Lake Placid History Museum

We are excited to share that we have been awarded a new grant from the Town of North Elba to support the continuation of collecting oral histories and photographs in the community and creating a digital catalogue for public access! Thank you Town of North Elba! Read the press release below: https://www.roostadk.com/leaf-awardees-april-2021

Watch the recorded lecture, "Fools Rushed In: W.H.H. Murray’s Adventures in the Wilderness: https://www.lakeplacidhistory.com/programs/

Register for this virtual lecture presentation this Wednesday April 14th at 7pm with Adirondack Experience Library Director Ivy Gocker.

Watch "7,000 Miles to a Wilderness Ethic" recorded lecture here and register for our April 14th presentation, Fools Rushed In: W.H.H. Murray’s Adventures in the Wilderness: https://www.lakeplacidhistory.com/programs/

Join us next Wednesday 3/10 for our third Winter Lecture. We will be exploring wilderness ethics with Tyler Socash, the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Education Programs Coordinator. Remember to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uKBVNCT9Rkervm-MuDhJlg

There was a lot of interest in the slides we shared yesterday. With further research we know they were taken before 1949 by Willis Wells, North Elba’s Town Supervisor for 30 years. Wells was involved with building the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway and the 1932 Winter Olympics. In 2006 Wells was named to the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in both professional and civic categories.

Having fun today going through these recently acquired miniature slides, c. 1940’s Lake Placid. The third slide is of the Torrance Dairy Farm milk truck. Many of these slides are signed by a Willis Wells. Update: The slides were taken before 1949 by Willis Wells, North Elba’s Town Supervisor for 30 years. Wells was involved with building the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway and the 1932 Winter Olympics. In 2006 Wells was named to the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in both professional and civic categories.

Virtual Event Tomorrow: "Growing up in the Hotel Business" Join us tomorrow Wednesday, February 10th at 7pm for a panel discussion on "Growing up in the Hotel Business." Moderated by Mike Butler (Howard Johnson’s) and including Naj Wikoff (Sun and Ski Lodge), Petra Weber (Wildwood), Jenn Holderied (Golden Arrow) and Peter Roland (The Homestead). The participants’ collective experience includes more than 150 years in the hotel business in Lake Placid and they have a lot of sto...ries to tell! Photo credit: Jenn Holderied (Golden Arrow) You must register to receive the Zoom link for this event: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7qcUGCbsSuWQItaBL68gRA

Today, February 4th marks 1 year until the 2022 Winter Olympics are set to be held in Beijing. Today is also the 89th anniversary of the III Olympic Winter Games held in Lake Placid. On February 4, 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt (Governor of NYS at the time) opened the Olympic Games where 17 nations competed in 14 events. The US won the medal count with a total of 12 medals (6 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze). This image is of Irving Jaffee from the US winning the 10,000 meter speed skating medal. Jaffee won 2 gold medals, becoming the most successful athlete at the 1932 Olympics along with his compatriot Jack Shea.

In one week, "Growing Up in the Hotel Business" virtual Winter Lecture. Make sure to register to receive the Zoom link!

Look closely at the man standing on the far right. His name was Tadeusz Sachs and he perished in Auschwitz. He played one game as goalie in the 1932 Olympic Win...ter Games and was leader of the Polish Ice Hockey Union. Recently, a researcher reached out to us to find this image for his research on Jewish hockey players. We share this with you on this day in 1945, that 7000 remaining prisoners were liberated from the Auschwitz concentration camp. #onthisdayinhistory #auschwitzliberation #jewishhistory #olympichistory #foundinthearchives #museumcollection #icehockey

Missed last night's lecture, "Trail Building Then & Now?" View the recording here: https://www.lakeplacidhistory.com/programs/

Thank you to all who supported us in 2020: our community partners, supporters, and members. We are very thankful for you and wish everyone a safe holiday season. We hope to see you in 2021! Image: Santa costume pulling a toboggan filled with toys. From the Stedman & Moses Collection of glass plates, 1889-1929.

We wouldn't be surprised if Bernie spent a few hours at Happy Jack's! Register for our February 10th winter lecture, "Growing up in the Hotel Business": https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7qcUGCbsSuWQItaBL68gRA Thanks to Naj Wikoff for this fun edit of the Sun & Ski Lodge (Happy Jack's)! Checkout Naj's column ON THE SCENE: Growing up in Lake Placid’s hotel business from May 2020: https://www.lakeplacidnews.com//on-the-scene-growing-up-i/

Grab your ski buddy, it’s a powder day!image of two men skiing from the Stedman & Moses Collection of glass plate negatives, c. 1889-1929

Register for our first virtual Winter Lecture, "Trail Building Then & Now" with Tony Goodwin, Adirondack Trail Improvement Society and Josh Wilson, Barkeater Trails Alliance.

Our December newsletter is now available online! https://www.lakeplacidhistory.com//LPNEHS-Winter-Newslette

Happy Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be thankful forour friends, family, and community who support us and our mission in preserving and sharing Lake Placid’s history. We couldn’t do it without all of YOU! We hope this Lake Placid Club menu can inspire your dishes today...our choice is the peppermint stick ice cream!

Our recent collections project has been cataloging Louise Williams’ personal photographs & archives. Part of the Mrs. J.B. Williams Collection (apx. 1850-1920), the Williams Family had relations to the Nash Familyone of the earliest established families in Lake Placid. This collection contains photo albums, early negatives of Lake Placid, correspondences, and ephemera.

Two people pulling a toboggan across Mirror Lake, Lake Placid NY. Image from the Stedman and Moses Collection of Glass Plate Negatives.

The first snowfall of the season has us thinking about our 2021 Winter Lecture Series. We'd love to hear from our community on themes, presenters, and ideas YOU want to see! Of course, the health and safety of everyone involved is our top priority, so we are working hard to successfully share our events with you in the safest ways possible (i.e., limited seating, live stream virtually, etc.) More details to come in the next few weeks! Have an idea, theme, or presenter suggestion? Share it below! image: snowshoeing on Mirror Lake, from the Stedman and Moses Collection of glass plate negatives (c. 1889-1930).

Part of The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts ALCA-Seltzer Streams tune in tonight at 7p.m. for a lecture on "forgotten" American Operetta King Victor Herbert, with music performed by High Peaks Opera artists George, Elizabeth, and Annachristi Cordes. Featuring lecturer Parmelee Tolkan, president of the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society. A co-production of the Historical Society, HPO, & Tupper Arts. Sponsored by the Victor Herbert Foundation. Follow the link for more information and to purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alca-seltzer-streams-americas-

With Halloween just around the corner check out the Haunted Adirondack Trail. 3 spooky (and historic) spots are located in Lake Placid! https://www.adirondackwayfinder.com//haunted-adirondack-tr

Next time you’re walking down Lake Placid Main Street peep the Arts Alliance new window installations! Learn about local arts, culture, and history in Lake Placid. Our display is on the history of the Lake Placid post office and is located next to Van Heusen/across from the Lake Placid Public Library

Unfortunately, we do not have the collections storage capacity for this artifact. If you are interested in preserving a piece of Lake Placid history please contact [email protected] Thank you!

Summer is officially over, and today is the History Museum's last day open in the 2020 season. Visit us 10am-4pm before we hunker down for the winter and stay tuned for announcements on our upcoming Winter Lecture Series. Thank you to everyone who continued to show their support, visit the museum, and renew memberships during this unpredictable summer. Image from the Stedman & Moses Collection.

It’s our closing weekendvisit The History Museum this Thursday-Sunday from 10am-4pm before we close for the 2020 season! Our last day open is October 11.

Thank you Jim for your recent Google review, we are so happy you enjoyed your visit at The History Museum! "Excellent little museum in an appropriate location... the old train station. Great collection of local lore covering everything from transportation to camping to the Olympics. This is a real gem. Don't miss it!" -Jim

We love this colorful trend the @nationalparkservice shared last week & @nysmuseums inspired us to create some palettes found throughout the Lake Placid History Museum! Artifacts: -Saint Agnes stained glass window, c. 1905-1925 -Howard Johnson’s sign, c. 1957... -Lake Placid Military Band bass drum, c. 1920 -The Doris Wheel, c. 1898 See more

The Homestead was built as a private home in the 1880’s in Lake Placid. By the early 1900’s it had been added on to and was operated as a rooming house. In 1922 it was purchased by Thomas and Margaret Roland. According to a newspaper story reporting that transaction the Homestead had 17 sleeping rooms and 7 baths, besides a dining room which will accommodate 40, a living room and parlor. It was enlarged a number of times over the years, eventually offering 43 rooms. The Rol...and family operated The Homestead from 1922 until 1978, when it was razed to make way for the Lake Placid Hilton Resort, built for the 1980 Olympics. The Rolands continued to operate it until 1998 when Lane Hospitality purchased the hotel from the Rolands. It continued as a Hilton until 2008 when Lane disaffiliated and renamed the hotel the High Peaks Resort. Photo of The Homestead, September 16, 1949 (image 1). The Homestead sign on display in our current exhibit, Sign/Design (image 2). We thank the Roland Family for donating The Homestead Collection (image 3).

We recently acquired this model replica of the John Brown Farm barn, made to scale when Reuben Lawrence lived there. This replica was built by Robert Chabbott in 2017 and will be undergoing simple maintenance to be an interpretive display.

Trivia Time: Built for John Shea before 1908, this is one of the best-preserved structures on Main Street. The simplified Italianate building retains its original form and all original exterior features, except the storefronts. In this photo, Mirror Lake Liquor Store occupied the building. Can you tell us what businesses are here now? We’ll give you a hint... Interested in architecture? Check out: Main Street, Lake Placid an architectural and historic survey by Mary MacKenzie, Lee Manchester, and Janet Null.

A rainy day in Lake Placid is the perfect day to visit museums! We are open today and Sunday 10am-4pm.