List of 1915 Forest Rangers and Fire Observers

From May 7, 1915 Chateaugay Record and Franklin County Democrat:

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Grand Army of the Republic

G.A.R. Members marching in

Decoration Day Parade 1896, Malone

From the Collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society

One of the outcomes of the American Civil War was the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), founded in 1866 and disbanded in 1949.  Membership in the G.A.R. was limited to those men who served in the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Revenue Cutter Service during the Civil War. 

From the NYS Archives site:

     The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a large multi-faceted organization (fraternal lodge, charitable society, special interest lobby, patriotic group, and political club) founded in 1866 by Union Army Surgeon Benjamin Franklin Stephenson. The organization was originally envisioned as a brotherhood of veterans who were dedicated to helping other veterans.

      The first post was established at Decatur, Illinois in April 1866. Soon after a second post was organized in Springfield, Illinois, and others began to emerge throughout the northeastern states. By September of 1866, following a mass meeting of Civil War veterans in Pittsburgh, the movement began to spread east with the establishment of GAR posts by ex-union soldiers.

     The GAR was, without a doubt, a powerful political organization. It has been described by many as a "bloody shirt Republican club," and while this may be true, it is overshadowed by the organization's patriotic and social work. It was through the GAR, and the pension lobby, that many soldiers and their families received pensions. The Grand Army also promoted patriotism through parades, national encampments, placement of war memorials, and the establishment of Memorial Day as a national holiday.

G.A.R. members pose

From the Collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society

1974.243

Franklin County Posts (adapted from the GAR site maintained by SUNY Morrisville):

• Waverly:  Post 101 - Named for Sgt. Guy Wynkoop, Co. H, 10th NY Cavalry -  Joined at Waverly Oct. 1861 at age 20; captured at Sulphur Springs, VA, Oct. 13, 1863; died Aug. 30, 1864 at Andersonville, GA.
• Malone:   Post 213 Chartered Jan. 28, 1895 - Named for Private John W. Pangborn, Co. I, 35th NYSV.  Joined at Elmira in May 1861 for two years; mustered with Co. H, moved to Co. I in Aug. 1861
• Malone:   Post 284 Chartered Aug. 12, 1882 - Named for Captain William D. Brennan, Co. A, 142d NYSV. Born 1839; joined Aug. 21, 1862 at Malone as 1st Lt., age 22; Capt. May 1864; WIA Sept. 29, 1864 at Fort Gilmer, VA and lost a leg; discharged May 17, 1865; brevet Lt. Col. NYSV; brevet Major USV; taught school upon his return home and eventually became a lawyer; served as county treasurer and three terms in NYS Assembly; suffered a political reversal and took strychnine March 7, 1881.
• Brushton:  Post 363 Chartered April 19, 1883 - Named for Captain Horace L. Aldrich, Co. H, 106th NYSV. Joined at Morris Aug. 14, 1862, as 2d Lt., age 26; Captain July 9, 1864; discharged June 22, 1865.
• Dickinson Center:  Post 462 D. Robbins
• St. Regis Falls:  Post 504 Active Aug. 6, 1884 to 1921- Named for Colonel Charles Durkee, 98th NYSV. Malone businessman and a Democrat; joined at Malone as Lt. Col. Jan. 10, 1862, age 35; discharged Feb. 25, 1863; elected to lead Malone's home guard during the St. Alban's scare of 1864; died 1879.
• Chateaugay:  Post 562 Chartered Oct. 6, 1885 - Named for Rear Admiral Theodorus Bailey, US Navy. Born 1805 in Chateaugay; second in command of Farragut's fleet at the battle for New Orleans; died 1877
• Saranac Lake:  Post 621 Active July 23, 1897 to 1921-  Named for Corporal Francis M. Bull, Co. A, 77th   NYSV. Joined in Oct. 1861, age 22; discharged for fractured thigh, July 19, 1862.

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Additional Resources:

• Grand Army of the Republic records in the NYS Archives (1865-1949)
• G.A.R. in New York State
• Brief History of the Grand Army of the Republic

1932 Winter Olympics

Much like its sister event in 1980, the 1932 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY involved the greater Adirondack North Country region.   Two Franklin County men were part of the organizing committee:

Member, New York State Olympic Winter Games Commission

Member of III Winter Olympic Games Committee

Saranac Lake voted to provide $10,000.00 in funding and housing for athletes and dignitaries, as well as lodging for spectators.  The housing issue was of particular concern, and help was enlisted from neighboring communities and local Housing Committees were formed.  In Tupper Lake, P.J. Hickey agreed to be the committee chairperson, in Malone it was Dr. John E. White, and in Saranac Lake, Francis Leggett.   A formal system of cottage rental in locations such as Paul Smiths, Vermontville and Rainbow Lake was also employed. 

During the Games, a detail of 53 New York State Police (including 23 from Troop B in Malone), led by Lieut. H.C. Herrick, were stationed at Lake Placid.  The detail also had at its disposal 3 automobiles and 4 horses. 


Resources:
- Official Report of III Winter Olympic Games, Lake Placid 1932
- Olympic.org's 1932 Winter Games website, including video of the winning U.S. 4-man bobsled team
- 1932 & 1980 Winter Olympic Museum

Allen Mooney murder case

Head over to the Adirondack Almanack for Lawrence Gooley's description of the turn of the century Allen Mooney murder case in Saranac Lake that held all of Franklin County in thrall. 

Another account of the incident can be found in the online archives of the Northern NY Library Network's Northern New York Historical Newspapers Project.  See:  November 12, 1902 Malone Farmer and May 11, 1904 Malone Farmer.    Even Frederick Seaver includes the incident in his Historical Sketches of Franklin County (p.395).

History of WNBZ Radio

WNBZ, which broadcasts from Saranac Lake to the Tri-Lakes area, is in its 83rd year.  The radio station has compiled a history page on their website, complete with audio files from their archives. 

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Visit the WNBZ website for more newspaper clippings, audio files and photos. 

Franklin County Medical Society meeting, 1922

From the NY State Journal of Medicine, volume 22:

1901 Village of Saranac Lake

From the Meigs & Hadley insurance book, ca. 1901 (from the collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society (1975.60):

Village of Saranac Lake

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Columbian Fire Insurance Company

The Franklin County Historical and Museum Society has in its collection (1975.72.1) a ledger of the O'Neil and Hale Insurance Agents, Malone, NY who were local agents for the Louisville, KY Columbian Fire Insurance Company.  This ledger from 1893-4 includes the policies of individuals and businesses from every corner of Franklin County.  From the Town of Bombay's policy insuring their covered bridge at Hogansburg

To the Tupper Lake Village school district #1 (formerly the town of Altamont) two-story school building:

Both structures were insured for $1250.00 with a November 14, 1893-November 14, 1894 policy.  The premiums on these policies were $18.75

O'Neil and Hale did a good business with the hotels in the county, selling policies to Loon Lake House:

the Berkley Hotel in Saranac Lake:

and Paul Smith's Hotel in the town of Brighton:

...among others.

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Saranac Lake Winter Carnival

The 113th Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake is almost upon us.  This 1903 issue of the New-York Tribune highlighted the ice palace and outdoor activities. 

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From the Library of Congress "Chronicling America" series available online.   

The official Winter Carnival website has a brief history of the annual event, and you can see this year's ice palace under construction here.

Saranac Lake Dam

From the September 11, 1938 Northern New York News, distributed by the Syracuse Post Standard:

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Trudeau Sanitorium Reports, 1938

1938 reports of the Trudeau Sanitorium in Saranac Lake, NY.  From the collection of the Franklin County Historical and Museum Society:

1896 Brushton Burial Permit

This October 16, 1896 burial permit for the Village of Brushton, NY from the collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society reports the cause of death of 53 year old Daniel Sullivan in Brandon as "Consumption," the old term for Tuberculosis. Between 1873 and 1945, Franklin County -- most especially Saranac Lake -- was known for the treatment of tuberculosis. Dr. Trudeau's treatment of Tuberculosis at "cure cottages" in Saranac Lake began in 1884 and is perhaps most famously known for the treatment of Robert Louis Stevenson in 1887.

Summer Series Lecture on Hotel Saranac

The Franklin County Historical & Museum Society will be hosting Charles Alexander, who will be presenting his research on the Hotel Saranac in Saranac Lake, NY, on Monday, July 13 at 7:00pm at the Schryer Center for Historical & Genealogical Research (behind the House of History), 51 Milwaukee St., Malone. The lecture is free and open to the public; donations are appreciated.

Hotel Saranac was opened in 1927 by Apollos "Paul" Smith in the tradition of fine city hotels of the day, with a Grand Ballroom and Grand Hall opening onto a terrace overlooking the village and scenic mountains. From 1961 to 2007, the hotel was operated by Paul Smith's College as a teaching hotel for students of Hotel & Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts. The tradition of this elegant hotel continues now under private ownership.