The Chapman Historical Museum’s new exhibit, At the Lake, which runs through August 31, presents different perspectives on what it has meant to be at Lake George over the past 150 years. Included in the exhibit are the stories of groups that camped on the lake’s many islands, families that built grand homes on the lake, and others who constructed more modest camps.

To diversify the story the exhibit also includes the experiences of people who lived on the lake and worked there each summer as waitresses, cooks, laundry workers, guides and boatmen.

One story is that of the Waltonians, a club formed in 1853 as an organization of Glens Falls sportsmen who shared a common passion for the art of fishing. From 1855 to 1870, the club held annual two week camping trips on Waltonian Isle near Hague. Formal invitations were sent each year to fortunate guests, asking them to join them at the camp for two days of rousing fun. Waltonian gatherings became the stuff of local legend, with exotic costumes, grand tent sites and spirited hijinks.

The exhibit features the stories of the Glen Club, the Rangers and other families, the first American Canoe Association meet, fishing competitions of William Bixby and friends, the work of hotel staff in Hague, Glens Falls Club clam bakes, and many more. Altogether the exhibit includes over seventy historic photographs, Lake George journals, manuscripts and ephemera, watercraft, camping and fishing gear. Also included are film clips and images, along with play things and rainy day games, of family camps in the 1940s and 50s.

At the Lake is funded by grants from The Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation and the Waldo T. Ross & Ruth S. Ross Charitable Trust Foundation, and sponsored by The Lake George Mirror, Glen Street Associates and Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company.

The Chapman Museum is located at 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY. Public hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, Noon to 4 pm. Admission: Adults — $5, Students and Seniors (65+) — $4, Children under 12 – Free. For more information call (518) 793-2826 or go to www.chapmanmuseum.org.

Related Programs:

Thursday, May 15, 7 pm

Bill Gates, Author & Lake George Boat Captain

The History of the Sagamore Resort

At Crandall Public Library

Wednesday, May 28, 7 pm

Meaghan Wilkins, Director of Wiawaka

Wiawaka: Maintaining Tradition, Embracing the Future

At the Chapman Museum

Thursday, June 5, 7 pm

Erin Coe, Chief Curator of The Hyde Collection

“A Strong Conviction of Duty”

Seneca Ray Stoddard’s Photographic Books of Lake George

At Crandall Public Library

Thursday, June 12, 7 pm

Henry Caldwell, Owner of Black Bass Antiques, Bolton

185 Years of Lake George Souvenirs

At Crandall Public Library

Photo: Waltonian Camp, ca. 1870. Courtesy Chapman Historical Society.