Friend's Point, Hague-on-Lake George
A special place that has been in our family for over 50 years, this spot on Lake George has been enjoyed now by four generations. Forbes FYI magazine recently did a photoshoot in Hague featuring the sleek Hackercraft motorboats which have been on the lake for almost seventy years. I found the old turn-of-the-century photo which is featured as the wallpaper to this site in an online archive operated by the Detroit Publishing company at http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/detrquery.html. (Search on keywords Hague and Lake George) This site contains numerous old photos of Hague, northern Lake George, and the surrounding environs. What's interesting is how little has changed in almost a century. For instance, the view from Friends Point is the same today as it is in the 1905 photograph.
This is threatened by increasing development around the lake, most notably that sponsored by New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation. Ironically, rather than conserve the pristine views, DEC is aggressively developing local campsites, cutting down trees, paving roads, installing docks, moorings, boatramps, providing access to large boats, trailers and RVs…essentially turning this wonderful Adirondack view into yet another 20th century eyesore of a marina.
Other old photos of Hague and the surrounding area can be found at
I particularly like:
http://rs6.loc.gov/pnp/perm1/4a/4a10000/4a11000/4a11400/4a11482r.jpg
----
--------
--------
---------
-----
----
--------
---click on the images in blue to enlarge (if
you have the patience to browse jpeg files of about 17k.)
Cochituate Village, Wayland, Massachusetts
Cochituate Village, now part of Wayland, was originally a thriving shoe-manufacturing town in the mid-nineteenth century. Our home was built in 1874 which is generally the period in which many of the surrounding homes were built. French-Canadian immigrants worked at places such as the Bent Shoe Factory which was at the corner of what is now Rtes. 27 and 30. Cochituate remains a family oriented village with locals supporting local merchants, attending local churches, and participating in local government.
Not surprisingly, historic Cochituate is under threat from many
external pressures, most notably from developers wishing to capitalize
on an excellent commuter route by introducing chain stores to
the area. The Cochituate Preservation Society is actively working
to moderate the effects of future development. More on this group
later.
A fine institution of higher learning, Union College not only
dates from 1795, but it is where Mr. Cartwright met Mrs. Cartwright
at the fifth reunion of the class of 1981.