By: Jennifer Tufano
In many ways, history is about “stuff”. This stuff can come from many places including basements, attics, boathouses, camps, barns, fields and sometimes, from the dump. Working at the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society, we joke about hearing over and over that an object came to us because we were “the last stop before the dump.”
Now, I could look at this situation from many different viewpoints and perhaps feel badly that we were so far down the totem pole of final resting places for stuff. Rather, I feel lucky to have the opportunity to talk to someone about their before-the-dump donation and express just how valuable a particular item is to our collection and the story of Lake Placid and North Elba. I’m proud that we’re a stop before the dump because once objects reach the dump, that’s it: Valuable stories and history are lost forever.
Hard as it is to believe on this beautiful July day, soon the time will come when many summer residents close up seasonal properties for the winter. If you are one of those people and find yourself beginning to set things aside to discard before leaving your summer place, please take a moment to think if any of those items tell a story about our beautiful town and village. If so, or if you’re not sure, give us a ring or stop by. After all, if it happened here, it has value. This being said, there have been several interesting donations made to the historical society over the past couple months and I wanted to share just a sampling with you.
Peg Beebe stopped by some time ago with an adorable tan, suede bag with a leather drawstring top. Inside were keys, keys, and more keys! In total there were twenty-four keys of various sizes, colors, and shapes made to fit different styles and types of doors. Unlike the plastic swipe cards of today’s hotels, these keys smell of brass, weigh heavy in your hand, and have no chance of getting mixed up with your credit cards. They are beautiful and unique. Before coming to the museum, she was told that no one would want these keys. We sure did!
Paul Otenti, a volunteer for the historical society, was sorting through some old records and came across an album cover supposedly containing a “Sylvania High Fidelity Phonograph
Demonstration Record.” When Paul looked inside the cover, he discovered a Kate Smith album with the songs “Wonder When My Baby’s Coming Home” and “Old Sad Eyes.” With many Kate Smith albums in our collection, we did not have this one until he brought it in.
Jim Hayes called a couple weeks ago with a plethora of Uihlein memorabilia from his time as caretaker and gardener with Henry and Mildred Uihlein up at Heaven Hill Farm. Included in his donation was a lovely original painting by Jim of an old barn on the property. He also donated several photographs and handwritten letters from Mildred. During the hour I spent with him, he shared story after story of his years with a family he loved and cherished. He wanted his stories and these mementos carried forward to be enjoyed and appreciated by others.
The very kind Mary Beth Hegeman of Wynnewood, PA sent me a large package of booklets she found while cleaning out the house of her aunt Therese McDonald who was a supporter of the LP-NEHS. Among the booklets was a publication from 1972 entitled “Our North County Heritage; Architecture Worth Saving in Clinton and Essex Counties.” Mentioned among the buildings of interest in our area were the John Brown farmhouse built in 1955 by Brown’s son-in-law Henry Thompson, Lyon Inn (now the Stagecoach Inn) on Old Military Road, the Lake Placid Railroad Station, Lake Placid Club, and Camp Joyland built c. 1902 by Victor Herbert located on Victor Herbert Road. Books like these are useful, historical reference materials and we welcome them into the collection.
Finally, Meredith Prime donated a varied collection of materials including the biography of Victor Herbert and architectural drawings of the same house I mentioned above. In addition, there is a contract signed in 1903 by Mr. Victor Herbert and Mr. Frank Branch & Co. of Keene, NY for Branch to build Herbert’s cottage in Lake Placid. The amount of the contract…$6839.50.
What a connection! I love when seemingly random items combine to fill in a story line!
In this collection is also a 1954 First Edition book of short stories titled “Adirondack Country” by William Chapman White.So there you have a small sampling of the donations that come in from around the country and from locals alike. These objects, letters, books, and photos combine to tell the story of our history and hopefully inform our future. I’d like to thank our past donors and welcome new donors to contact the historical society any time.