1890-1910
Text excerpted from: Aber, Ted, and King, Stella, The History of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant, NY: Great Wilderness Books, 1965 and Aber, Ted, Adirondack Folks. Prospect, NY: Prospect Books, 1980
FIRES - 1890s
With the beginning of the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the village of Indian Lake, now permanently established in its enduring location, began to grow.
The year 1891 started with a single major fire at the corners early Sunday morning, January 11. The Central House was destroyed, together with the greater part of its contents. It was a two-story frame structure, owned by Frederick Ordway and James Hickey. Hickey, a former resident of Johnsburg, had conducted the hotel only a short time. Cause of the fire and the extent of the loss could not immediately be determined. The building and its furniture were insured for $4,000.
There was only one other hotel in the village, known as the Ordway House. By March, Ordway and Hickey had leased the Ordway House and would open it formally with a ball on Tuesday, March 11.
The hotel fire was only a prelude.
A disastrous conflagration occurred on Thursday night, April 24, 1891. Four stores were burned to the ground. The buildings, which were owned by Nelson Ste. Marie, Mrs. Emma Mead, John Ste. Marie, and T.D. Depan, were all two-story structures, the second stories being occupied as dwellings. Nelson Ste. Marie carried $1,800 insurance; T.D. Depan, $3,750; John Ste. Marie, $1,530; and Mrs. Emma Mead, $4,000. The loss was not known but might have totaled $15,000.
Gradually, the village center was rebuilt.
More was to come.
Disaster struck the Ordway House at an early hour on Sunday eving, August 6, 1893. The flames that were to destroy it totally were found belching from under the roof of the main building near the southwest corner by Issac Kenwell, who immediately gave the alarm. Efforts were made to extinguish the conflagration, but too much headway had been gained. In a short time, the whole building was in flames, endangering several other buildings. Oliver Ste. Marie’s store, on the opposite corner to the west, had a narrow escape. George H. Tripp’s house and Nelson Ste. Marie’s on the opposite side to the north, were badly scorched. Ste. Marie’s caught fire once and it seemed that the building would be destroyed. In fact, danger threatened the entire village, but the flames were extinguished by willing hands. Fortunately, the rain of the afternoon had dampened roofs of the buildings, thereby protecting them from falling sparks and cinders. Nearly all the contents of the Ordway House were saved. It was Jim Hickey’s second hotel fire in three years.
TOWN HALL
The need for a town hall had been long felt. It was possible finally to hold a special town meeting in the new establishment on September 24, 1894. It was ruled on November 7, 1894 that the supervisor and town clerk would have custody of the town hall and that, when the building was rented for special functions, the charge would be not less than two dollars a night, the proceeds to go toward upkeep of the hall.
Before three years had passed, changes in the structure appeared indicated. Decision of March 13, 1897 was to remove the chimney and place a new one at the end of the hall, while changing the stairs to the outside of the building. Total cost was not to exceed seventy-five dollars. A water closet was to be added, with entrance only from the hall’s interior, for one hundred dollars.
By July 26, 1897, the plans had been changed. Instead, the idea was to build an addition, 18 feet long by 30 feet wide, to the back of the building and to finish off a room for the town clerk’s office. The supervisor and town clerk were to do the work.
The hall could be used for church societies and for school purposes at no charge, as long as they cleaned the hall and the booths were not disturbed. On November 9, 1898, purchase of suitable bedding and furniture for the jail room and bars for the windows was authorised.
FIRES - 1900s
Several hotels of varying size functioned on the north side of the main street during the final decades of the nineteenth century. Largest was the Green Hotel, named for the color of its painted exterior. Among its managers were Jack Ste. Marie and Jim Hickey.
Smaller establishments were operated by Ed McSweeny, George Tripp, and Richard Porter. McSweeney, who came from Glens Falls, located his inn on the present site of the Grand Union Store. It was lost in the general fire that occurred shortly after 1900.
The village of Indian Lake had its fair share of fires that destroyed individual commercial establishments throughout the years. It was also visited by two severe fires of a more widespread nature. The first was in 1900 when the hotel of Edward McSweeney was destroyed at the site of the Grand Union store, as well as the home and store of Nelson Ste. Marie at the present site of the hardware store. Mr. Ste. Marie rebuilt, only to be visited by fire once more in 1921.
On June 21, 1900, the Indian Lake Hotel, conducted by J.H. Wilson & Son, was destroyed. The property of John Ste. Marie directly west of the burned building, was saved, but was considerably damaged. The hotel was owned by Edward McSweeny and was insured. John Ste. Marie also carried insurance on his property.
On September 15, 1900, the general store of T.D. Depan and the drugstore of his son, Charles E. Depan, were consumed in flames. The drugstore was insured for $1,300 and the store for $3,000.
The year 1909 opened with a second major holocaust in the village center. The blaze started on Saturday evening, January 2, from a defective chimney in the store of Carlos Hutchins and rapidly spread. The fully stocked general store of Carlos Hutchins was first destroyed. The dwelling and saloon of Jack Ste. Marie followed. The blacksmith shop of George Tripp and a majority of poles and wires of the North Creek Telephone Company yielded to the flames. When it was finished, the loss totaled upwards to $50,000. The village center was a charred ruin.
SCHOOLS
On September 24, 1900, a meeting was called to obtain support for enlarging the school. All fourteen votes taken were opposed.
By 1902, it was evident that the schoolhouse was inadequate, however. Another story was added.
In late fall, the schoolhouse was pronounced ready, and classes were moved in.
The Indian Lake High School was described as a two-story building, well ventilated, heated and lighted. On the lower floor were the primary and intermediate rooms, cloakrooms and a large hall with a stairway leading to the main high school room, the grammar school room, the laboratory and library and the office.
The first class graduated in 1908.
VILLAGE
A sidewalk was authorized on April 18, 1908 from the schoolhouse to the post office at Oliver Ste. Marie’s store at cost of $1,860. Bicycles were not to use the new convenience and enforcement was reiterated in 1910.
With the discontinuance of William West Durant’s Adirondack, Lake George & Saratoga Telegraph Company, the town was left without its accustomed communication with the outside world. On August 28, 1909, E.A. Wilson appeared before the Town Board asking for a special franchise for a telephone line on all highways of the town, using the poles and wire of the now extinct telegraph system. On September 7, 1909, the franchise was granted.
In 1910, in response to the petition of thirty taxpayers, the plank sidewalk was replaced with cement at cost of $1,000. A second appropriation of $1,000 was made on June 5, 1911 to "continue from where the work was discontinued last year, and running to the high school building . . .and, if any money be left, to lay out same on the east side of Maple Street from the northwest corner of the Commercial Hotel."
In 1915, Frank Pelon was operating his saloon at the present site of Farrell's taproom. By 1925, he had added his hotel building, where the Farrell Hotel now stands.
Progress in the form of new public services, either realized or contemplated, marked the first third of the twentieth century at Indian Lake. Roads were the unceasing problem. But such unheard-of services as telephones, electric lighting, public water and sewer systems were suddenly within the realm of possibility. Sidewalks and automobiles materialized in the mountains and bus lines arrived to make the people mobile.
Source: Aber, Ted, and King, Stella, The History of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant, NY: Great Wilderness Books, 1965 and Aber, Ted, Adirondack Folks. Prospect, NY: Prospect Books, 1980
Photographs courtesy The Indian Lake Town Museum, Indian Lake, NY 12842
Web design by: Nick Johnson
2002 The Indian Lake Central School District, Indian Lake, NY