Today's TOTALLY 1880s moment is another important one in the history of tuberculosis research in Saranac Lake! In 1885, Dr. Edward L. Trudeau grew the tubercule bacilli in his home laboratory; this made him the first person to do so in the United States! His work was based on the groundbreaking report on the discovery of the bacterial cause of tuberculosis published by Dr. Robert Koch in Germany in 1882.
Dr. Trudeau is pictured here more than a decade later at work in his office in the Saranac Laboratory. The Saranac Laboratory was built after a fire in Dr. Trudeau's home laboratory burned down the entire house in 1893. Learn more about the important career of Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau on our wiki.
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Today’s TOTALLY 1880s moment is a BIG (or little?!) one! Little Red, the first cure cottage at Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium (later renamed Trudeau Sanatorium), was built in 1884! The facility officially opened the next year; this marked the beginning of a 70-year history of patients coming from all over the world to seek a cure for tuberculosis. Little Red has survived as a symbol of the work begun by Dr. E. L. Trudeau and the legacy of the tuberculosis industry in Saranac Lake. Have you visited Little Red? You can take tours with us in the summer months! Learn more about its history on our wiki. We’re halfway through our TOTALLY 1880s features and halfway through Winter Carnival! What will the next 5 days bring?
We're going TOTALLY 1880s all week long! Today's highlight is the Spaulding Block, which was the first brick building in Saranac Lake, and was built in 1882! The Spaulding block was located on the corner of Main and River Streets, and its three stories played host to an assortment of stores, offices, and apartments while one of the upstairs halls also served as the Catholic Church prior to the building of St. Bernard's. The Spaulding block was torn down in 1955 for the expansion of a gas station at the intersection.
Learn more about the Spaulding Block, including several tragic events, on our wiki. Stick around to hear about an 1883 birthday tomorrow! Time for another TOTALLY 1880s Saranac Lake history moment! The Linwood Cottage was built in 1881. It was built for Arvilla Blood, the only sister of Orlando Blood. Orlando owned Blood's Hotel, later known as the Riverside Inn. Linwood Cottage was later used as a boarding cottage, but was unfortunately torn down in 1953. It originally stood on the site of the current-day Main Street parking lot.
Is everyone having a great Winter Carnival? Tomorrow we've got another blast from the past--that is, 1882! Learn more about Linwood Cottage on our wiki. Winter Carnival kicks off today, so we're going Totally '80s... TOTALLY 1880s, that is!!!
The Franklin County Library on Main Street was built in 1880! The plot was purchased from Milo Miller for $25, and the library held 400 books. It was the predecessor of the Saranac Lake Free Library, and the building later became Gibney's Market, and even later Post Office Pharmacy. Stay tuned, we'll be sharing a different person, place, or event for every year of the 1880s for all 10 days of Carnival! Tomorrow... TOTALLY 1881! Happy 125th Winter Carnival, everyone! Historic Saranac Lake is seeking applicants for a Museum Assistant. The Museum Assistant will help with the care and management of the museum’s collections, including digitization, rehousing, and reference work. This is a term position of 15.5 months, to assist with increased research requests and donations over the last two years. Training will be provided as needed. The Museum Assistant will report to the Archivist / Curator. This position is currently open and will start as soon as possible. Applications must be received by Monday, February 14.
Get all of the details, and find out how to apply on our jobs page. February is Black History Month, so we want to share the stories of some of the Black residents of Saranac Lake throughout the years! Sadie Hall (pictured at right, with Gisele Vicino) owned the Hall Cottage on Margaret Street with her husband Bill. It was possibly one of the cure cottages in Saranac Lake that catered only to Black patients. While Black patients could stay at some of the integrated sanatoria and cure cottages in the area, there were a handful of cure cottages open exclusively to Black health-seekers. The Halls were known for their elaborate meals, and the whole neighborhood was welcome at their table. Sadie died in Saranac Lake in 1966 after many years in the village.
[Historic Saranac Lake Collection, courtesy of Dawn Richardson.] 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. 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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