15.1. Gift of Betty Kelly Gaffney.]
9 Comments

Image of the Week: The Smile that Won't Come off!

7/6/2022

7 Comments

 
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Summer is in full swing, so we’re thinking about getting out on the trails. These Saranac Lake high schoolers went on a hike with a picnic up Whiteface Mountain sometime around 1905. The group included classmates of Blanche Smith, who later went on to a career in nursing. We know that being out in nature this summer will give you a “smile that won’t come off!”

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2022.2.10.6. Gift of W. Dean Carrier.]

7 Comments

Image of the Week: No bugs!

6/28/2022

12 Comments

 
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Black flies and mosquitoes have long bugged the residents of Saranac Lake, so maybe we should take some inspiration from the past to beat them! This patient at Trudeau Sanatorium used a net over his cure chair to enjoy some relaxation on the porch of Trudeau Cottage without any pesky bug bites. Sounds good to us!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, TCR 284. Gift of Trudeau Institute.]
12 Comments

Image of the WeeK: Summer Boating

6/21/2022

7 Comments

 
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Summer is here! Have you gotten out on the water yet? Why not try a little water skiing, like these folks taking part in the Lake Flower Regatta in 1930. The Saranac Lake Boys' Club, built along Pontiac Bay in 1914, is visible just behind the trees at the left-hand side of the shoreline.

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2022.17.8.95. Gift of the Duquette/Rice Families.]
7 Comments

Image of the Week: Summer Vacation

6/14/2022

5 Comments

 
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Summer vacation is almost here; are you planning any trips? Paul Smith's Hotel was a major destination for summering in the area from 1859 to the 1930s. The hotel started as a rustic retreat for wealthy male "sports," but eventually grew to be one of the most fashionable accommodations in the Adirondacks. This photograph shows the hotel at its peak in the 1910s when it had 255 rooms, with a boathouse with quarters for sixty guides, stables, casino, bowling alley, and a wire to the New York Stock Exchange. The advent of the motor car meant that more people could make the trip up to the Adirondacks, but the hotel was also eventually served by its own private electric train from Lake Clear. Happy trails!

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2022.17.4.4. Gift of Suzanne Rice.]
5 Comments

Image of the week: Fishing and Boating

6/7/2022

6 Comments

 
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It's National Fishing and Boating Week! Where are you getting out to paddle or cast a line? This image comes from the scrapbook of TB patient and later Saranac Lake mayor, Eddy Whitby.

[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, 2020.1.1.81. Gift of Randall Baldwin.]
6 Comments
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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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​© 2023 Historic Saranac Lake. All Rights Reserved. Historic photographs from Historic Saranac Lake Collection, unless otherwise noted. Copy and reuse restrictions apply. ​
  • Visit
  • Events
    • CHAPEL LIGHTS
  • About
    • Visit
    • Historic Saranac Lake
    • The Museum
    • Trudeau Building >
      • Contractor Portal 2023
    • 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