Sept-Oct newsletter2 - Skaneateles Historical Society

The Museum at The Creamery
THE SKANEATELES HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
Sept-Oct 2012
Vol. 27, No. 4
Laurie Winship, Editor
SEPTEMBER PROGRAM
Prohibition in the Skaneateles Area
Please join us on Tuesday, September 25 at
7:30 p.m. at The Museum at The
Creamery for our fall kickoff program
featuring Charlie Major telling tales of
prohibition in Skaneateles.
Skaneateles had all the elements needed for
successful distilleries: clean water, water
power, grain, barrel makers, and demand
for the product. There were at least 13
distilleries in this area, beginning as early as
1802.
Knowing Charlie, this will be an
entertaining program as well as
informative, so mark the date now on your
calendar! Refreshments will be served, and
all are welcome.
Interested in Exhibits?
We are looking for volunteers to work on an Exhibits
Committee. There are still a few areas in the
Connector Wing that need work, and we’re ready to
start making plans for revamping the older museum
exhibits. Please call 685-1360 if you’re interested. It's
a great way to see what artifacts have been in storage
that we might want to bring out!
Photo courtesy of Bent Thomsen
Thanks to a generous donation by Bob Neumann, of
Erie Materials, The Museum at The Creamery has new
shutters. Some older ones were replaced, and we had
been waiting to add shutters to the Connector Wing. A
big thanks goes to volunteers Lloyd Cline and Dick
Whalen for helping with the installation. The next step
in our improvements will be to paint the doors.
The purpose of the Skaneateles Historical Society is to conduct and encourage historical research and to collect, preserve, and exhibit
historical material in connection with the Town of Skaneateles.
SHS NEWSLETTER!
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CREAMERY HOURS, Sept-Oct
Friday, 1-4 p.m.
Saturday, 1-4 p.m.
Or by appointment
Sale of “The Little Fry” nets
$2500.00 for Historical Society
A big thank-you goes to Doug Clark for
donating his vintage 1961 Correct Craft
Atom Skier as a fund-raiser for the new
interactive lake model we are having built.
We were pleased to accept a winning bid of
$2,500.00 from Mark Boise of Earlville,
New York.
OCTOBER PROGRAM
Of Flags, Remembrance, and Shotwell Park
The program for our October meeting will focus on the history of Shotwell Memorial Park and the
community’s long tradition of honoring those who have served in the military service. It will be held on
October 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Every year, the Skaneateles Memorial Day observance and parade end in Shotwell Park for a closing
ceremony; Veterans Day ceremonies are held there as well. For the past two years, the Skaneateles Girls
Lacrosse Association has added to these traditions with a flags display honoring veterans. It is this latter event
that inspired Mary Gardner’s poem, “Whispers,” later illustrated by Marietta artist Marian Settineri, and now
produced as the third in their series of commemorative notecards, available in our gift shop. Gardner
searched through the SHS archives on Shotwell Park and found a story not often told. The Skaneateles Press
reported in July 1948 that the Park had “…received acclaim as one of the most beautiful war memorials in the
country.”
This story will focus on: 1) The history of the park, 2) Profiles of Noreda Rotunno, noted Syracuse University
landscape architect who designed the park and SU professor Walter Long who sculpted the bronzes, 3)The
continuing work of the Skaneateles Veterans Memorial Committee (SVMC) and the next installation
honoring veterans of recent wars; and 4) A dramatic reading of “Whispers.” Speakers will include Beth
Batlle, Town Historian and member of the SVMC; Fran Rotunno Fish, niece of Noreda Rotunno; Charles
Major, SVMC committee member; Kurt Reilley, chairperson of the SVMC and Commander of the
Skaneateles American Legion Post; and Mary Gardner. Audience members will be invited to share their own
memories of the Park.
The Skaneateles Historical Society 28 Hannum St. Skaneateles, NY 13152 315-685-1360
www.skaneateleshistoricalsociety.org
[email protected]
SHS NEWSLETTER!
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PROGRESS REPORTS
This summer has been one of many accomplishments at the Museum at The Creamery. The new signage
in the Boat Building and Connector Wing has been completed, and it it magnificent. If you haven’t seen it
yet, you’re in for a treat. Our thanks to ChaseDesign and Mack Studios for their invaluable help.
A new Roosevelt Hall exhibit is now completed, thanks to a generous contribution from Dennis Owen. It
includes wonderful pictures that have never been on display, and a plethora of interesting facts that include
the property’s evolution over 200 years, various architectural influences on the mansion itself, and a list of
surprising visitors.
Our new interactive lake model display is nearing completion, even as we continue our quest for funding.
Thank you to our generous donors whose contributions have enabled us to get this far, and more donations
are always welcome. Volunteers have started gathering content for the points of interest that will be
displayed on the monitor, and we will have a trained intern for 40 hours during September to help scan
photos that will be used. The craftsmen at Kiwimills in Macedon, NY, are building our model based on a
topographic map of the Skaneateles Lake watershed. The cabinet and display monitor are still works in
progress.
Photo courtesy of David Miller
The Skaneateles Historical Society 28 Hannum St. Skaneateles, NY 13152 315-685-1360
www.skaneateleshistoricalsociety.org
[email protected]
SHS NEWSLETTER!
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Fall Shopping Made Easy! Use ShopforMuseums.com to Support the Skaneateles Historical Society when
you Shop Online
Did you know you can support our Skaneateles Historical Society each time you shop online this Fall?
Simply start at the ShopforMuseums.com online portal, select Skaneateles Historical Society, then use the
links to click through to hundreds of your favorite stores. A percentage of your purchase amount is given
back to us as a FREE DONATION.
Shop for Fall fashion and shoe trends, furniture, gifts, flowers, books, electronics, toys and much more at
stores like Tommy Hilfiger, Macys, Zappos, Best Buy, Walmart, HP and Barnes & Noble. You can even
book your Fall travel through ShopforMuseums.com and a percentage of each hotel stay, plane ticket and/
or car rental will be donated back to The Skaneateles Historical Society.
Get started today at ShopforMuseums.com and please spread the word to your friends and family. Thanks
in advance for your support!
From the Gift Shop
Please remember The Creamery Gift Shop when you want a special Skaneateles-themed gift.
We have items that are made exclusively for us and made in America. Your dues and the profit
from the gift shop are the primary sources of revenue for our day-to-day operations. Stop in and
see what’s new.
The Skaneateles Historical Society 28 Hannum St. Skaneateles, NY 13152 315-685-1360
www.skaneateleshistoricalsociety.org
[email protected]
SHS NEWSLETTER!
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Yearbooks missing in action
Our copies of the 1979 and 1992 Skaneateles High School Comet yearbooks are missing from our
collection. If you have one to donate, we’d be very grateful. We have duplicates and even triplicates of
many years, but we had only one copy of these. So, if we could get two or three, that would be even
better. Watch for other years we need in the next newsletter.
PAINTING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Now that the hot, muggy days of summer should be behind us, we are looking for
volunteers to paint. Quite a lot of touchup painting is needed on the original building,
and sections of the new buildings only received prime coats. If you can help. please call
Laurie at 685-1360. We want to proceed as soon as possible, and hope to complete it by
mid-October
We are also looking for members to help with other general maintenance activities as part of a Building
and Grounds Committee--to change light bulbs, do minor repairs, etc. Again, please call Laurie at
685-1360 if you can help.
Lloyd Cline helped install our new shutters, with
Bent Thomsen supervising.
Photo courtesy of Dick Whalen, who also helped
with the shutters.
BOARD MEMBERS: President, Karlene Miller; V-P, David Bates; Secretary, Mona Smalley; Corresponding Secretary, Karen Lengyel;
Treasurer, Betsy Foote; Town Historian, Beth Batlle; Village Historian, Pat Blackler; Members-at-large, Jorge Batlle, Lloyd Cline, Robert
Green, John Havemeyer, David Miller, Barbara Patrick, Nina Popow, Susan Spalding, Bent Thomsen, Richard Whalen
MUSEUM DIRECTOR: Laurie Winship
The Skaneateles Historical Society 28 Hannum St. Skaneateles, NY 13152 315-685-1360
www.skaneateleshistoricalsociety.org
[email protected]
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SEPT-OCT NEWSLETTER
Sept-Oct 2012
Vol.27, no.4
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
SKANEATELES, NY
Permit No. 66
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Special thanks to...
Our volunteer gardeners, especially David Colgrove and Mary Mahagan.
Bob Neumann, of Erie Materials, for donating our new shutters.
Lloyd Cline and Dick Whalen for helping to hang the new shutters--they look fabulous.
Everyone who has donated to our Annual Fund Drive. If you haven’t sent in your donation, it’s not
too late!