Excerpt From Quarterly Newsletter:

Each Quarterly Newsletter is full of interesting facts and stories about the history and people that made history so exciting to remember in the Adirondack Region of New York State.  Below we post a portion of the current newsletter. 

As a member of the Minerva Historical Society you can receive your very own copy with the complete text.  Many folks have saved each issue over the years. They make wonderful reading and reference material about the 'ole days' past.

From Newsletter Editor:

Barbara Curtis generously donated a shawl to the Historical Society. The shawl is black wool or linen fabric and measures about 6 feet by 11 feet and has a fringe. It is approximately 200 years old and belonged to Anna Gates. Anna Gates came here from Hartford, NY in 1812 when she married Lenox West, of the first settlers in the Minerva area. Barbara also had a tin type photo of Anna which we took a picture of. Thank you Barbara for this wonderful piece of history. We appreciate it very much.

Our guest speaker at our January meeting was Marty Podskoch. We had the pleasure of a visual and oral history of many of the Adirondack fire towers.

Life working on the fire towers was extremely challenging and very isolated. It was a hardship that many of us could not imagine, but those who did it seemed to enjoy it very much. I am not so sure about the families who went along to spend extended periods of time in such remote locations, especially children. Life was tough but the scenery was breathtaking.

There was audience participation by three of our local residents who worked at the fire towers, Kerry and Joyce Killon and Dave Gregory. They had a lot to share about their experiences and we all enjoyed hearing their stories. We also had an impromptu play starring Bob Savarie, Ed Healy, and Dave Gregory, directed by Mary Podsckoch, our presenter.

Thank you Marty, for the interesting presentation and to our very own Minerva fire tower observers Kerry Killon and Dave Gregory.

A view from the woman’s side was a special treat as shared by Joyce Killon. Kerry brought along his new bride, Joyce, to the fire tower on Vanderwhacker Mountain. This was quite an experience for a woman and especially a new bride, not your idea of a traditional honeymoon setting.

In Joyce’s own words these were without a doubt the best years of their life together. Joyce’s story is the first in our new section “OUR TOWN” which will feature articles by local contributors.
 
(See April 2005 Newsletter for more.)

Membership Minerva Historical Society
Members Receive
A Quarterly Magazine-Newspaper
Access to Archives and Research Materials

The Minerva Historical Society meets the fourth Tuesday of January, April, July and October (depending on what day Halloween falls on) at 7:30 PM at the Minerva Town Hall with a guest speaker, program and refreshments.

The Minerva Historical Society works hard for the community in many ways. They give a substantial scholarship to a graduate of Minerva Central School each year. They have an essay and art contest for the grades K-3 and 4-5, with money prizes, and certificates to the winners each year They have a lecture program that is available every 3 months.

They maintain the cemetery on Federal Flats Road and the One Room Schoolhouse in Irishtown which is now being renovated, and which was solely paid for with contributions from the local citizens.

The Museum also participates in the Minerva Day celebration each fourth of July. The Museum is open every day except Monday in July and August at 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.



 

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