William Gage was an employee of E. J. Worden, proprietor of the Worden Hotel in Lake George, NY. On Sunday morning, October 30, 1910, Gage asked Worden for the loan of a team of horses and a wagon, so he could visit his mother in nearby Luzerne. [Read more…] about A 1910 Lake George Horror
Outboard Motors Lost Overboard at Lake George
It is debatable as to when the first outboard motors for boats initially appeared in America.
Some boating historians cite the year 1896, when a Long Island business named the American Motor Company produced 25 portable, gasoline-powered boat motors. [Read more…] about Outboard Motors Lost Overboard at Lake George
A 1939 Lake George Scavenger Hunt
During the 1930s, the party game known as the “scavenger hunt” took hold of American society. That entertaining competition was popularized by Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963), a famous gossip columnist.
Maxwell was known for organizing lavish parties for the elite that featured opulent scavenger hunts in which participants tried to acquire specific objects within an allotted time period to win the contest. [Read more…] about A 1939 Lake George Scavenger Hunt
The 1913 ‘Obstinate Forest Fire’ at Lake George
On July 4, 1913, a forest fire was started on French Mountain near the south end of Lake George. It soon burned its way to the back area of Crosbyside (now Wiawaka), on the east side of the 32-mile-long waterway.
It was caused after the launch of a “sky lantern,” a miniature hot air “balloon” crafted of paper and wood. At the bottom is an attachment for a small open flame of combustible material, which gives it lift and brightness at night. [Read more…] about The 1913 ‘Obstinate Forest Fire’ at Lake George
Cannonballs & Lake George’s Colonial Military History
In November 1940, Clayton Bly, a lumber company employee and a military veteran of World War I (1914–1918), unearthed two cannonballs from the Virgin Hollow neighborhood of Lake George.
At the time, Bly probably did not realize he stumbled upon a little understood chapter of Lake George’s colonial history. [Read more…] about Cannonballs & Lake George’s Colonial Military History
1934: Lake George Cracks-Down On Swimwear
In June 1934 the Town of Caldwell (now the Town of Lake George) began regulating sunbathing and swimwear on its downtown streets. Law enforcement officials were tasked with a new job while patrolling the lakeshore and avenues at the head of the 32-mile-long Lake George. [Read more…] about 1934: Lake George Cracks-Down On Swimwear
Ice Harness Racing on Lake George & The Old Military Dock
In horse racing vernacular, the “post parade” at a track is just before the start of the equine competition. It is the grand procession of racehorses and jockeys passing in front of the viewing stands on their way to the starting gate.
Arguably, some of the most historic post parades are at the thoroughbred track in Saratoga Springs. Yet, you could say that during harness racing on frozen Lake George in the 19th and 20th centuries, those post parades were unique, too. [Read more…] about Ice Harness Racing on Lake George & The Old Military Dock
1931: A Lake George Postcard Arrives Seven Years Later
In August of 1931, many newspapers around the country published a human-interest story about a postcard mailed from Lake George that arrived at a Northville, NY address seven years later. Reportedly, the postcard departed the Lake George post office in 1924, but it circulated to several wrong destinations before reaching its journey’s end. [Read more…] about 1931: A Lake George Postcard Arrives Seven Years Later
1960s & 1970s Historical Artifact Thefts
It was 1964, ten years after replica Fort William Henry Museum first opened its doors to tourists. It was also one of the years of the centennial anniversary of the American Civil War (1861–1865).
So, Fort William Henry, a museum that interprets the history of the French & Indian War (1755–1763), decided to also have an exhibit about our nation’s bloodiest conflict. [Read more…] about 1960s & 1970s Historical Artifact Thefts
Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster
For decades, the unofficial slogan of the United States Postal Service was: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” That phrase was chiseled over the entrance of the James A. Farley Building, a post office facility in New York City.
The spirit of that tagline was demonstrated one day when a pilot of the Lake George mailboat briefly interrupted his postal duties to rescue a boater in distress. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Mailboat & A Near Lightning Disaster
Workers Unearth Mysterious Cannonballs in Lake George
The Williams Monument lies several miles south of the head of Lake George along Route 9. On September 21, 1921, workers digging a hole for a sign near the obelisk revealed five cannonballs believed to date to the French & Indian War (1754–1763).
Following the unexpected discovery, made in 20 inches of soil, the laborers refilled the excavation. They then dug a post-hole in a different spot. [Read more…] about Workers Unearth Mysterious Cannonballs in Lake George
1928 Angler Catches Jug of Liquor Fishing Lake Champlain
Whitehall‘s Patrick J. Harvey was lucky when it came to fishing and foraging. In late February 1928, spring-like weather had already arrived. With the milder temperatures, Harvey was fishing from a boat on Lake Champlain. Beneath lay the sunken wreck of the British battlecraft Confiance from the War of 1812.
The once-mighty warship lay near the mouth of the Poultney River. [Read more…] about 1928 Angler Catches Jug of Liquor Fishing Lake Champlain
Lake George’s Forward Shipwreck
The 1906-built Forward launch was one of the first gasoline-powered vessels on Lake George. The 45-foot-long watercraft was initially a recreational boat for the Bixby family of Bolton Landing.
It later served as an excursion watercraft under different ownership. According to local lore, in the 1930s, the wooden runabout sank. [Read more…] about Lake George’s Forward Shipwreck
1827: An Old Cannon from Bloody Pond Explodes in Glens Falls
July 4, 1827 was a special day in New York and certainly one for celebratory events around the state. It was the 51st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). Moreover, July 4, 1827 was the final emancipation of enslaved people in the state of New York, the anniversary of which is being commemorated statewide next year.
Peleg Weaver, age 22, always enjoyed the merriment of commemorative festivities. With a few friends, Weaver planned some July 4th fireworks on Warren Street in Glens Falls, behind the Abraham Wing residence. Abraham Wing (1721–1795) was a founder of Glens Falls and Queensbury. [Read more…] about 1827: An Old Cannon from Bloody Pond Explodes in Glens Falls
Davis Dalton & The Volunteer Life Saving Corps
It was the year 1898, and only days from the end of summer. A group of boaters and swimmers at Lake George had just finished organizing a training session by the recently established Volunteer Life Saving Corps.
This was an era when organized water safety and life-guarding were virtually nonexistent, and swimming was more often viewed as “bathing,” requiring no formal skill. [Read more…] about Davis Dalton & The Volunteer Life Saving Corps
Jesse Sexton’s Lake George Boat-Building & Photography Shop
During its glory years of operation, the first two decades of the 20th century, the J.E. Sexton Boat Shop, located in Hague, was one of the most respected boat-building businesses on Lake George.
Years later however, the decaying wooden structure where Jesse Sexton and his colleagues built many excellent vessels, finally tumbled to the ground. [Read more…] about Jesse Sexton’s Lake George Boat-Building & Photography Shop
A Colonial Spade and Old Fort George Preservation History
In the summer of 1919, groundskeepers at old Fort George at the south end of Lake George discovered what was then called a “hand made spade” that dated to colonial times.
The artifact was uncovered during routine maintenance of the grounds around the fortification, whose construction was begun by British General Jeffery Amherst’s engineers in 1759. The find was made several feet below a large tree stump that was dug up by maintenance workers. [Read more…] about A Colonial Spade and Old Fort George Preservation History
When America Scrapped Its History For The War Effort
It was October 1942, ten months after America’s entry into the Second World War (1941–1945). A cannon ball, said to be from the Battle of Lake George, was donated to a scrap metal drive in Fort Edward.
The Battle of Lake George was a series of three military engagements on September 8, 1755, near the waterway’s south end. The outcome was a British victory over the French and their Indigenous allies during the French & Indian War (1755–1763). [Read more…] about When America Scrapped Its History For The War Effort
1973: A Reputed Lake George Colonial Anchor As Folk Art
As part of New York State’s early celebration of the United States Bicentennial, in May 1973, the Museum of American Folk Art (today the American Folk Art Museum) in Manhattan opened its “The Metal of the State” exhibit. One of the artifacts on view was described in the catalogue as “a large Revolutionary [War] anchor found in Lake George.”
It remains an enigma as to where the anchor was actually found however, and if it even was from the American Revolution (1775–1783), since most colonial military operations at Lake George were during the French & Indian War (1755–1763). (An exception was the Battle of Diamond Island in 1777.) [Read more…] about 1973: A Reputed Lake George Colonial Anchor As Folk Art
Lake George Wooden Nickels & The William Johnson Bicentennial
It was 1938 and the United States was in the midst of the “depression within a depression” a particularly difficult time during the Great Depression. As with most American communities, money was tight at Lake George, NY.
Therefore, to fund a mammoth local history pageant, the event’s organizers came up with a novel idea. They printed wooden nickels called “Lake George Wooden Money” and the best thing about the fake coinage was that it worked. [Read more…] about Lake George Wooden Nickels & The William Johnson Bicentennial