June 28, 1975 Rod Serling

As I planned the various topics to be included in the Snippet from the Past blog, I wanted to include people as topics. For some their World War II stories are included, but I also wanted to highlight a few people who called the greater Interlaken community home. One name quickly came to mind.

For many years, before and since 1975, the Serling family has summered on Cayuga Lake. An appearance by Rod Serling in and around the village would be a thrill for many and, later, a fondly recalled memory.

Rather than attempt to write an article on this gentleman, I’ve chosen to provide a few of the many online links to articles about him, and his “Twilight Zone” series.

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-10-greatest-twilight-zone-episodes/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rod-serling-the-twilight-zone-and-tvs-1st-golden-age/

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/28/the-psychological-trauma-that-rod-serling-suffered-after-ww2-inspired-him-to-create-the-twilight-zone/

Did you know there are geocache links for him as well? These links bring people to the community. They are looking for the simple military headstone marking the grave of this famous gentleman. Visitors often leave little tokens as well.

Rod Serling's headstone, Lake View Cemetery, Interlaken
Author's photo collection.

Dewitt’s Diary, Sunday June 28, 1953

Temperature 65 clear. Very warm today. Raked up hay early this morning.

Went to the ball game this afternoon. Interlaken lost to Spencer.

Thunder showers this evening. Wet the hay.

Corn is growing fast, and will be almost knee high by the 4^th of July. 

June 27, 1900 Cornerstone for the New School

Today’s Snippet is another that does not require a lengthy introduction. The following is taken from the Farmer Review Saturday, June 30, 1900. The new school was being built on the lot two houses north of the Reformed Church. The building was torn down in 1938 and a ranch style home sits on the site today.

Picture postcard with the school building.
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #

Wednesday, June 27, 1900, will long be remembered by the people of this section as a red-letter day for Farmer, the occasion of the laying of the corner-stone of the new union school building which the taxpayers of district No. 14 have voted to erect at a cost of $10,000.

The Board of Education issued an invitation that the corner-stone be laid with Masonic ceremonies, which invitation was accepted by the Grand Lodge thru Farmerville Lodge No. 183.

Most Worshipful Charles W. Mead, Grand Master of Masons of the State of New York, issued an edict authorizing Most Worshipful William A. Sutherland of Rochester to conduct the ceremony, which he did in a very impressive manner, assisted by Grand Lodge officers, the ceremony being witnessed by at least 2,000 people, while another thousand could not get within the grounds.

The Grand Lodge was formed as follows:

Most Worshipful. Wm. A. Sutherland, of Rochester, acting grand master. 

Right Worshipful Hiram L. Hutchens, of Canandaigua, deputy grand master. 

Right Worshipful Clarence A. MacDonald, Seneca Falls, senior grand warden. 

Right Worshipful Chas. H. Burt, of Phelps, junior grand warden. 

Right Worshipful George A. Stubbs, of Geneva, grand treasurer. 

Isaac H. Stout, A. M., of Albany, grand secretary. [formerly of Farmer/Interlaken, see also June 24, 1923]

Rev. F. J. Allington, of Sheldrake, grand chaplain.

Right Worshipful J. Hungerford Smith, of Rochester, grand marshal. 

Worshipful W. T. Bowlby, of Willard, senior grand deacon. 

Worshipful Charles R. Keyes, of Lodi, junior grand deacon. 

L. F. Smith, Trumansburg, grand steward 

M. W. LaBoyteaux, Romulus, grand steward 

Rev. E. S. Annable, Lodi, grand steward 

John E. Richardson, Waterloo, commissioner of appeals.

About 200 members of the fraternity were present and formed in the Baptist church park at three o'clock and marched to the school house site, in the following order:

Miller Band, Farmer, Grand Lodge Officers, Lodi Lodge, No. 345, Willard State Hospital Band, Union Lodge, No. 114, Ovid, Farmerville Lodge, No. 183 [Interlaken], Visiting Delegations, Union School Scholars.

Four better addresses were never heard in Farmer. Hon. Wm. A. Sutherland's reputation as an orator was well known in southern Seneca altho our citizens never before had the pleasure of hearing him. He was listened to attentively, frequently applauded and his well-chosen words are treasured in the memory of all who heard him.

Isaac H. Stout, A. M., was in His happiest vein as he looked over the crowd, nearly every person present being acquainted with him, for he was brought up here and for so many years was principal of this school, and even now he calls Farmer “home.” He was heard with great pleasure. Revs. Allington of Sheldrake and Annable of Lodi ably represented their calling.

We hear the wish oft expressed that all the speeches be printed

The vocal music was under the direction of Prof. J. M. Chadwick. Miller Band did themselves great credit.

Union Lodge of Ovid was accompanied by the Willard State Hospital Band, 22 pieces, under direction of Prof. Wm. White. After the exercises, they favored the people with a band concert from the Gambee house balcony, which was much enjoyed. They play a high grade of music, every man proving himself an artist. All hope to hear them in Farmer again.

Cornerstone for the new school 1900
Author's personal collection

The corner-stone is from Ohio, of sandstone, and in raised letters shows the date: “June 27, A. D. 1900, A. L. 5900,” with a square and compass. [Today it is on display in front of the Interlaken Historical Society’s Farmers’ Museum].

Click here to see the program of the event and the items placed in the cornerstone.

To see a recreation of this event, plan to attend the Town of Covert Bicentennial Celebration on Saturday, July 29, 2017, at the Firemen’s Field.

Dewitt’s Diary June 27, 1934-1936

Wednesday, June 27, 1934 Edna went to the Burg today. I went fishing.

Thursday, June 27, 1935 Helped Willard put up some alfalfa for the start of haying. A shower at noon. I cultivated some corn. I caught two lake trout last night.

Saturday, June 27, 1936 Showers this morning and they are much needed. My oats are ready to head out and only eight inches tall. Many fields of Spring grain are very poor because of lack of rain. Corn is very short and a poor stand.

June 26, 1923 Another son born to Myron

In reading all of Dewitt’s diaries, and knowing the family history, I would be watching for his comments on births, marriages and deaths.

The diaries begin in 1919, the year Dewitt got married and took over the farm. By that time, his older brother Myron had been married for almost ten years and had four children.

The children of Myron and Maggie Filkins Bassette born before 1923 were: Arthur born in 1909, Mary born in 1911, James born in 1913 and Myron Jr. born in 1916.

The 1920 diary is not in the collection. It would be interesting to read for all the details of the first full year on the farm. It is also unfortunate as it probably included an entry in July when Myron’s daughter Mary died.

There will be other marriages and deaths recorded in the years to come, and a few of those will be included in these Snippets from the Past.

Dewitt’s Diary June 26, 1923

Francis is mowing on the pasture field this morning. I helped Edna wash.

Myron has a 10 ½  pound boy this morning. They were hoping for a girl.

High north west wind all night.

Franklin Bassette, Myron and Maggie's fifth child, was born on June 25, 1923.

June 25, 1972 Aftermath of Hurricane Agnes in Pictures

Much has been, and could be, written about Hurricane Agnes. Dewitt’s impressions have been included in both the June 23 Goodman Hotel Snippet and the June 24 Stout Memorial Snippet.

Rather than write about the aftermath I’ve chosen to share pictures taken at Interlaken Beach, Kidders and Taughannock Creek. All photos were taken by Frank and Ann Bassette and kept with other family photos.

Interlaken Beach:

 

Interlaken Beach Road, wooden bridge over creek.

Ann Bassette standing in front of a cottage,
looking North, Interlaken Beach Road

Interlaken Beach Road

Debris on the beach from docks etc. Interlaken Beach Road.

Interlaken Beach Road.

Looking North from foot of Interlaken Beach Road

Interlaken Beach Road, boat hoist in the background.

 Boat House, Interlaken Beach Road.

Kidders

Flagpole at Kidder's 

  

Taughannock Creek, this is of course very similar to recent photos

Taughannock Creek, above the falls.

Taughannock Creek, above the falls. 

Sunday, June 25, 1972

[Written by Edna, Dewitt’s wife]

Pete and Lem drove down this morning, going down to the lake to see the damage done by the storm.

Sun came out and not a bad day.

Took Dad [Dewitt] down to the hospital this afternoon for tests and X-rays. He hasn’t been feeling good for about four weeks.

June 24, 1923 Isaac H. Stout Memorial Dedicated

In 1918, Wheeler A. Bassett, in his retrospection of the village, wrote this about Isaac Stout.

In the summer of 1900 a new building was dedicated and the present high school building was erected. Prof Isaac H. Stout made the principal address at the laying of the cornerstone. During the 1870's Prof Stout was the efficient teacher of the Union school for nearly ten years, and later held a high position in State educational work.

My pen fails me when I try to do justice to this beloved teacher. How fitting it is today that our High School banner is inscribed with the letters I.H.S. For these initials still bring inspiration to the old scholars, and we try to think they have something to do with our old teacher, I. H Stout.

The sentiments expressed there were shared by many others. Professor Stout died in November 1903 at his residence in Albany. In 1922, former students and colleagues proposed a monument to honor him.

A notice in the May 12, 1922, Interlaken Review requested, “Anyone having a list of scholars who in any one year attended school when Isaac H. Stout was teacher in Interlaken please send such list next week…”

A week later, on May 19, 1922, there was a Wanted item in the paper. “Wanted-A 5 or 6 foot by 4 or 4 ½ foot boulder, with smooth face, suitable for a monument to the late Prof. Isaac H. Stout, to be placed at Interlaken High School. Anyone knowing of such a boulder within 20 miles of Interlaken communicate with L. A. Morgan.”

While the plan had been a June 1922 dedication, the June 23, 1922 paper carried a notice, “the committee in charge of the Isaac H. Stout memorial have found it impossible to have the same ready for dedication this commencement as planned. The memorial will be completed during the summer and dedicated in the fall or during commencement week in 1923.”

Many former students had replied to the invitation to be a part of proposed memorial.

The memorial “was dedicated on Sunday afternoon [June 24, 1923] in the presence of about 300 people, most of whom were his pupils or acquaintances.” [Interlaken Review June 29, 1923]

Plaque dedicated to Isaac H. Stout, now on the front lawn of the South Seneca ElementarySchool.
Author's personal collection of photos. 

When the “old high school” was torn down and the current school building completed, the boulder and plaque were moved to the front lawn.

Dewitt’s Diary Sunday June 24, 1923

Eva and her mother were here all day. Mr. Predmore went to Ovid.

I bought some ice and made some ice cream today.

Thunder showers this afternoon. We sure need rain.

Saturday, June 24, 1972

Temperature 60, cloudy.

Le and I drove to Interlaken Beach. The road to Lem’s is all under water. Water up to Lem’s steps in front of his cottage.

All docks are a float. We got to Lem’s through the woods.

A sad sight. You cannot believe your eyes.

Some 12 inches of rain reported in western N.Y.

Looking at Cayuga Lake from the porch/steps of the cottage.
Spring 2017 photo from author's collection.

June 23, 1986 Goodman Hotel Torn Down

On Wednesday, June 25, 1986, The Geneva Times reported on the Seneca County supervisors’ meeting. “Goodman Hotel: Heard Covert Supervisor Donald Kenyon report the Goodman Hotel at Interlaken was demolished Monday, under contract with the county.”

Much has been written about this landmark, from the fire on February 10, 1891 to the many events held there. It has been a ready reference point in many pictures, and the second-floor porch was a perfect location to photograph Main Street events.

Two questions have often come to mind when thinking about the Goodman Hotel, 1) when was it rebuilt after that 1891 fire, and 2) when did the name change occur?

The February 21, 1891 issue of The REVIEW had two small items. “The Gambee house ruins are smoking yet this morning.” In another column, “It looks favorable for re-building the Gambee house. A subscription paper to aid that purpose is meeting with success.”

The February 28 issue noted a few of the rebuilding plans. “Active operations toward rebuilding the Gambee house were commenced Wednesday morning. The new hotel will be two stories high, a mansard roof over part forming a third story. A basement will run under all.”

As shown in the old maps of Main Street, there was no Railroad Avenue in 1891. One note on the new building stated, “The building will be located about 6 feet further south than the old one, widening the street just that much.” [February 28, 1891]

Over the next five months short one-line items commented on the progress of the new building.

March 28, 1891, “The cellar walls on the new Gambee house are being rapidly laid. Carpenter work will probably commence next week.”

April 18,1891, “The cellar walls on the Gambee house are up and the timbers all laid for the first floor. Work will now rapidly proceed. Delos Collver and a dozen other carpenters make things jingle.”

June 13, 1891, “The third story of the Gambee house is nearly plastered.”

June 20, 1891, “The second and part of the first story of the Gambee house are plastered.”

July 11, 1891, The steam fitters and plumbers have finished their work in the Gambee House and the painters and paper hangers are now ‘in it.’ It is expected the hotel will be ready for occupancy about August 1^st.”

July 25, 1891, “The formal opening of the Gambee house will probably take place about August 5^th.”

August 8, 1891, “Many complimentary remarks are heard on the new stone walks about the Gambee house. They were laid by J. T. Hunt.”

Gambee House, Martin Gambee is driving the "rig" in front. Mrs. Gambee is with others on the balcony.
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #745.

The front page of the August 8, 1891 issue of the Farmers Review carried an extensive article following the formal opening under the headline, “Opening of the ‘New Gambee’.” After recounting the fire, the article discusses the rebuilding, including a number of names not to be forgotten. “Mr. S. A. Drake was selected as the architect and builder…the new house is a marvel of convenience and beauty, the painting and decorations under the supervision of Mr. O. J. Slaght present an appearance of elegance…” “The house is heated by steam throughout and with hot and cold water, bathroom, etc….”

The celebration included a concert by “Travis full orchestra upon the balcony of the hotel.” “An elaborate dinner was served from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and supper from 6 to 8 p.m. The dining hall was handsomely trimmed under direction of Mrs. Jennie VanLiew. Dancing began at 9 o’clock and was indulged in to a late hour.”

The article concluded with, “we predict for the new Gambee house a successful and profitable future and we are sure we but voice the sentiment of the community when we wish Mr. and Mrs. Gambee great success.”

So, the first question was answered, August 5, 1891, the new Gambee house was opened to the public.

On the second question, when did it change name, that answer was found in the Farmer Review August 21, 1903 issue. “The name of the Gambee house has been changed to ‘The Goodman’.”

By 1986 changes had occurred and the once “Roaring 20s” establishment was no longer roaring. Arrangements were made for Seneca County to tear down the building. Throughout the day, residents and visitors took photos as the work progressed. 

The work of tearing down the building began on the back.
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #1650B.

As I recall, it was close to noon, shortly after the siren blew, that the front façade was brought down.

Working toward the front of the building.
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #1650B

In the end, a pile of rubble, waiting to be loaded in trucks and taken away.
Interlaken Historical Society website, www.interlakenhistory.org Source unknown.

Today, through the work of many people, the site of the American Hotel, Gambee House, Goodman Hotel is now home to the Interlaken Historical Society’s Farmers’ Museum. Links to other related Snippet items are shown below.

Dewitt’s Diary Friday, June 23, 1972

Temperature 55, cloudy with rain.

It rained most of the time all day. Over 7 inches of water total.

We drove down to lake at Sheldrake. All of the docks are gone. It is a regular disaster area.

Cayuga Lake is the highest ever, so they report today.

The shore line is covered with materials from docks. Many bridges are gone out.

We did not try to drive to Interlaken Beach Road, along the lake is impassable.

Chemung River flooding. Half the people have been taken out of their homes to safety from Elmira, Corning, Owego. The Ohio River is at flood stage.

Snippet from the Past: American House Fire February 11

Snippet from the Past: Farmers' Museum March 29

June 21, 1916 Rev. VanArsdale Presentation

In June 2016, I was looking for something to add to the Interlaken Historical Society window display. What I found turned out to be more than just another artifact in the collection. In some ways, that artifact helped to bring this series of articles into being.

What I found was a walking stick just sitting in the holder along with a number of other walking sticks and canes. What attracted my attention was the gold head and engraved Masonic emblem. Knowing that Farmerville Union Lodge would be meeting one last time on June 21^st before going into summer recess, I planned to share the walking stick with the Masons before adding it to the window display.

Walking Stick presented to Rev. Elias B. VanArsdale June 1916 at
Farmerville Lodge Meeting.
Collection of the Interlaken Historical Society. 

 Imagine the surprise when showing the walking stick to several people noticing more than just the emblem on the head. The octagon sided head had four engraved panels and four decorative panels. The engraved panels note: Presented to/R.W. E. B. VanArsdale/ By Farmerville Lodge #183/ June 21^st, 1916

Needless to say, that was a bit of WOW, given the 100 years between the original presentation and when it would again be shared at a Lodge meeting.

One of four engraved sides on the VanArsdale walking stick.
Presented to Rev. Elias VanArsdale at the Farmerville Lodge meeting.
Collection of the Interlaken Historical Society.

The “who was Rev. VanArsdale,” and “why was he given the walking stick” became the focus of research. The results were shared at the Lodge meeting that night and in an article in the Summer 2016 Interlaken Historical Society newsletter.

Rev. Elias B. VanArsdale,
Pastor, Mason, Community Leader
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #1159

Rev. Elias VanArsdale was born in 1869 in Highland Falls, NY, son of Rev. N. H VanArsdale. Elias followed in his father’s steps and attended seminary, graduating in 1893. He accepted a call from the Reformed Church at Farmer Village and moved into the Manse at the corner of Main and Orchard Streets.

Here Elias, and his wife Agnes, raised their family until 1916. In addition to his church duties Rev. VanArsdale also helped to found the Farmer Free Library and served as President from 1901 to 1916. In 1905, he was elected President of the Interlaken Union Free School Board of Education and re-elected for the next ten years. He is credited as sponsor in 1910 of the first Boy Scout Troop in Interlaken, also the first in Seneca County. Pictures of those early Scout troops are familiar items within the Historical Society collection.

A small plaque in the Lodge dining room gives a brief synopsis of his activities as a Master Mason: He joined Farmerville Lodge in 1903, served as Master in 1907, as Grand Chaplin (New York State) 1908-1909, and as District Deputy Grand Master 1910-1911.

So, having a bit of background on who Rev. Elias B. VanArsdale was, the question still remained, why in June 1916, was he presented with a gold headed walking stick?

Rather than try to decipher the minutes of that evening’s meeting, a search at www.fultonhistory.com quickly brought up the answer in the June 23, 1916, issue of the Interlaken Review. At the meeting on June 21, 1916, 79 members of Farmerville Lodge were present, and the visitors from 15 other Lodges brought the total to 130 in attendance. The article lists several of the dignitaries by name and title, including Rev. E. B. VanArsdale. After the regular meeting, the assembly adjourned to the dining room where food, a feast as noted, and toasts were offered.

The Interlaken Review article continues, “The event of the evening came when Professor E. R. Eastman of Walden, NY, a former principal of Interlaken High School, presented to Rev. E. B. VanArsdale … a handsome gold-handled cane.” He included in his remarks, “although the dominie is yet in his youth the ‘stick’ might assist him in his declining years.”

The sentiments expressed by Mr. Eastman echoed the thoughts of the Lodge and the community as the VanArsdale family prepared to move to New Jersey to be near his parents. One son, Lyle VanArsdale stayed in Interlaken, living on a farm on Route 96A near Bassette Road. Other members of the family would return, and still return, each summer to the cottage on Interlaken Beach Road.

Rev. Elias B. VanArsdale died April 15, 1937. When he left Interlaken in July 1916, he moved to North Paterson Reformed Church at Hawthorne, NJ and stayed there until his retirement in July 1936. Rev. and Mrs. VanArsdale are buried in New Jersey.

The walking stick was given to the Historical Society in 1989 by Lyle VanArsdale.

Dewitt’s Diary June 21, 1928-1932

Thursday June 21, 1928 Rain all day. We built a bean cooker for cooking beans for the hogs. My beans are up fine. Corn is getting weedy.

Friday June 21, 1929 Went over the bean field with the weeder.

Planted potatoes in the patch behind the barn. Jay Miller and family and Edna, Leland and I went to Geneva to a show tonight.

Saturday, June 21, 1930 Cut the roadside today. Cocked the alfalfa over again. Went to town tonight. Bought a creamer can and shipped cream today.

Sunday, June 21, 1931 Drove down to the lake this morning.

Tuesday, June 21, 1932 Planted one field of beans today. Went up and got Leland today. His throat is awful sore now and he cannot talk much. 

June 17, 1956 Milliken Station Open House

One day, when the Bicentennial Committee was discussing the upcoming transportation event in September, the comment was made about alternate means of transportation for getting to work. One of the members recalled that in the 1950s some of the local men would use their boats to cross Cayuga Lake while working at the construction site for the new Milliken Station. It was faster than driving all the way around the lake.

Wondering if there might be something in the archive files or the newspapers, I started searching. Several items about the generator plant were found, but so far nothing about people using lake travel to get to work, other than memories of comments long ago.

The June 15, 1956 Interlaken Review carried a notice for the open house.

On June 22, 1956 the Interlaken Review reported, “Myron W. Bassette and John V. Kellogg attended the dedication June 14^th of the new $23,000,000 Milliken Electric Plant of New York State Gas & Electric Corp. It is one of the most modern generating plants in the east.”

For those who recall the Blizzard of 1958 this item was found in the Ovid Gazette, “Fortunately, electric power has not been interrupted…Manager Don Price reported…that they had to chop through an 18-foot drift to get to the Milliken power station.”

And in June 1974, Mr. Russell, took the South Seneca basic electrical class members on a field trip to the station. “Students took a tour through the plant to learn how electricity is produced. Students learned that Milliken burns 2,400 tons of coal per day, and that Milliken now has stockpile of 180,000 tons of coal.” [Interlaken Review June 20, 1974].

If it is quiet when you are on the western shore of Cayuga Lake you can hear the coal trains as they move toward the plant. Of course, many of us have been “caught” on the wrong side of the tracks when a coal train moves through Ithaca.

In the end, we have memories of those earlier days, and for some we recall looking at the smoke stack to see which way the wind was blowing and/or how strong. But in the end, I’ve not found any stories about people who crossed the lake to get to the station. If you know of someone, their stories would be a welcome addition to 200 Years of Transportation or just to the archives.

 

Two recent photos of the Milliken Station.
Photo by Gary Hunt.

Thank you Nancy Radloff.
Looking at both of these I realized how I miss seeing that plume of smoke. 

Dewitt’s Diary Sunday, June 17, 1956

Cloudy temperature 64. Cooler this morning. We went to the lake a few minutes this morning.

Cloudy most all day. Drove up south of Townsendville this afternoon. Everything needs a warm rain.

June 16, 1888 A. D. Chadwick Glass Plate Photographs

The October 1980 issue of the Interlaken Historical Society newsletter featured an article about the Glass Plate negative collection.

“Some forty-five year ago, Willard Fulkerson told John Kellogg that he had found several cardboard boxes full of glass plate negatives in the woodshed of the place where he was living. John looked at them and recognized that they were negatives that had belonged to Arch Chadwick and George Graham, professional photographers. The pictures date from 1880s to 1915.”

After storing them at the old Case Block Post Office for many years, they were moved to the Hinman Library building when the Post Office moved to its current location.

One of the glass plate negatives which is in good condition.
Once scanned and touched up this negative will be a positive print.
Interlaken Historical Society Collections.

In 1980, several people were involved in a project which “listed the glass plate negatives, numbered them, cleaned them, and made out 3” x 5” cards for each photograph, listing them by category. There were about 2,500 negatives, but water had leaked on part of the collection and they stuck together. However, about 1,100 negatives were accessioned.”

The collection, each glass plate in an acid free envelope and numbered, were stored in a specialty built case in the Historical Society store room on the second floor of the Library building.

At times in the past a few of them had been printed and were also included in the photograph collection. Doug Vanbenschoten took a number of the plates to Ithaca and had regular negatives and prints made so they could be displayed.

With the move in 2008, from the library building to the telephone company building, glass doors were made for the storage cabinet.

The original glass plate negative cabinet, now with doors to further protect the collection. 

Recognizing how fragile the collection had become, a grant was secured to purchase computer, scanner and software as well as training in the restoration of the scanned photos.

Since 2010 the collection has been scanned at 1200 dpi and volunteers continue to touch up the photos, often working on a theme to be shown in the museum. These themes have included local views, ladies, and this year the Museum hopes to showcase transportation views.

Notebook listing all of the glass plate negatives
Interlaken Historical Society collection.

As noted in the 1980 article, “The majority were portraits of individuals and families, but there were many village and lake scenes as well. There were good negatives of the Busy Bee and several other steamboats.” Street scenes, homes and churches are also included.

With the first group of prints ready to be displayed for the 2010 season, Ann Buddle wrote an article about Arch Chadwick, his photography and his career as a scene painter and teacher at Ithaca College.

The article began with a quote from the Farmer Review of June 16, 1888. “A. D. Chadwick is becoming quite an expert at photography and has on exhibition at the post office a fine collection of views taken in the village or nearby, which receives the commendation of all. He has recently taken a series of views covering the entire village. These pictures should be in the homes of every former resident. They are already selling well here.”

If you are looking for an ancestor, or a building, please contact the Interlaken Historical Society so we can check both the regular photo collection (which numbers over 2,300 items) as well as the glass plate negative collection.

Dewitt’s Diary June 16, 1945—1948

Saturday, June 16, 1945 Heavy showers. Pete and a couple of fellows from Buffalo went trout fishing tonight. Lem caught a 7 ½ pound trout.

Sunday, June 16, 1946 Strong south wind and rather cool today.

Monday June 16, 1947 Cool and cloudy and ground too wet for working this morning. Temperature 51 and not warming up much today.

Caught a lake trout night fishing.

Wednesday, June 16, 1948 Temperature 48 this morning. Too cold for beans and corn. 

We planted an acre of potatoes today on east side of field east of woods. 

Clear and cold again tonight. First sweet peas out partway today. I have them north of house.