New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Joseph W. Zarzynski

Joseph W. Zarzynski is a retired teacher and maritime archaeologist. Since 2012, the Saratoga County, New York resident has been a regular contributor to the Lake George Mirror, writing articles about the Lake George region’s history and archaeology.

He is the author of eight books including Ghost Fleet Awakened–Lake George’s Sunken Bateaux of 1758 (2019) and Fort William Henry’s Moments in Time (2023).

Mr. Zarzynski has a B.A. degree in History from Ithaca College, a M.A.T. degree in Social Sciences from Binghamton University, and a M.A. degree in Archaeology and Heritage from Leicester University (U.K.). He is a frequent speaker around the Albany-Saratoga-Lake George region presenting programs to civic organizations, archaeology chapters, library groups, and museum audiences.

The James Bond Novel Set in the Adirondacks

by Leave a Comment

The UK edition book cover for the 1962 James Bond novel The Spy Who Loved Me shows a map of the Adirondacks and Lake GeorgeIt was British novelist Ian Fleming’s tenth James Bond novel. The 1962 book, The Spy Who Loved Me, was set in the Adirondacks, around Lake George. The fictional publication’s antagonists were not Spectre terrorists. Rather, the villains were two Upstate New York mobsters.

Ian Fleming (1908–1964) was born in London, UK. He came from an affluent family. Fleming’s father, a Member of Parliament, died in World War I (1914–1918). Fleming attended both Eton College and Sandhurst military academy. [Read more…] about The James Bond Novel Set in the Adirondacks

A Lost World War Two Letter Returned

by Leave a Comment

A 1940s photograph showing a Delaware & Hudson train near Lake George Village (courtesy the J. Zarzynski Collection)It was September 1942, nine months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of America’s involvement in World War II (1941–1945). Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Martin of Saratoga County had not heard from their son, Fred (Bud) Martin, for many weeks.

Bud joined the Army in 1939 and was stationed at Port Townsend, Washington. Such loss of communication during the Second World War conjured up dreadful thoughts for parents of military personnel. [Read more…] about A Lost World War Two Letter Returned

Beware the Enemy: World War II Upstate New York Manhunts

by Leave a Comment

Detail from a World War II Civil Air Patrol recruiting poster (National Archives)It was July 1942, the seventh month of the United States in World War II (1941–1945).  The German military had driven into the Caucasus region of southeastern Europe. New York residents were shocked, too, by news that fascists from a German U-boat had landed several weeks earlier in eastern Long Island but the Nazi agents were captured.

Then the media reported that on July 16, six parachutists had been spotted in the skies near Hyde Park, NY, home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  The government worried that enemy spies or assassins might be near Roosevelt’s Hudson Valley residence. [Read more…] about Beware the Enemy: World War II Upstate New York Manhunts

William Wilcox: Lake George’s ‘Towne Cryer’

by Leave a Comment

William H. Wilcox, “Ye Towne Cryer” of Lake George during the 1930s and early 1940s (courtesy Fred Thatcher, provided by the Lake George MirrorIt was the summer of 1935. The country was trying to pull itself out of the Great Depression and 84-year-old William H. Wilcox had just been appointed the “town crier” of Lake George.

The man spent most of his life around Lake George and in his new role, the octogenarian would dress in the garb of a traditional “town crier” of the colonial era. “Ye Towne Cryer,” as he soon became known, informed visitors and residents alike of local news. [Read more…] about William Wilcox: Lake George’s ‘Towne Cryer’

The 1973 Heist of Historic Artifacts from Warrensburg’s Richards Library

by Leave a Comment

An old postcard showing Richards Library in Warrensburg, also known as “The Richards Free Library in Warrensburgh” (courtesy Warrensburgh Heritage Trail)In early May 1973, the heist of what The Warrensburg-Lake George News described as a collection of “valuable historical items” from the Richards Library on Elm Street in Warrensburg, NY, shocked local residents.

With the Bicentennial of the American Revolution (1775–1783) then only a couple of years away, the relics from the 18th and 19th centuries were highly prized. [Read more…] about The 1973 Heist of Historic Artifacts from Warrensburg’s Richards Library

1940: A Utica Resident Sells World’s Rarest Postage Stamp

by Leave a Comment

1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta In 1940, Ann Hind, a Utica, New York resident, owned the most valuable postage stamp in the world.  Hind also had a camp at Lake George where she spent many summer days.  In 1926, she had married Arthur Hind, a Utica textile industrialist and also a renowned stamp collector.

In 1922, Mr. Hind purchased the 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta stamp at a Paris auction.  Reportedly he paid $34,500.  He died in 1933 and his widow then owned the precious collectible. [Read more…] about 1940: A Utica Resident Sells World’s Rarest Postage Stamp

The Night A Rear Admiral & Nat Geo Co-Founder Battled A Lake George Fire

by Leave a Comment

Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley (US Navy photo)It was Saturday night, August 12, 1911, and 300 people attending the weekly dance at the Sagamore Hotel in the Town of Bolton on Lake George were startled to see a huge fire to the west. The C. E. Ingraham building on Stewart Avenue was ablaze.

As the town’s volunteer fire department confronted the inferno, some hotel guests went by automobile and on foot to lend a hand. Leading them from the Sagamore was retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, a co-founder of the National Geographic Society. [Read more…] about The Night A Rear Admiral & Nat Geo Co-Founder Battled A Lake George Fire

Scottish Daredevil Donald Campbell & The World Water Speed Record

by Leave a Comment

Donald Campbell sits in his hydroplane Bluebird K7, 1967Donald Campbell (1921–1967), a flamboyant and superstitious Scot, already held three-world records piloting a speedboat. Nonetheless, in 1957, he visited the 32-mile-long Lake George to determine if the waterway, located in the Adirondack Mountains, would be a suitable for his next attempt at racing immortality.

In late February 1957, Campbell, on his way from the United Kingdom to the Miami national boat show, stopped at the “Queen of American Lakes.” [Read more…] about Scottish Daredevil Donald Campbell & The World Water Speed Record

F.C. Yohn: Artist & Illustrator of New York History

by Leave a Comment

Glens Falls Insurance Company postcard, ca. 1900, showing F.C. Yohn's "Battle of Lake George (Sept. 8, 1755)"In early October 1900, the Glens Falls Insurance Company announced receipt of an illustration for publication in their 1901 calendar. The painting was by F.C. Yohn, a commercial artist, whose numerous-creative works dramatically portrayed Americana.

Yohn’s 1900-produced painting interpreted the death scene of Colonel Ephraim Williams, a British provincial officer from Massachusetts, who perished in the Battle of Lake George on September 8, 1755. [Read more…] about F.C. Yohn: Artist & Illustrator of New York History

French & Indian War Cannonballs Found In Lake George Over The Years

by Leave a Comment

fort ti carillon reenactmentOn August 11, 1926, workers with Duplex Construction Company were prepping the ground for a new school being built on Canada Street in the Village of Lake George. At two feet below the surface, they uncovered a sizeable fragment of an iron cannonball.

The 18th century ordnance was unearthed from a famous French & Indian War (1755–1763) battle site, the August 1757 French siege of British-occupied Fort William Henry. [Read more…] about French & Indian War Cannonballs Found In Lake George Over The Years

A Sunken Boat’s Navigation Lights Burn for Two Days

by Leave a Comment

Sketch of a scuba diver in 1957 seeing the sunken vessel with illuminated boat lights by Joseph W. ZarzynskiThe frequently used expression, “light at the end of the tunnel,” means one has hope for the future after a difficult period. That could have been what area scuba diver Bob Kahn felt in 1957 during a lake dive.

According to a newspaper report, Kahn had already made several scuba forays into Lake George searching for a recently sunk vessel. Suddenly he spotted the missing boat’s navigation lights that were still lit in the depths of the waterway’s dark-blue waters. [Read more…] about A Sunken Boat’s Navigation Lights Burn for Two Days

The Night Fort William Henry Burned A Second Time

by 4 Comments

southwest end of replica Fort William Henry after a September 17, 1967 fire (Fort William Henry Museum)It was a typical mid-September day at Lake George, New York. Much like a Georgia O’Keeffe painting, the surrounding hillsides were aglow in goldenrod, apricot, and crimson colors.

A few hours later on September 17, 1967, the evening skies over Fort William Henry were again awash in pastel hues. Bright flashes of yellow and orange lit up the head of the lake as the replica wooden fortification burned. It was the second time in 210 years that Fort William Henry had been deliberately put to the torch. [Read more…] about The Night Fort William Henry Burned A Second Time

1945: A Giant Waterspout Over Lake George

by Leave a Comment

Sagamore_Hotel(cr-Dean_Color)It was July 20, 1945, twelve-years since moviegoers gazed in awe at the silver screen as the goliath gorilla known as King Kong battled biplanes flying near the pinnacle of the 1,454-foot-tall Empire State Building in New York City.

Lake Georgians must have felt a similar fright when they witnessed a giant waterspout, reportedly twice the height of the Empire State Building, passing over the 32-mile-long waterway. [Read more…] about 1945: A Giant Waterspout Over Lake George

When Lake George’s Gaslight Village Inspired UFO Sightings

by Leave a Comment

Poster for the film Earth vs Flying Saucers (1956, Columbia Pictures)It was late summer 1965, four years after President John F. Kennedy announced in May 1961 that the USA would “catch up and overtake” the Soviet Union in the “space race.”

In February 1965, the Ranger 8 space probe crashed onto the lunar surface after transmitting photographs of possible landing sites for a future manned mission to the moon. [Read more…] about When Lake George’s Gaslight Village Inspired UFO Sightings

1927: Boy Scouts to the Rescue at Lake George

by Leave a Comment

Illustration of the sinkling wooden launch Winogene on Lake George, being rowed by Boy Scouts before sinking on August 15, 1927 (by Joseph W. Zarzynski)If you ever find yourself in a sinking boat, you probably want a capable captain who knows his vessel and the waterway, and passengers, too, who follow directions and are fit. That occurred in 1927, when a gasoline-powered watercraft, loaded with a group of Boy Scouts, unexpectedly began to sink at Lake George in the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about 1927: Boy Scouts to the Rescue at Lake George

Military Road: The Old Trail to Lake George

by Leave a Comment

Bloody Morning Scout Memorial Monument to Ephraim Williams and King Hendrick Battle of Lake George French and Indian WarOver the many years since the French & Indian War (1755–1763), workers digging around Lake George occasionally have found historical treasures. One of those discoveries came in late September 1924, when a road crew employee unearthed an unusual iron object during construction of the state road from Glens Falls to Lake George., New York, now Route 9.

Parts of this 20th century-built roadway run along or next to what back in 1924 was called the “old military trail.” [Read more…] about Military Road: The Old Trail to Lake George

Bolton Landing’s Great Post Office Robbery of 1917

by Leave a Comment

Bolton PO Robbery Sketch by Joe ZarzynskiIt was nearly three months after the USA entered World War I (1917–1918) and understandably Americans were nervous about sending troops to fight in Europe.  So, it probably sounded like the horrors of war had come home when in the early morning of June 29, 1917, Bolton Landing residents Charles Hier and William Tobin were suddenly awakened by two explosions from the post office.

What the startled Bolton Landing citizens heard was not an artillery barrage.  Rather, they were witnesses to “Bolton Landing New York’s Great Post Office Robbery of 1917.” [Read more…] about Bolton Landing’s Great Post Office Robbery of 1917

The Man that Caught Ben Franklin’s Lightning in a Milk Pail

by 2 Comments

Ben Franklin and son flying kite lightningIn the mid-18th century, Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) invented the lightning rod to catch lightning and make it harmless to buildings. Two centuries later in 1947, a northern Lake George, New York-area man did one better.

One day while working on the family farm, he “caught” lightning in a milk pail. [Read more…] about The Man that Caught Ben Franklin’s Lightning in a Milk Pail

The Day Lake George Nearly Knocked Out Jack Dempsey

by Leave a Comment

Jack Dempsey (Library of Congress)Jack Dempsey (1895–1983) was known as “The Manassa Mauler,” named after the Colorado town where he was born.

Dempsey was boxing’s heavyweight champion of the world from 1919–1926. However, on July 12, 1927, the tough pugilist was floored by an unlikely foe, the waters of Lake George, New York. [Read more…] about The Day Lake George Nearly Knocked Out Jack Dempsey

The Day Planes Fell Out of the Sky at Lake George

by Leave a Comment

Lake George postcard shoing Fish Point, Basin Bay amd Pilot Knob, looking east from just north of Diamond PointIt was nearly two years after World War Two (1939–1945) had ended, but to some it may have seemed like aircraft were being shot out of the sky at Lake George, New York.

It was Saturday afternoon, July 12, 1947. A light monoplane was making a landing on the lake surface in the Diamond Point vicinity when the amphibious aircraft unexpectedly plunged into the waterway. [Read more…] about The Day Planes Fell Out of the Sky at Lake George

We Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

New York Almanack receives no public funds.

It’s supported only by readers like you.

Please give today (a monthly recurring gift is best)

PayPal

Venmo

Patreon

Buy Me A Cup of Coffee

CashApp

Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)

Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.

*Donations are not tax deductible.

(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).