Adirondacks

Adirondacks Goes To War: 1861-1865

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Understanding and appreciating the events of the Civil War will come alive the weekend of September 9-11 in North Creek (Johnsburg, Warren County, NY in the Adirondacks) as the Johnsburg Historical Society commemorates the 150th anniversary of the start of that war in 1861.

Saturday, September 10th at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, September 11th at 2:00 pm local author Glenn L. Pearsall will present “Johnsburg Goes to War: 1861-1865” in the auditorium of the Tannery Pond Community Center. During this special two hour “one man show” with extras, Glenn will share his two years worth of research on the 125 men from Johnsburg who went off to war.

Pearsall’s talk will feature over 100 historic photographs including some pictures of those men from Johnsburg and the places they fought as they look today. Re-enactors in uniform will read from the diaries and journals that Pearsall has discovered to give a real sense of what the war meant to small Adirondack hamlets like Johnsburg in 1861. His talk will cover army life in the 22nd, 93rd, 96th and 118th NY Regiments who recruited men from Warren, Washington, Clinton and Essex Counties here in the Adirondacks.

From August 26 to September 21st the Widlund Gallery of Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek will feature a display of pictures of some of the men from Johnsburg who went off to war including historical photographs, period flags and a display on Mathew Brady, noted Civil War photographer born in Johnsburg.

On September 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on September 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. a dramatic living history re-enactment will take place at the town Ski Bowl on NYS Rt 28. (The re-enactors will not be open for business Friday). Several professional re-enactment groups will represent the lives of men in the 118th NY, the 123rd NY, 95th NY and 76th NY. The park’s ideal location offers spacious grounds, fresh water, restrooms, and ample parking.

Jim Hunt, contact for the re-enactors, indicates that “The camp setup will be a living history. All items used are authentic reproductions. We will camp in canvas tents, cook over an open fire and dress in period correct attire. We will converse with the public and answer questions about life 150 years ago. We will have display items for people to look at and touch. We will conduct ourselves in camp as they would have done. We will do firing demonstrations all day long so people can see and hear what a musket sounds like. The public will be able to hold the muskets but not fire them. We will conduct a military drill and manual of arms (probably at 1:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) and we will be having a Civil War wedding. This will be an actual wedding of two of our members. The camp will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sunday.”

For more information or to reserve a ticket for Glenn Pearsall’s program on either Saturday at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday at 2 p.m., call 518-251-5788 and leave a message. Tickets must be picked up by ten minutes before the programs. Adult tickets are $10 and children’s tickets are $6 for the benefit of the Johnsburg Historical Society. This entire Civil War commemoration is made possible by the Rivendell Foundation, Stewart’s Shops and friends of the Johnsburg Historical Society.

Photo: Monument to the War Dead of the Town of Queensbury, Warren County, New York. Located at the intersection of Glen, Bay and South Streets in Glens Falls, New York.

Adirondack Museum Offer Free Days For Locals

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This year, the Adirondack Museum has introduced two new programs just for year-round Adirondack Park residents. The museum invites year-round residents of the Adirondack Park to visit free of charge every Sunday, and on all open days in May and October. Proof of residency such as a driver’s license, passport, or voter registration card is required.

The Adirondack Museum has also introduced a new &#8220Friends and Neighbors&#8221 Adirondack Park Resident Membership Program. Year-round Park residents can now enjoy all the museum has to offer every day of the season through a very special program that makes museum membership more affordable than ever before &#8211 half the regular price at the Individual, Companion, and Family

levels. Call the membership office for more information: (518) 352-7311 ext. 112 or email [email protected].

The museum is open 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., 7 days a week, including holidays, from May 27 through October 17, 2011. There will be an early closing on August 12, and adjusted hours on August 13- the museum will close for the day on September 9.

Adirondack Gilded Age Tour

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The Adirondack Region offers heritage tours, hiking, unique events and more to make the most of the fall landscape of the Adirondack Park. The Gilded Age Tour allows guests to step back in time and discover an age where captains of industry and socialites brought unimaginable luxury to New York’s vast Adirondack wilderness. This fall, you can rediscover this Adirondack history with rustic heritage events, expeditions, themed entertainment &#8211 as well as the Gilded Age Tour.

The Gilded Age Tour includes:

• A two-hour tour of Great Camp Sagamore in Raquette Lake. This National Historic Landmark, recently featured by Martha Stewart Magazine, is a 27-building estate.

• A lunch or dinner cruise on Raquette Lake aboard the W.W. Durant, a magnificent vessel name for the Gilded Age developer who once claimed one million acres of the Central Adirondacks as his own. Learn the history of the region and see elaborate camps of industrial giants Collis P. Huntington and the Carnegie family.

• A pass to the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. The Adirondack’s historical and cultural treasure center, this exceptional museum offers more than 200 years of Adirondack history, spread throughout 32 acres and offering 22 indoor and outdoor exhibits.

The Adirondack Museum showcases the collective treasures and heritage of the Adirondack Park’s history. Offering continuing education opportunities, workshops, events and annual festivals, the museum aims to engage and inspire interest in Adirondack heritage crafts through experiential exhibits.

Adirondack Heritage Events:

• 24th Annual Rustic Furniture Fair September 10-11 at the Adirondack Museum. Celebrate the refined and distinctive artisan craftsmanship found in Adirondack furnishings, furniture and paintings. Enjoy live music, demonstrations and great food throughout the two day event.

• Adirondack Plein Air Workshop October 2-7 at White Pine Camp. Located on Osgood Pond, this former Great Camp turned four-season lodge once served as President Calvin Coolidge’s Summer White House. Tour the property’s extensive grounds, rustic buildings and Japanese teahouse, then hone your artistic &#8220en plein air&#8221 skills.

Take a walk in the woods with the Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) group for special tours of historic and architectural significant sites. Explore the century-old, remote Otis Mountain Camps in the Bouquet River Valley near Elizabethtown on September 8th.

Additional AARCH Tours Scheduled for this fall include:

• Preserving Camp Santanoni II September 27 in Newcomb. Built in 1892 for an Albany couple, AARCH staff will lead a tour of the 200-acre-farm, Main Camp on Newcomb Lake and the Gate Lodge. Learn more about the ongoing restoration of the camp complex during the 9.8 mile round-trip tour along a gently sloping carriage road.

• The World of Arto Monaco September 10 in Upper Jay. Arto Monaco was one of the most innovative and unique artists to come out of the Adirondacks. Born in 1913, Monaco worked for MGM Studios in Hollywood, before returning home to the Adirondacks to pioneer the Christmas theme park, Santa’s Workshop in Wilmington, NY. He also designed and built a children-sized theme park called the &#8220Land of Makebelieve&#8221 in Upper Jay. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Monaco’s incredible visions-come-to-life.

Military Reenactments:

• The Battle of Plattsburgh September 3-11 in Plattsburgh. For a week in September, the battle will rage once more on the shores of Lake Champlain &#8211 culminating in the action-packed Commemorative Weekend. Events kick off September 3 and 4th with live music performances at Clinton Community College. Throughout the week, enjoy live music, a parade, kid’s games, guided walks and more.

• Revolutionary War: Struggle for Liberty Reenactment September 10-11 at Fort Ticonderoga. Watch colonial trade demonstrations, interpretive vignettes, experience camp life and a daily battle reenactment. Additionally, through October 20th, Fort Ticonderoga’s Heroic Maze offers a challenge to any history buff.

Adirondack Artistic Heritage Events:

• Murder Mystery Weekend September 9-11 at Great Camp Sagamore. A former Vanderbilt estate in Raquette Lake, the entire weekend is devoted to solving the murder surrounding an auction of Alfred Vanderbilt’s unused Titanic ticket. Join friends and strangers for a weekend of fun as you strive to solve the murder and catch the killer before he &#8211 or she &#8211 gets to you!

• New York, New York! The 20th Century exhibit through September 18 in Glens Falls. Explore the artistic history of New York at the Hyde Collection, where some of the most beloved depictions of NYC will be on display. This major exhibition features over sixty works of art, including photographs, paintings, sculptures and works on paper. Featured artists include Diane Arbus, Edward Hopper, Stuart David, Berenice Abbott, Jim MacMillian and many more.

Adirondack Museum Welcomes 4 Millionth Visitor

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The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York welcomed its 4 millionth visitor, Katie Alexander of Ewing, N.J., on August 16, 2011. Katie was accompanied by her parents, Daniel and Jean, and sisters, Emma and Hannah. To recognize this milestone in their fifty-four year history, the museum provided its special and significant visitor with a membership for her family and a $100 gift certificate to the Museum Store.

The Adirondack Museum, which opened to the public in 1957, is a regional outdoor history museum that has been sharing the stories of the region with more than 70,000 visitors each year. The museum has grown from one building in 1957 to more than 22 indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces today. Offerings include continuously changing exhibits, public programs, lectures, field trips, and school programs.

The Adirondack Museum welcomed its one millionth visitor in 1976, two millionth in 1987, and three millionth in 1998.

The Adirondack Museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, tells stories of the people &#8211 past and present &#8212- who have lived, worked, and played in the unique place that is the Adirondack Park. History is in our nature. The museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. For information about all that the museum has to offer, please call (518) 352-7311, or visit www.adirondackmuseum.org.

Photo: Left to right: Michael Lombardi, Interim Director, Adirondack Museum- Emma, Hannah, Jean, Daniel, and (in front) Katie Alexander. Katie Alexander was the 4 millionth visitor to the Adirondack Museum in it’s 54-year history.

Enhancing Main St: Making Upper Floors Work Again

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Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper Floors Work Again is a free workshop that will be presented by the Preservation League of New York State on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm at the Saranac Laboratory, 89 Church Street, Saranac Lake, NY.

This program will provide immediately useful information for property owners, developers, and preservation professionals including historic site managers, architects, consultants and accountants dealing with preservation project financing.

This workshop is in very high demand across New York State and this is the only time it is being offered in the North Country in 2011. While the workshop is free, seating is limited, and participants must register by Friday, September 16, 2011 for the 9/20 program.

The workshop’s featured presenters will include:

* Historic Preservation Program Analyst William Krattinger from the NYS Historic Preservation Office, who will discuss the advantages of Historic District designation-

* Joe Fama, architect and Executive Director of the Troy Architectural Program in Troy, who will explain how New York’s building codes and preservation can work together-

* Karl Gustafson of NYS Homes and Community Renewal, who will provide information on the New York State Main Street Program- and

* Gary Beasley, Executive Director of Neighbors of Watertown, who will discuss making the best use of upper floors.

Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper Floors Work Again is presented by the Preservation League of New York State and sponsored by Historic Saranac Lake- Adirondack Architectural Heritage- Empire State Development Corp., NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation- and NYS Homes and Community Renewal.

Adirondack Fire Tower Tour and Discussion

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The Adirondack History Center Museum / Essex County Historical Society will present an Adirondack fire tower tour and discussion with David Thomas-Train on Sunday, August 28th.

There had once been 57 fire towers in the Adirondacks (public and private). In the 1970s and 1980s the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) closed more than 40. In 1990, when the DEC closed the last of the Adirondack fire towers &#8211 Bald (Rondaxe), Blue, Hadley, and St. Regis mountains &#8211 just 26 remained standing. During the 1990s historic preservationists, local community boosters, and other began organizing to save their local fire towers. Although the Whiteface mountain tower was moved to the Adirondack Museum in 1974, the Blue Mountain tower was the first of the abandoned towers to be restored in 1994.

Participants can sign up for any portion of the day: the hike, the Museum fire tower climb, the lecture, or all activities.

9 am— 3 pm: Meet at the Museum on Sunday, August 28th at 9 am for an orientation prior to a climb up Poke-O-Moonshine to explore the fire tower with naturalist David Thomas-Train. Space is limited for the hike and reservations are required. Hikers need to be at least 15 years old and in shape for a sustained, steep hike.

3 pm: Climb the Museum’s fire tower

3:30 pm: An open discussion with naturalist David Thomas-Train about fire towers in the Adirondacks.

The cost is $15 for the entire day- and $5 just for the open discussion. To make your reservations, contact the museum by calling (518) 873-6466 or via email at: [email protected].

Olympic Museum Changes Name to Reflect Collection

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What’s in a name? Take the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Museum as an example. When guests visit the museum, located in the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., they believe that they’ll only view and experience artifacts from both the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games, but there’s so much more. Not only does the museum feature items from the two Games held in Lake Placid, displays also include pieces from every Olympic Winter Games dating back to 1924. That’s why the museum worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee to obtain International Olympic Committee (IOC) approval to change its name to the Lake Placid Olympic Museum.

“Visitors to the museum often said the collection represented more than the two Games held in Lake Placid and we agree that the name should reflect that,” said New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) president/CEO Ted Blazer. “The museum’s collections have grown over the years to encompass representation from each of the Olympic Winter Games, as well as the Olympic Games. With that expansion we felt it was important that the name of the museum mirror the breadth of the museum.”

Established in 1994, the Lake Placid Olympic Museum is the only one of its kind in the United States. In fact, it holds the largest Winter Games collection outside of the IOC’s Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. It’s also the only museum to have received the Olympic Cup, which is the oldest award given by the IOC.

“As the collections have grown and the presentations have become wider in scope, so has the need to change the name,” added museum director, Liz De Fazio. “As we move forward in getting this museum to be a full member of the IOC’s Olympic Museum Network, I feel this will bring us closer to that international look and feel.”

While touring the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, guests can view the first Olympic Winter Games medal ever won, a gold medal, earned by speedskater and Lake Placid native Charles Jewtraw during the 1924 Winter Games. Displays also feature athletes’ participation medals from every modern Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games, as well as Olympic Team clothing and competition gear from several Games, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The museum’s collection also includes costumes from Olympic figure skating legend Sonja Henie and several world cup and world championship trophies captured by U.S. bobsled and luge athletes, artifacts from the famed 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, as well as Olympic medals.

The Lake Placid Olympic Museum is located at the box office entrance of the Olympic Center at 2634 Main Street and is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for juniors and seniors, while children six and under are free. For more information about the museum, log on to www.whiteface.com/museum.

Mountain Men Encampment at the Adk Museum

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The Adirondack Museum will host the annual American Mountain Men Rendezvous on Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20, 2011. The event features educational interpreters in period dress showcase a variety of historical survival skills.

Visitors will see demonstrations of firearms and shooting, tomahawk and knife throwing, fire starting and campfire cooking. There will be displays of pelts and furs, clothing of eastern and western mountain styles, period firearms and much more.

All of the American Mountain Men activities and demonstrations are included in the price of regular Adirondack Museum admission. There is no charge for museum members. The museum is open 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., including holidays.

Participants in the museum encampment are from the Brothers of the New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts segment of the national American Mountain Men organization. Participation in the encampment is by invitation only.

Mountain men are powerful symbols of America’s wild frontier. Legends about the mountain man continue to fascinate because many of the tales are true: the life of the mountain man was rough, and despite an amazing ability to survive in the wilderness, it brought him face to face with death on a regular basis.

The American Mountain Men group was founded in 1968. The association researches and studies the history, traditions, tools, and mode of living of the trappers, explorers, and traders known as the mountain men. Members continuously work for mastery of the primitive skills of both the original mountain men and Native Americans. The group prides itself on the accuracy and authenticity of its interpretation and shares the knowledge they have gained with all who are interested.

New Executive Director Named for Adk Museum

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Kevin J. Arquit, Chairman of the Board of the Adirondack Museum has announced that the Board of Trustees has unanimously confirmed the appointment of David M. Kahn as the new Executive Director.

“The Board was very fortunate to identify Kahn as the museums next Director,” said Arquit. “This is an exciting time for the Adirondack Museum to bring in someone as accomplished as David because he has devoted his entire career to the museum profession. His skills, experience, and passion for history will undoubtedly continue to move the museum forward as a rich cultural resource and intellectually engaging place.”


A native New Yorker, David Kahn will be coming to the Adirondack Park from San Diego, C.A. He is currently Executive Director of the San Diego History Center, and prior to going to San Diego, Kahn was Director of three other institutions. He was Executive Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society from 1982 &#8211 1996. While he was there, the institution built a national reputation for its community history projects that focused on topics ranging from new Chinese immigrants to the Crown Heights Riots. From 1996 – 2006 David served as Executive Director of the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford, the seventh oldest historical organization in the United States. During his tenure, the Society’s annual operating budget grew from $1.7 million to $5 million and the institution quadrupled its audience to 70,000.

In May 2006 David assumed the directorship of the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. While in Louisiana he was responsible for 13 facilities and secured major grants including $1.4M from the National Science Foundation for an exhibition about Hurricane Katrina and $2M from the National Park Service for a jazz center.

Throughout his career, David has been involved in a wide variety of professional activities. He has served on peer grant review panels for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York Council for the Humanities, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Smithsonian Institution. He was Vice President of the New York State Association of Museums from 1992-1995 and is currently Vice President of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership. He has been an Editorial Board Member of the journal Curator since 1994 and he has served on two Ford Foundation Advisory Committees, “Documentation, Editing, and Archives” (1998) and “Expanding the Civic Role of the Arts” (1996 –1997). David has moderated panels and presented professional papers at numerous history museum conferences in San Francisco (2009), New Orleans (2008), Vienna (2007), Amsterdam (2005), Sao Paulo (2004), Luxembourg (2000), Istanbul (1999), Quebec (1999), Bonn (1996), and Harrogate (1996). He has published articles in Curator and Museum News as well as a series of travel pieces about Japan (a personal interest) in The New York Times. He earned both a B.A. Magna Cum Laude and a M.A. in Art History from Columbia University.

&#8220I am absolutely thrilled that the Adirondack Museum’s Board has chosen me to lead the organization into the future,” said Kahn. “The challenge for me will be to take what is obviously already a great institution and to find even more new and innovative ways for it to serve its many visitors and the community. I look forward to working with the museum’s dedicated board, its professional staff, and its many volunteers and donors.&#8221

David Kahn will assume the position of Executive Director, Adirondack Museum on September 5, 2011.

Adirondack Architectural Heritage Upcoming Events

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What follows are descriptions of three upcoming tours in Gloversville, Willsboro, and southern Clinton County, hosted by Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) that still have space available. AARCH also has a golf benefit at the end of the month in Ticonderoga.

Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is the nonprofit historic preservation organization for New York State’s Adirondack Park. AARCH was formed in 1990 with a mission to promote better public understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the Adirondacks’ unique and diverse architectural heritage.

Early Industry and Architecture in Gloversville

Saturday, August 13, 2011

The city of Gloversville, unsurprisingly, developed around the glove industry, relying on the tanneries that were so abundant in the southern Adirondacks to provide leather. With the departure of this important industry, the city is now working to build a new identity. Fulton County Chamber of Commerce President Wally Hart will lead this walking tour of downtown Gloversville, exploring a stunning collection of turn-of-the-century commercial buildings in various stages of rehabilitation and learning about the city’s rich history. We’ll also visit the ornate Carnegie Library and the Glove Theater, formerly one of three theaters in town owned by the wealthy Schine family. The tour begins at 10 a.m. and ends around 3 p.m. The fee is $30 for AARCH and Chamber members and $40 for non-members.

The Clarks of Willsboro Point

Saturday, August 20, 2011

During the late 19th century Orrin Clark, and his sons Solomon and Lewis, operated a successful quarry on Ligonier Point in Willsboro, providing &#8220bluestone&#8221 for a number of regional buildings, as well as the Champlain Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge. In addition to the quarry the Clarks ran a dairy farm and a shipbuilding business. This tour will visit the quarry remains- the Clarks’ homestead, Old Elm- the quarry master’s house, Scragwood- and the surrounding grounds. These buildings have remained nearly untouched since the Clarks’ occupancy, providing a rare view of life at the turn of the century. You will also be able to explore the family’s history through extensive documents meticulously organized in a private collection. The tour begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The fee is $35 for AARCH and $45 for non-members.

200 Years of Farming

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Farming has been important to the Champlain Valley for more than two centuries. On this southern Clinton County tour, we will explore a series of homesteads and farms from the early 19th century to the present day, which will collectively show how farming has changed over time. We’ll begin the day at the Babbie Rural and Farm Learning Museum, then visit the Keese Homestead (c. 1795) built by Quaker settlers in a community called The Union. Other stops include Remillard Dairy Farm, family owned for three generations- Forrence Orchards, one of the largest McIntosh orchards in the state- and finally Clover Mead Farm, where we’ll see how organic cheese is made and sample their exceptional line of farm-fresh products. Led by AARCH’s Steven Engelhart, the tour begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The fee is $35 for AARCH and $45 for non-members.

Golf Tournament to Benefit AARCH

Ticonderoga Country Club

Monday, August 29, 2011

Join us for our third annual golf Tournament. This year’s event will be held at Ticonderoga Country Club. This scenic course is set in the historic Lord Howe Valley and features an open yet challenging layout. The day will include a buffet lunch- a round of golf with cart- and the opportunity to win great prizes.The format will be a four man scramble with a shot gun start. The cost is $100 per person.

Photo: Downtown Gloversville.