Introducing... Story Saturday! Each Saturday we’ll use this space to share a short story from the Oral History archives. Scroll down to find stories from previous Saturdays and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed!
Elise Chapin
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Natalie Leduc
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Bob Fay:
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Craig Dickie
Story Saturday
Today's Story Saturday is from Craig Dickie! When Craig was just three years old he spent a year at Ray Brook Sanatorium to receive treatment for tuberculosis. It was around 1961. Since he was from the area, he was able to see his family while recovering. His parents ran Dickie’s, a restaurant in downtown Saranac Lake, and his mother was also receiving TB treatment. “I remember a lot for three years old,” Craig said. Listen below to hear some of Craig's memories of his year at Ray Brook Sanatorium.
Mary Ellen Keith
Story Saturday
Today's Story Saturday is about the 1991 Vermontville fire. It had been a dry Spring, and on May 16 the blaze started at the corner of Tyler and Swinyer Roads. Fueled by 15 MPH winds it swept across more than 300 acres of woodland.
The fire started next to Mary Ellen Keith's house, who was the town supervisor at the time. In a 2016 interview, she described seeing the blaze in her backyard. Read the article that appeared in the Press-Republican the next day here: https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/…/sn88074101/1991-05-17/e…
The fire started next to Mary Ellen Keith's house, who was the town supervisor at the time. In a 2016 interview, she described seeing the blaze in her backyard. Read the article that appeared in the Press-Republican the next day here: https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/…/sn88074101/1991-05-17/e…
John Nolan
Story Saturday
In honor of Valentines Day, we are featuring a 1945 love story! It comes from John Nolan, a tuberculosis patient who took the cure at Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. When John returned to Saranac Lake for the 1987 TB reunion he took interviewers on a tour of Will Rogers and to the very spot where he first laid eyes on his wife and fell in love.
Judy Cameron
Story Saturday
Today's Story Saturday comes from Judy Cameron! Judy grew up on Upper St. Regis, and remembered the movies that Mrs. Marjorie Merriweather Post would show at Camp Topridge.
Mrs. Post was, at the time, the wealthiest woman in the country. She owned General Foods, and built the Palm Beach mansion Mar-a-Lago. Mrs. Post bought Camp Topridge in the 1920s and made extensive renovations.
Several times a week, she showed movies in the camp Great Room--and the local teens weren't the only guests. Mrs. Post loved bats and allowed them roosting space in the Great Room. Judy Cameron describes how moviegoers had to brave the swooping bats to enjoy the feature! Click here to listen to the full interview.
Mrs. Post was, at the time, the wealthiest woman in the country. She owned General Foods, and built the Palm Beach mansion Mar-a-Lago. Mrs. Post bought Camp Topridge in the 1920s and made extensive renovations.
Several times a week, she showed movies in the camp Great Room--and the local teens weren't the only guests. Mrs. Post loved bats and allowed them roosting space in the Great Room. Judy Cameron describes how moviegoers had to brave the swooping bats to enjoy the feature! Click here to listen to the full interview.
Mary Ellen Keith
Story Saturday
In 2016 we had the pleasure of interviewing Mary Ellen Keith for our oral history project! Today we're featuring a story she told us about her childhood in Vermontville.
Born in 1929, Mary Ellen grew up during a time when childhood diseases--measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever--were killers. When the family got sick, their house was quarentined for three weeks for each case. "You'd think 'Oh, we'll be free now,' and someone else would come down with it." During this time friends would shop for them, and neighbors would drop off the occasional treat.
Mary Ellen passed away in September, 2017. To read her obituary, visit https://fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com/…/keith-m…/obituary.php
Born in 1929, Mary Ellen grew up during a time when childhood diseases--measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever--were killers. When the family got sick, their house was quarentined for three weeks for each case. "You'd think 'Oh, we'll be free now,' and someone else would come down with it." During this time friends would shop for them, and neighbors would drop off the occasional treat.
Mary Ellen passed away in September, 2017. To read her obituary, visit https://fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com/…/keith-m…/obituary.php
Bob Seidenstein
Story Saturday
Today's Story Saturday comes from the author of the Adirondack Daily Enterprise column "Inseide Dope," Bob Seidenstein!
Bob Seidenstein grew up in Saranac Lake. He enlisted in the Navy where he was a Morse Code operator until leaving the service in 1972. In this excerpt, Bob describes the economic changes of the early 70s, and the challenges of looking for a job at the end of the Vietnam War. In 1973 Bob was hired at Paul Smith's College, where he has worked ever since.
To read Bob's column the "Inseide Dope" click here: https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/…/the-inseide-do…/
Bob Seidenstein grew up in Saranac Lake. He enlisted in the Navy where he was a Morse Code operator until leaving the service in 1972. In this excerpt, Bob describes the economic changes of the early 70s, and the challenges of looking for a job at the end of the Vietnam War. In 1973 Bob was hired at Paul Smith's College, where he has worked ever since.
To read Bob's column the "Inseide Dope" click here: https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/…/the-inseide-do…/
Lionel Bibeau
Story Saturday
Today's Story Saturday comes Lionel Bibeau! In 2010, Lionel was interviewed by members of the high school journalism class in collaboration with the Oral History Project.
Lionel lost his mother to a train accident at the age of 14. He helped raise his siblings, doing much of the cooking for the household. This sparked a life long interest in food. Lionel came to Saranac Lake to pursue a degree in hotel management at Paul Smiths College. He worked as a chef at number of local institutions including Northwood School, Gabriels Sanatorium, Wawbeek Hotel, Paul Smith's College, Lake Placid Club, and the Adirondack Correctional Facility.
Lionel was also a prolific painter. Many of his paintings have been donated to Paul Smith’s College. Visit our wiki website to learn more about Lionel! https://localwiki.org/hsl/Lionel_Bibeau
Lionel lost his mother to a train accident at the age of 14. He helped raise his siblings, doing much of the cooking for the household. This sparked a life long interest in food. Lionel came to Saranac Lake to pursue a degree in hotel management at Paul Smiths College. He worked as a chef at number of local institutions including Northwood School, Gabriels Sanatorium, Wawbeek Hotel, Paul Smith's College, Lake Placid Club, and the Adirondack Correctional Facility.
Lionel was also a prolific painter. Many of his paintings have been donated to Paul Smith’s College. Visit our wiki website to learn more about Lionel! https://localwiki.org/hsl/Lionel_Bibeau
In Memory of Ursula Trudeau
Story Saturday
This excerpt was taken from an 2013 interview with Ursula Wyatt Trudeau.
To hear complete interviews with Ursula and view our online exhibition of "Ursula Trudeau: A Life in Hats" click here.
To hear complete interviews with Ursula and view our online exhibition of "Ursula Trudeau: A Life in Hats" click here.
Bob Seidenstein
Story Saturday
Bob Seidenstein grew up in Saranac Lake. He enlisted in the Navy where he was a Morse Code operator until leaving the service in 1972. In this excerpt, Bob describes the economic changes of the early 70s, and the challenges of looking for a job at the end of the Vietnam War. In 1973 Bob was hired at Paul Smith's College, where he has worked ever since. To listen to the rest of the interview click here.
From the Story Phone: Donnely's Ice Cream
August 10, 2019
Listen to more Story Saturdays here. We debuted the Story Phone during our recent Cure Porch on Wheels trip to Donnelly's Ice Cream. The Story Phone is an antique wall phone reconfigured so users can listen to and record their own stories. Here is one of the stories we recorded! Listen to more stories from the Story Phone here.
Katherine and Marvin Best
June 1, 2019
Jan Dudones
April 27,2019
Every week we will be using this space to share a story from our archives. This week Jan Dudones tells us about her father Ed Worthington who taught at the Study and Craft Guild.
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2000 interview with Jan Dudones by Shirley Morgan. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to learn more about Ed Worthington. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Memorial Day
May 25,2019
In observance of Memorial Day, this Story Saturday we remember those who died in uniform.
Art Neiderbuhl told us this story during a 2012 interview. He described watching the Saranac Lake contingent of the National Guard leave for the Philippines Campaign during WWII. Many never returned.
Art Neiderbuhl told us this story during a 2012 interview. He described watching the Saranac Lake contingent of the National Guard leave for the Philippines Campaign during WWII. Many never returned.
Click here to listen to the complete interview with Art Neiderbuhl. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Dana Fast
July 13, 2019
Today's Story Saturday comes from Dana Fast! Dana and her daughter Yvona did a StoryCorps interview in 2008. Dana shared this story about escaping the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.
Dana, her younger brother, and her mother survived the war. Her father was killed by the Gestapo; Dana last saw him as they were escaping the ghetto. Janina, who helped them during the war, also survived. She remained close to the family, even babysitting Dana's daughter, Yvona.
Dana is a master gardener who lives in Lake Clear with Yvona. She wrote the memoir My Nine Lives about surviving the Holocaust. Click here to read more about Dana's book.
Dana, her younger brother, and her mother survived the war. Her father was killed by the Gestapo; Dana last saw him as they were escaping the ghetto. Janina, who helped them during the war, also survived. She remained close to the family, even babysitting Dana's daughter, Yvona.
Dana is a master gardener who lives in Lake Clear with Yvona. She wrote the memoir My Nine Lives about surviving the Holocaust. Click here to read more about Dana's book.
Produced by Historic Saranac Lake with interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. www.storycorps.org.
Helen Larsen
April 20, 2019
Every week we will be using this space to share a story from our archives. This week we have a story from Helen Larsen, who told us how she met her husband.
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2012 interview with Helen Larsen. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to learn more about Helen. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Tom Delahant
april 13, 2019
This week on Story Saturday Tom Delahant tells the story of how Pendragon Theater got its name.
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 201o interview with Tom Delahant. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to learn more about Tom. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Natalie Leduc
March 30, 2019
In honor of Women's History Month, we are starting a month long series highlighting the stories of women in the Saranac Lake area! Each Saturday we will be bringing you the voices of local women through our Story Saturday feature. Stay tuned for more stories!
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2017 interview with Natalie Leduc. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to learn more about Natalie. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Charlotte DeSormo
March 23, 2019
In honor of Women's History Month, we are starting a month long series highlighting the stories of women in the Saranac Lake area! Each Saturday we will be bringing you the voices of local women through our Story Saturday feature. Stay tuned for more stories!
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 1995 interview with Charlotte Littlejohn Bombard DeSormo by her daughter Natalie Leduc. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to learn more about Charlotte. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Nora Newell
March 16, 2019
In honor of Women's History Month, we are starting a month long series highlighting the stories of women in the Saranac Lake area! Each Saturday we will be bringing you the voices of local women through our Story Saturday feature. Stay tuned for more stories!
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2012 interview with Nora Newell by the Oral History Project. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Alice Wareham
March 9, 2019
In honor of Women's History Month, we are starting a month long series highlighting the stories of women in the Saranac Lake area! Each Saturday we will be bringing you the voices of local women through our Story Saturday feature. Stay tuned for more stories!
Today we are featuring Alice Wareham for Story Saturday. Wareham started working at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise when she was 16, and continued working there after graduating from Smith College. By the time she became co-publisher, she had held every job at the newspaper--whether it be reporting, editing, or running the Linotype machine.
Today we are featuring Alice Wareham for Story Saturday. Wareham started working at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise when she was 16, and continued working there after graduating from Smith College. By the time she became co-publisher, she had held every job at the newspaper--whether it be reporting, editing, or running the Linotype machine.
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2013 interview with Alice Wareham by the Oral History Project. To learn more about Alice, visit her Wiki page here. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Neil Surprenant
March 2, 2019
This week on Story Saturday we have a story from local teacher and historian Neil Surprenant. During Prohibition, Gabriels, NY was a hub for bootleggers bringing booze down from Canada. In this excerpt, Neil recounts Halsey Brulliea's stories of assisting Legs Diamond and other rumrunners in evading law enforcement.
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2014 interview with Neil Surprenant by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Lionel Bibeau
February 23, 2019
"We got married after I graduated.I've been in town ever since."-Lionel Bibeau
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2010 interview with Lionel Bibeau by the Historic Saranac Lake. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Bette Johns
Saturday February 16, 2019
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Bette Johns by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Howard Hoffman
Saturday, January 26, 2019
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Howard Hoffman by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Forrest Morgan
Saturday January 19, 2019
"We were shot downon our sixteenth mission."-Forrest "Dew Drop" Morgan
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Produced by Historic Saranac Lake with interviews recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. www.storycorps.org. To learn more about Forrest "Dew Drop" Morgan, visit our wiki website. To listen to previous Story Saturdays click here.
Bob McKillip
Saturday January 12, 2019
"To us it was quite a treat,We got to see the whole village."-Bob McKillip
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2010 interview with Bob McKillip by Marc Wanner for the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Elise CHapin
Saturday January 5, 2019
"Well, I'd like to tell you about how I became involved in theStudy and Craft Guild."-Elise Chapin
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 2000 interview with Elise Chapin by Shirley Morgan. Click here to find out more about Elise Chapin. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
John Nolan
Saturday December 29, 2018
"And I thought she was the prettiest Girl I had ever seen in my life,still do."-John Nolan
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This audio excerpt was taken from a 1987 interview with John Nolan at the 1987 TB Reunion hosted by Historic Saranac Lake. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Jim Meade
Saturday, December 15, 2018
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Jim Meade by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Dan Leonard
Saturday, December 8, 2018
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Dan Leonard by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Natalie Leduc
Saturday December 1, 2018
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Natalie Leduc by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Bob Fay
Saturday November 24, 2018
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Bob Fay by the Oral History Project. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Maurice Guerrette
Saturday November 17, 2018
This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Maurice Guerrette by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Kevin Healy
Saturday November 10, 2018
Photo: "Unidentified Woman on Cure Porch", Journal of Outdoor Life, January 1925, Historic Saranac Lake Collection. This audio excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Kevin Healy by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Lois Setlock
Saturday November 3, 2018
This excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Lois Setlock by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Marilynn Hazelden
Saturday, October 27, 2018
This excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Marilynn Hazelden by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Verna Eddy
Saturday, October 20, 2018
"I remember...
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This excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Verna Eddy by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed. Click here to listen to previous Story Saturdays.
Paul Reiss
Saturday, October 13
"I was the paper boy ...For all of lake placid-Paul Reiss
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This excerpt was taken from a 9/05/2018 interview with Paul and Rosemary Reiss by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed.
Natalie leduc
Saturday, October 06
"my dad wascivil air patrol"-Natalie Leduc
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This excerpt was taken from a 3/02/2018 interview with Natalie Leduc by the Oral History Project. Click here to listen to the rest of the interview. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see Story Saturday in your feed.
Jim Meade
Saturday, September 29, 2018
This excerpt was taken from a 2018 interview with Jim Meade by the Oral History Project. To listen to the complete interview click here. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see more Story Saturdays!
Bunk Griffin
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018
This excerpt was taken from a 9/19/2018 interview with Bunk Griffin by the Oral History Project. To listen to the complete interview click here. Visit Bunk's website and discover more local history here!