Ghosts Of Saranac Lake

In the 1870s, Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau came to the area sick with TB. To his astonishment, his health improved. He settled in the village and established the first successful sanatorium for the treatment of TB in the U.S.

In 1887, author Robert Louis Stevenson came to Saranac Lake to be treated by Dr. Trudeau, and the first annual Saranac Lake Winter Carnival was held to bring entertainment to the many people recovering in the village. By the turn of the century, the village had grown into a prospering community and a fashionable destination - home to the world-renowned Trudeau Sanatorium, a dozen bustling hotels, and a hundreds of local homes that catered to TB patients, known as "cure cottages."

Wealthy families of the early 20th century discovered the beauty of the region and many built Adirondack great camps. They would invite their friends and families to spend memorable times in the Saranac Lake area. Among the many well-known families who owned local great camps were the Rockefellers, Posts, Baches, and Guggenheims.

Over the years, many famous figures such as Mark Twain, Christy Mathewson, Jack Dempsey, Al Jolson, Albert Einstein, Somerset Maugham, Albert Einstein, Bela Bartok, and presidents William Henry Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley, Calvin Coolidge, and Bill Clinton have come to Saranac Lake for rejuvenation of mind, body, and spirit.

(Above taken from saranaclake.com/history)

My current series of paintings "Ghosts Of Saranac Lake" began after I toured an abandoned former cure cottage. While in this grand, rambling, beautiful old building, I couldn't help but feel the presence of those who had cured there. People that, because of an illness that was often a death sentence, left family and friends to come to the Adirondacks in hope of relief and a cure facilitated by some fresh mountain air. This cure cottege inspired "In The Bedroom" and I began opening myself up to thoughts and musings about their experiences...Many former cure cottages still exist, occupied by their current residents. It is easy to walk my dog and imagine the past...Hence the painting "My Dog Sees Them" (Because, really, she does!) followed by "Life & Death In Saranac Lake". I am continuing to add to this series, so more to come...