Greater Adirondack Ghost and Tour Company (Plattsburgh, NY)

Here's today's PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! This is the only known photograph of the body of Abraham Lincoln, taken while the slain President was lying in state in New York City on April 24th, 1865. 156 years ago THIS WEEK, Lincoln's body was finally laid to rest in his home town of Springfield, Illinois. But, this would not be the end of the strange journey that began with his assassination at Ford's Theatre. The corpse of the "Great Emancipator" had been re-embalmed so many times on... its 1,600-mile trek across the United States by train, that it was basically mummified. The skin had darkened to such a degree that morticians were repeatedly called in to apply a coating of chalk to his face to maintain its color for public viewing. After the President was interred in Springfield's "Greenwood Cemetery," his body was moved 17 more times and the coffin itself was opened on at least five different occasions. The last time during a reconstruction of his elaborate tomb. On September 26th, 1901, just before being reburied forever beneath tons of concrete, the coffin was opened for one final inspection. To confirm once and for all that the body was indeed still inside. A small group of onlookers gathered to witness the historic event and when the sealed lid was pulled back, there was the face of the 16th President, preserved as if in bronze. "The features were entirely recognizable and the expression was one of sadness. The headrest had fallen away so that the neck was thrown back but the black, short chin whiskers were perfect. The small black bow tie, the warts on his cheek, the coarse black hair all were unmistakable, although the eyebrows had vanished. The black broadcloth suit which the President had worn, new, at his second inauguration, was covered with tiny delicate stalagmites of yellow mold." A 13-year-old boy named Fleetwood Lindley, who accompanied his father that day, later recalled "I was not scared at the time...but I slept with Lincoln for the next six months." When Mr. Lindley died in 1963, he was the last living person to have ever seen Abraham Lincoln with his own eyes. #Lincoln #Victorian #Mourning #AbrahamLincoln #Springfield #OnThisDay #GhostTours #POTUS #waybackwednesday #CivilWar #Plattsburgh #NewYork

Here's today's PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! It's May the 4th. According to U.S. Army records, Plattsburgh Barracks was often visited by foreign "observers," generally for training purposes. Here a Star Destroyer of the Imperial Navy can be seen in the lower atmosphere above Plattsburgh back in 1917. #MayTheFourth be with you!!! #Plattsburgh #Plattslife #Plattsburghny #StarWars #AdirondackCoast #StarWarsDay #StarDestroyer #WW1 #Adirondacks

Here's today's PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! Happy 70th ANNIVERSARY to "Arnie's" Italian restaurant!!! A true Plattsburgh landmark, this iconic downtown business first opened its doors 70 years ago this month, in May of 1951! The famed Margaret Street restaurant and bar was established by Arnie Pavone and actually started out seven decades ago at number 24 "Charlotte Street" (present day Peru Street) before moving to its current location. "Pavone's Shoe Hospital" also occupied the bot...tom floor for many years. With its distinctive red and green neon sign lighting the way, Arnie's has long been known for hearty Italian cuisine. The staff still uses many of the original recipes brought from Italy by Arnie's mother, Natalina Pavone, when she immigrated to the United States in the early 20th Century. What are your favorite memories of Arnie's??? #Plattsburgh #Plattslife #PlattsburghNY #1950s #Retro #Neon #Architecture #Americana #AdirondackCoast #GhostTours #Restaurant #NewYork #iloveny #happyanniversary

Here's today's PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! How many of you have ever visited this summer hot spot? It's the Plattsburgh City Beach, seen here packed with visitors back in the 1960s! Amazingly, this beautiful expanse of white sand bordering Lake Champlain first opened to the public in 1925. The land was donated to the City that year by Mr. David Merkel as a gift for the enjoyment of the citizens of Plattsburgh. Merkel's generous donation was quickly followed by two others so that the beach would remain unbroken, eventually forming one of the longest freshwater public beaches in the United States. What are your favorite memories of the City Beach? #Summer #1960s #LakeChamplain #Plattsburgh #Plattslife #PlattsburghNY #AdirondackCoast #Beach #Swimming #NewYork #ILoveNY #GhostTours

Here's today's PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! This spectacular photograph takes us to the "21 Mine" in Mineville, New York, seen here around 1890!!! Operated by Witherbee, Sherman, & Company, this massive pit produced some of the highest quality iron ore in the world and once contributed to Essex County's title as the second largest iron producing region in the United States. The 21 Mine was first opened in 1829 and by 1877, it had been transformed into a gaping hole 200 feet wide and s...ome 300 feet deep! The hoist buildings at the top of the mine give a sense of scale to just how large this excavation was. Many of the miners who worked here were immigrants from Hungary, Poland, Ireland, and Italy, and on average, each man earned about $2.00 a day for his labors in pits such as the "21." Accidents were shockingly common. In 1880, four men were killed in this very mine when a column of rock weighing some 4500 tons collapsed during the night. Had the collapse occurred during the day shift, one newspaper reported, the incident "would have gone upon record as one of the greatest mining horrors of modern times." #NewYork #Mining #Industrial #1800s #PortHenry #Platsburgh #Plattslife #PlattsburghNY #Adirondacks #AdirondackCoast #ILoveNY #LakeChamplain #GhostTours