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Dresden Town-Wide Garage Sale: July 11th and July 12th


Dresden will once again have a town-wide garage sale on Saturday, July 11th, and Sunday, July 12th.

However, the Mountain Grove Memorial Church Women’s Guild is locating its part of the sale in the Washington Park Pavilion on Saturday July 11th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm only.

Mountain Grove Memorial Women’s Guild Garage Sale
Washington County Park, Saturday, July 11, 2015 from 10 AM to 3 PM
Tables $20 rental
Carry in – TAKE OUT Required

For table contact
Helenmarie, Assoc. Treas. at 518-499-1238
or
Toni, Treasurer at 973-879-8914

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Now for Some History: Circa 1930-1935

Administrator’s Note: The letter below was provided to me by Sue Foster Ives. It was written to her older sister, Geraldine, in 2005 and documents what it was like going to school in the 1930’s. Benson Landing, Vermont is on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain a bit north of Dresden across from Putnam. It was the way people would come to Huletts Landing before State Route 22 existed.

Typed Copy of Letter from
Mrs. Marion Munger, Benson, VT 05743

To:

Mrs. Geraldine Foster Moore, Granville, NY 12832
August 29, 2005
___________________________________________________
My name is Marion (Morris) Munger and I was born on March 24, 1918 at Benson Landing, VT. I have a younger sister, Frieda (Morris) Walker. We went to a one-room school in Benson until my 8th grade when we switched to Putnam Central School. We went across the lake (Champlain) every day and got the bus at Putnam Station. The next year I started at Ticonderoga High School and the high school bus didn’t come all the way down to the Station, so I had to go up the old Ferry Road (which had been discontinued the year before).

In the winter, I left my snowshoes and flashlight (it wasn’t daylight yet) at the Graham farmhouse, and continued up the road to the Ledgewood turn, where I met the bus. There was no shelter there so it was very cold sometimes. The next year the bus came way down to the Station and picked us up because there were some other students there.

We rowed our boat straight across the lake to the old ferry landing, then walked the railroad track to the Station where we waited in Sweatt’s store. In the winter, we went across to the Station, on skates if the ice was bare, or snowshoes or skis if there was snow. We were never late for the bus, nor did we ever miss a day of school except for sickness.

When the lake was freezing in December, we stayed on the New York side with Bess Sweatt until it was safe. In the spring when it wasn’t too safe, we used to push a boat on top of a big sled so we could jump into the boat if the ice started to crack. Needless to say, we didn’t always make it and went into the lake. Then we had to pull ourselves into the boat and break ice all the way back to shore, which took a long time and our wet clothes froze on us. Luckily these weren’t school days but on Sundays when we would go over to stay until the lake opened.

Sometimes in the spring, and fall, there would be terrible winds that made it very hard to row across the lake but we always made it somehow. I can still remember the big blisters on my hands from those oars!

I guess kids were tougher in those days (1930 – 1935 for me and 1936 for Frieda) because we never thought it was an ordeal, and just did it! It must have been good for us because I have lived 87 years in good health, and my sister has lived 86!

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Multiple Candidates Running for Three School Board Seats

Voting for three open seats on the school board and the annual school budget will take place on Tuesday, May 19th between 12:00 noon and 9:00 pm in the large group instruction room at the Whitehall high school on Buckley road.

There are many candidates running for the three vacant seats. I will be covering this during the next few weeks, so please stop back for more updates.

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Saturday Quote

Had I serv’d my God with half the zeal
I serv’d my king, he would not in my age
Have left me naked to mine enemies.

William Shakespeare
Henry VIII

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Now For Some History: 1912

ATTACKED BY WILD CAT
Former Warrensburqh Man’s Thrilling Adventure Near North River.

Louis Napoleon Beach, a former Warrensburgh man, who is now employed in Harry Raymond’s livery stable at Riverside, while driving from North River to Hooper’s Mines, late Friday afternoon, had a thrilling experience with a bob-cat which has been hanging around that section all winter.

Mr. Beach was driving a pair of horses, belonging to his employer, hitched to a light wagon, and as they passed under a large pine tree, about three miles from North River, he heard a noise in the branches, and down into the back of the wagon dropped the big cat. The horses became frightened and bolted, while the driver was struggling with the animal.

Mr. Beach attacked the cat with the butt of his horse whip, but this only served to enrage the fury of the creature and it clawed and bit, making several ugly wounds on the unfortunate man. The horses made a sudden jump to one side of the road which dislodged the cat from the wagon, and (the) thoroughly maddened team ran wildly toward the village of Garnet. As they came to the house of R. J. Bennett, they bolted into his barn yard, where they stopped so suddenly that Mr. Beach was thrown to the ground.

After he was somewhat recovered he went into the house, where Mr. Bennett dressed the wounds inflicted by the cat. The attack has stirred up the people of that section. One of the horses, valued at $250, was badly injured, and will probably have to be shot.

Warrensburgh News – April 18, 1912

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Ice is Breaking Up


A picture taken on the evening of Monday, April 13th, of a singular ice sheet from the overlook/rest area north of Tongue Mountain on state Route 9N across the lake from Huletts, near Sabbath Day Point.


The same view from this morning, Tuesday April 14th: You can see the ice sheet is now in multiple moving pieces – with just about 11 hours difference.

Here is a bit of good news. The ice is finally breaking up. The above pictures come from the Lake George Association who sent these out in an email today.

To see the entire LGA email, with pictures from around the lake, look here.

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Volunteer Fire Department News

Congratulations to Fire Chief, Jay Vander Plaat, and Barbara Semcken who both passed the Practical Skills Test and then the New York State Written Test on a course that started at the end of August 2014. Both Jay and Barbara attended class two nights a week at the Hartford Fire House between August and November and then one night a week, December through March.

On Saturday, April 11th, they both received passing test scores and officially became Certified Emergency Responders for our fire department. The cost to the fire department was $1,000 and was made possible because of community support. The Huletts fire department now has 4 AED’s, 22 American Heart Association Certified CPR AED’s and 3 BLS (Basic Life Support) card holders.

Also in October 2014, the Huletts fire department was asked to participate in a Mutual Aid Drill with Putnam, Dresden and Whitehall. For almost 3 hours, Hulett volunteers filled tankers at Chubb’s Dock on Lake Champlain in support of a tanker shuttle relay drill. There were 5 tankers running and our volunteers refilled one every 3 minutes for 3 hours using the newly acquired Turbo Draft, a device that allows our volunteers to draft from 150 feet away instead of the normal 20. Again because of Community support, though the fund drive, the Huletts fire department was were able to acquire this $5,000 piece of equipment.

Thankfully, the department did not need to use its ice rescue equipment this past winter.

Weekly drills will begin again be on Monday nights at 5:00 pm. Many people say they’ll come and help if there’s a fire. The real question question is what will they be able to do if they haven’t trained. For those who volunteer, please come to the weekly drill. That is the time to learn what to do. Drills start at 5:00 pm and end at 6:00 pm. Please consider coming out for an hour of important community service.

One final bit of good news to end on. Because of Fire Chief, Jay Vander Plaat, and Barbara Semcken going to the CFR class, they made multiple contacts with other local fire departments. They received 6 Scott air packs and 9 air bottles, donated by the Cossayuna fire department, along with turnout gear donated by West Fort Ann and Queensbury departments. Way to go, to the best students in the course!

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Bits of Everything

Expanded Lake George Trail System Eyed

The Adirondack Almanack reports on the “Trails Master Plan” for the west shore of Lake George.

New Fishing Tournament for Lake George

Grab a fishing pole and maybe you can win $2,500 in grand prize money between Friday, July 10 to Sunday, July 12th. Read in the Lake George Mirror.

Cuomo’s Quiet Medicaid Miracle?

“New York still spends more on Medicaid than California and Texas combined.” Read the NY Daily News article.

NASA JPL: Heat-Converting Material Patents Licensed to Troy Company

The future is happening now. Read the JPL Press Release.

Adirondacks Burn Ban In Effect

With fire season upon us, Dresden is covered until May 14th. So says the Adirondack Almanack.

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Washington County Business Showcase to be held in Whitehall: June 11th

The Washington County Local Development Corporation and Washington County Tourism will present the 2015 Washington County Business Showcase on June 11, 2015 at the Whitehall Athletic Club.

For businesses that would like to participate, here is the attached sponsorship/exhibitor registration form. To secure a sponsorship or exhibit table, simply return the attached form completed with payment…It’s that easy!

Please consider taking the time to come to this event as Washington County showcases the unique businesses and service providers in Washington County. You’ll better understand what a diverse, successful and thriving business climate we have here. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet business leaders, learn about growing sectors and identify ways we can collectively support the thriving business base in Washington County.

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Saturday Quote

The Apple Pie ABC is a simple rhyme meant to teach children the order of the alphabet and relates the various ways children react to an apple pie.

Apple Pie ABC

Says A, give me a good large slice,
Says B, a little bit, but nice,
Says C, cut me a piece of crust, Take it, says D, it’s dry as dust,
Says E, I’ll eat it fast, I will, Says F, I vow I’ll have my fill,
Says G, give it me good and great, Says H, a little bit I hate,
Says I, it’s ice I must request, Says J, the juice I love the best,
Says K, let’s keep it up above, Says L, the border’s what I love,
Says M, it makes your teeth to chatter, N said, it’s nice, there’s nought the matter,
O others’ plates with grief surveyed, P for a large piece begged and prayed,
Q quarrelled for the topmost slice, R rubbed his hands and said “it’s nice,”
S silent sat, and simply looked, T thought, and said, it’s nicely cooked,
U understood the fruit was cherry, V vanished when they all got merry,
W wished there’d been a quince in, X here explained he’d need convincing,
Y said, I’ll eat, and yield to none, Z, like a zany, said he’d done,
While ampersand purloined the dish, And for another pie did wish.

*The Apple Pie ABC is one of the earliest and most enduring English alphabet rhymes for children.

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1915 – 2015 Hulett Hotel Fire Anniversary: Judge Erskine C. Rogers


Washington County Judge Eskine C. Rogers, as he would have appeared in his Judicial robes, circa the 1920’s.

2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Hulett Hotel fire, which I chronicled in my book, The Hulett Hotel Fire on Lake George. After the fire, there was a trial which I also detail in the book.

The Judge who presided over that trial was Washington County Judge Eskine C. Rogers. In my book, I shared two pictures of the judge, both of which were hard to come by. On page 82, I have a picture of the judge as a young man graduating from high school, which I obtained from the Old Fort House Museum/Fort Edward Historical Association. On page 137, I presented a picture from his obituary, which was reproduced from a newspaper microfilm printout. Neither picture was ideal, but they were the best I had when the book went to print.

Shortly after the final edits were done on the book, I was able to speak to Judge Roger’s grandson, an attorney in Florida. He had a picture of his grandfather on his mantel and snapped the above picture on his mobile phone (which you can see the reflection of in the lower left of the photo.) It was too late to include this picture in the book, but I share it here because it captures what the judge would have looked like as he presided over the trial.

Rogers was described as hardworking, earnest and of good judicial temperament. I think the picture above captures all of that and more. What I see is a determined man who looks eminently fair in his demeanor. In my opinion, he looks like an excellent judge. The ornate, carved, high-backed chair adds to the prestige of the photograph.

My conversation with his grandson gave me additional insights into who Judge Rogers was. While I document in the last chapter of the book how Judge Rogers continued his distinguished career after the trial ended, he died unexpectedly in 1940. His grandson told me his grandfather’s sudden death was an extreme blow to his family and one which was difficult for them to overcome. His grandson was happy to share the above photo. I share it here for history’s sake in light of the 100th anniversary of the Hulett Hotel fire.

(Click on the picture to see full-scale.)