Category: Life and Living

The Remarkable Shelburne, Part Two

Posted on by Pete Schloss

June 27, 2022. My previous post introduced you to the remarkable Shelburne Museum located in Shelburne, Vermont. Let me emphasize that it is truly world class, and remarkable.

For details about its founding, history, scope, and how we happened upon it, please go the the previous post.

The Remarkable Shelburne Museum, Part One

Within the Shelburne’s grounds were two sites that are deserving of separate treatment. The first of these is the Carousel and Circus Building.

The restored vintage Carousel is great fun for young and old alike. The attendant remarked that adults seem to be more excited to ride it than the little ones.

Standing alone it is a pleasant diversion, but it really sets the stage for the entry into the Circus Building.

This 500 foot long, narrow, horseshoe shaped structure houses the life work of two men and artifacts from the glory days of the Circus.

Railroad brakeman Edgar Kirk set to create a special toy for his 4 children, “The Kirk Circus”.

In 1910, using his penknife, he began to carve figures that became the performers, audience, and “Big Top” of his circus. His passion became near obsession. 46 years later “The Kirk Circus” had grown to over 3,500 figures of amazing detail. His children long outgrown toys, Edgar would occasionally “bring the circus” to his backyard to the delight of children and adults alike.

This phenomenal exhibit, located at the start of the Circus Building, was acquired by the Museum in 1981.

As amazing as Edgar Kirk’s work is, it is but a shadow to what one next experiences in the gallery.

As a child, Roy Arnold loved circus parades. His love carried into adulthood so much so that between 1925 and 1955 he, along with the assistance of 5 others, hand carved and recreated the circus parades of his youth.

Rendered in a scale of one-inch equals a foot, his scale model is over 525 feet long, includes nearly 4,000 pieces, and is the equivalent of a parade over two miles long.

The wagons, carriages, and cages are fully functional in every important detail.

On the wall opposite to this singular parade are actual 19th and early 20th Century circus artifacts. These include signboards, wood sculptures, and restored carousel creatures.

The steamship Ticonderoga was launched from the Shelburne shipyards in 1906. She measured 220 feet long with a beam of nearly 60 feet.

This Lake Champlain behemoth had a displacement (weight) of nearly 2 million pounds. She sailed the lake for 48 years. At her retirement this side-wheel “walking beam” steamship of a bygone era was destined for the scrapheap, until she was brought to the attention of and purchased by Electra Havemeyer Webb.

That is only the beginning of the story. How does one move a 200+ foot, 2 million pound ship, more than two miles overland to her final destination for restoration and exhibit? Where there is a will (and a LOT of money) there is a way.

Planning, engineering, and execution took over a year. The actual move, covering over 2 miles of ground, took 3 months.

A huge dry lagoon pit was excavated near where the Ticonderoga was at dock. Only a dike separated the pit from the waters of Lake Champlain. Within the pit two sets of precisely laid railroad tracks were set in parallel. These four rails were supported by a special bed of ties, designed to support the load of the ship and carriage upon which the vessel would travel. Rails and carriage in place, the dike was breached to allow the pit to flood over the tracks and carriage. Ticonderoga was then brought into the lagoon, afloat over the now submerged structures. With extreme care and precision the waters were pumped out after the dike was restored. Any failure to accurately center the ship would have been disastrous. The ship came to rest only a quarter inch off center, at which point her hull was welded to the carriage.

Due to her extreme size and weight the move could only occur over frozen ground. Tracks were set and removed as she moved across farms, forest and fields. Utilities had to be temporarily rerouted as she passed, and at one point a temporary trestle had to be constructed so she could pass over an active rail line. The move and restoration of the Ticonderoga stands as one of the most significant achievements of its kind, certainly on par with the recovery of King Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose. Here is a link to that “tale”:

“The Mary Rose”

Ticonderoga achieved the status in 1960 as a National Historic Site. Virtually the entire ship is open to the public.

From the engine room and crew quarters,

To the Captain’s quarters and Pilot House.

Primarily engaged for day-sailing, there were only 5 staterooms.

The dining room, passenger promenade deck, and grand staircase were all of the highest order and finish.

Ticonderoga was a “walking beam” side wheel steam driven ship, a 19th Century design. Her two huge boilers, kept fed by two men shoveling from 28 tons of onboard coal, could propel her at a top speed of over 20 mph. Sheconsuming coal at the rate of two tons per hour.

The Shelburne Museum ranks as one of our finest “on-the-fly” finds. We hope to return some day to finish our tour of this remarkable museum.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Our campground for the nights of January 26 and 27 was Vermont’s Allis State Park. Named after Wallace Steele Allis (1859-1935), he donated his farm atop Bear Hill to the State in 1928 to preserve its beauty for the benefit of future generations. Allis State Park was Vermont’s second State Park, and was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s.

Prominent in the Park is a 6 story fire tower once used by the US Forest Service to spot forest fires.

It is open for the those daring enough to climb its near open staircase. The reward is an amazing view that in the far distance even includes New Hampshire’s highest peak, 6,288 foot Mount Washington.

Another benefit was cell coverage that helped me to upload some of these images.

Below are manicured picnic grounds, a 1930’s era shelter, and to our surprise and delight a storyboard of pages taken from the cutest of children’s tales.

We happily shared our campfire each night with one of the Park Rangers, David on the first night and Ashland on the second. I can’t express how satisfying and rewarding it is to share such time in passing with new friends.

The Remarkable Shelburne Museum

Posted on by Pete Schloss

On the morning of June 26th it was time to break our camp at Vermont’s DAR State Park and head to the next stop, Vermont’s Allis State Park. We were presented with 2 routes, one a winding mountain transit, and the other skirting the mountains and passing near Vermont’s main population centers of Burlington and Montpelier, its Capital.

Neither route exceeded 100 miles in distance, but while longer than driving the mountains the more urban journey was shorter in duration. “Urban” is a relative term since the State’s population is less than 650,000, with Burlington the largest city at 45,000 and Montpelier at less than 10,000. We elected to take the longer/quicker route.

As we approached the town of Shelburne (pop. 7,700) we observed a large tract of manicured lawn with an interesting and diverse accumulation of buildings. What really caught my eye though was the view of a pilot house and smoke stack of a huge ship located on the grounds, over 2 miles from Lake Champlain.

We pulled over to consult “Mr. Google”. We learned that before us was the world-class Shelburne Museum. Spread over 45 acres, it features 22 gardens, over 150,000 displays set within 39 historic buildings, a significant collection of art, and the 220 foot long SS Ticonderoga. Our plans for an early arrival at our next destination were abandoned. We sought out breakfast in town and then proceeded to the Museum.

Tickets, good for two days, were $23 each, a slight “old person” discount from the standard fare of $25. We soon regretted that we only had the afternoon to dedicate to the Museum. To do it justice one should plan on either a very full day or two more relaxed ones.

We barely saw half of what the Shelburne had to offer, focusing on the more prominent exhibits. Even though I sought to be judicious with my camera I ended the tour having taken well over 100 pictures. These I have reduced to less than 100, but it became clear to me that these could not be presented in a single post. Therefore, this post will focus upon the general grounds, lightly touching upon various elements. The post that will follow will examine two remarkable exhibits, the Circus Building, Carousel, and the steam ship Ticonderoga.

First stop was the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education.

Within were seasonal exhibits drawn from the Museum’s extensive archives.

A 10 minute 1980 video by Howardena Pindell titled “Free, White, and 21” was a captivating look at one Black woman’s experience with racism. Watching it was a profound experience in which she presents face on only, vignettes of her early years, her education years (Yale post graduate), and her professional life. In counterpoint she wears a blond wig and white nylon stocking over her head to present the “White view” of her experiences.

Here is a link to this remarkable video: https://youtu.be/8MZo5LNDk90

Next we visited the round Shaker Barn.

An amazingly efficient design, the center of the barn was a silo. Livestock were penned inside around the circumference of the mid-level, facing the silo which provided their feed. Dung dropped to the lowest level where it could be easily collected and used as fertilizer. The upper level was for storage of implements and equipment.

Today this structure contains a significant collection of 19th Century horse drawn vehicles. Just a few that we saw were the above stage coach,

Elegant carriage,

Hearse, with wheels and also displaying the undercarriage sled gear for winter use,

And sleighs.

One building housed a collection of early American firearms, more art than weapons.

Another building was arranged to present a hunting trophy lodge.

There was a train station and related buildings which included replicas of the earliest locomotives.

The restored 1915 “Locomotive 220” has served many dignitaries, including US Presidents Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

There is a General Store,

A Town Square,

A 19th Century slate stone jail,

A horseshoe barn,

A covered bridge,

More Art, featuring Winslow Homer and Grandma Moses to name just two.

An entire house dedicated to duck decoys. Sounds boring but it was not!

The Shelburne Museum was founded in 1947 by Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888-1960), a pioneering collector of American Folk Art.

She was an heiress to the Havemeyer fortune, her father being the founder and President of the American Sugar Refining Company which controlled virtually all sugar commerce in America.

The Shelburne Museum reminds one of the creation of Crystal Bridges by the Walton family, founders of Walmart, only the Shelburne is grander in scope.

My next post will continue the presentation of the Shelburne Museum, but with focus upon the Circus Building, Carousel, and the steamship Ticonderoga.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. During our stay at Vermont’s DAR State Park we toured the nearby John Strong Mansion.

A couple of insights that we came away with are worth sharing.

In this image there is a dome lid wood box located beneath the antique “Pie Safe”.

Boxes like this served 3 purposes: Storage of bread, as an infant’s cradle, and also as an infant’s burial casket.

Displayed in the kitchen were devices used to make yarn from wool and flax.

This small 4 arm device is called a “Weasel”. It was used to wind yarn, 6 feet at a turn. Within it is a counting mechanism.

It takes precisely 40 turns to create a skein of yarn at which point the counting mechanism makes a loud “pop” sound… Thus the origin of “Pop goes the Weasel”!

The Van Buren Mansion

Posted on by Pete Schloss

June 25, 2022. We are camped for 2 nights in Vermont’s DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) State Park, on the east shore of Lake Champlain, near Fort Ticonderoga, a center point of conflict during the French and Indian War.

Lake Champlain extends 107 miles from Ticonderoga to Quebec. It was the site of major naval engagements between America and British vessels during the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

After 2 days of rainy overcast we are finally graced by blue skies and warm drying temperatures. Our campsites have not had electric service so we have been relying on battery to power our trailer systems. Today our solar panels are drinking up the sun-generated electricity and restoring our power reserves.

Now to the subject of this post:

Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), was an American lawyer, 8th President of the United States (1837-1841), America’s 8th Vice President (serving under Andrew Jackson), the 10th US Secretary of State, 9th Governor of New York, US Senator from New York, and he is considered the founder of the Democratic Party and creator of America’s two party system.

Only 5 foot 6 inches tall, he rose in prominence to become a giant and elder statesman in American politics. He was the first US President not to have British family roots, and the only US President who’s first language was not English. He grew up speaking Dutch, acquiring English in school as a second language.

Born in the small village of Kinderhook, New York, his early years were spent living in the family’s inn/tavern where he was exposed to a continuous flow of dignitaries traveling “the Old Post Road” between Albany and New York City. His ambition and political adroitness perhaps had their roots in the many conversations of state, national, and international matters that he was exposed to. At the age of 14 he began his legal career as an apprentice to a local attorney.

His life was bookended by the birth of the Republic and its near death in the American Civil War. Although an eloquent man of great intellect, his was a one term presidency. His popularity in office rapidly declined in large part because he opposed the creation of a central bank deposit system for the US government. Instead, he favored regional banks. However this meant that US commerce did not have a single currency, and individual banks were subject to regional market instability. A massive collapse of the system brought about The Panic of 1837 for which he was largely held to blame.

He did not own slaves, but kept paid servants who were usually Irish immigrants. He was considered to be anti-slavery, yet he continued the implementation of the mass relocation of Native Americans begun under Andrew Jackson. The resulting hardships and deaths to these First Nation people would become known as the “Trail of Tears”. This was another factor in his failure to achieve reelection.

When Van Buren was growing up there was a magnificent home located near Kinderhook, built and owned by Judge Peter Van Ness, that Van Buren admired and often visited.

It was to Judge Van Ness and this home that Aaron Burr turned to for counsel and guidance after he had killed Alexander Hamilton.

The residence and grounds, known as Lindenwald, became available while Van Buren was President. He purchased the home and 125 acres adjoining it in 1839 for $14,000 (about $375,000 equivalent today). He then expanded it at a cost of $10,000 to better accommodate members of his family and political guests. The home became the hub of activity for the Democratic Party.

The property is a National Historic site, managed by the National Park Service. We thoroughly enjoyed a tour of the mansion on June 23rd.

With few exceptions the furnishings and decorations are original to the home and were the property of Martin Van Buren.

He was a man who appreciated elegance, and was deemed a “dandy” in his time.

The carpeting is from Belgium, the hand block printed wallpaper from France, and much of the furniture imported from England.

When the Park Service sought to restore one end wall in the formal dining room they found that the manufacturer of the wall paper was still in operation. The company retrieved the original blocks, nearly 200 years old, from its archives and printed new stock that perfectly matched the originals in the home.

The dining room table could expand to accommodate up to 24 guests.

On either side of the central dining room were “sitting rooms”. Appropriate for the time, one was reserved for women and the other for men.

A main floor bedroom was reserved for guests.

Servants quarters and work areas were in the basement. These included the servants dining area, the house kitchen, and laundry.

A system of cables routed from levers in the various rooms above to bells in the servants dining area so that the help could be summoned when need arose.

Ultra-modern for the time, a pump located in the basement fed water to an upstairs storage tank and boiler so that hot running water was available in the home. Van Buren even had a flush toilet.

The home featured a 60 foot tall, 4 story cupola with winding staircase.

Van Buren had a well appointed library and office on the main floor with a small adjoining informal dining room.

The second floor was reserved for the family, featuring a central area and bedrooms.

This was Martin’s room and the bed in which he drew his last breath.

A few miles down the road and through the town of Kinderhook is the final resting place of Martin Van Buren and his wife, Hannah.

We are now continuing east and north with hopes for fair weather and safe roads in the coming days.

Peace Everyone. Pete

Taconic State Park and Camp Pontiac

Posted on by Pete Schloss

June 21-24, 2022. We are camped for 3 nights at New York’s Taconic State Park, located a few miles from the small but charming village of Copake. More important to us is our proximity to Camp Pontiac which for the next 7 weeks will be “home” to our daughter Alexis and her 3 children. We have arrived here with the intention of visiting them as we continue north and east.

The land for Taconic State Park was donated in 1924 to the State by the prominent NY couple, Francis and Ella Masters.

They loved the area and hoped to preserve its beauty from future commercial development.

The Park underwent improvements in the 1930s thanks to the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps, active during the Great Depression. Level tent platforms were constructed in the woods and could be rented for 4 dollars a week, tent included.

Those platforms have been maintained through the years and are still in use today. However, you must bring your own tent.

Stone buildings constructed 90 years ago remain, some of which are cabins available for rent.

A historic iron foundry that operated from 1845 to 1903 is here and undergoing restoration.

Local features include Copake Falls, swimming in the former quarry, rails-to-trails hiking, and a wonderfully modern campground.

The Taconic Mountains stretch north into Vermont and are old mountains that once towered over 20,000 feet above sea level. They were “tamed” by glacial forces and today the highest peak is a mere 2,311 feet.

Camp Pontiac is like no summer camp experienced by us in our youth.

Founded in 1922, and celebrating its centennial, its current owners and operators are twin brother doctors and their wives.

They have been the camp’s caretakers for nearly 30 years.

    This from Pontiac’s website: “Camp Pontiac is a 7-week sleepaway camp in NY, located at the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. Only a 2-hour drive from NYC, our sleepaway camp is situated on 150 picturesque acres with a beautiful 65 acre spring-fed lake. Each summer Pontiac welcomes girls and boys aged 7 to 16 from all over the country to their home away from home in a traditional sleepaway camp setting.“

    For 2 of the last 4 years (COVID prevented opening in 2020) our daughter has served as the camp’s head nurse, managing two infirmaries and a staff of 15 nurses.

    They, in turn, provide health care to the camp population that can number over 700, plus camp counselors and over 80 adult staff members. Of course, the physician owners are also fully involved in camp operations and care.

    We knew to expect an extraordinary facility, but what we have seen exceeds all expectations.

    Camp Pontiac has more in common with an upscale resort or an Olympic Village than it does with summer camp of my youth.

    There are multiple soccer fields.

    A driving range.

    Miniature golf.

    A performing arts theater.

    Sand volleyball.

    Multiple tennis courts.

    A huge gymnasium.

    Multiple baseball fields.

    Roller hockey.

    Scores of pristine cabins.

    4 swimming pools.

    Outdoor basketball courts.

    A lake with kayaking and a man made adventure island.

      A gymnastics and martial arts facility that also features spin cycling.

      A separate fitness facility with free weights, cardio, and weight machines

      If that were not enough, there is also an “American Ninja” training facility and aerial acrobatics training!

      There is more, but you get the idea.

      It is no wonder that Kane, Phoenix, and Paisley count the days each year to the start of camp…

      For Alexis this is 7 days a week, 24 hours a day on-call work… that she loves.

      Peace Everyone. Pete

      PS. From here we plan to spend the next 8 nights camping in Vermont and Maine. On June 2nd we board a ferry in Bar Harbor, destination Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

      Buck Pond, the Adirondacks

      Posted on by Pete Schloss

      June 18 – 20, 2022. This is the last of 3 nights spent camping on Buck Pond, a peaceful and remote campground in the northern Adirondack Mountains of New York.

      Yesterday, June 19th and our 45th wedding anniversary, was spent in part wandering around Lake Placid, 25 miles to the south.

      We treated ourselves to a nice upscale dinner, ice cream and later at camp a fire, which staved off the chilly twilight temps.

      This morning I performed some Dutch Oven magic, baking a breakfast casserole for 2. Dinner was another Dutch Oven creation, Italian peppers baked with seasoned vegetables. (Sorry, no pictures)

      I spent much of the early afternoon hiking an old railroad grade, and then ascending a trail to the top of “Little Haystack”, one of countless Adirondack mountains.

      The trail was steep and challenging, but the view proved that the effort was worth it.

      Grand vistas may be the goal, but mindful attention to the little things brings its own rewards.

      Peace Everyone. Pete

      PS. Tomorrow we travel 4 hours south to New York’s Taconic State Park, located near Copake, NY. We will be there for 3 nights. This is especially exciting for us as we will be visiting our daughter, Alexis, and her 3 children/our grandchildren, Kane, Phoenix, and Paisley, as they begin their 7 weeks at Camp Pontiac, a summer camp that was founded in the 1930’s. Alexis is head nurse over a staff of 15 nurses. The camp serves over 700 children, ages 7 to 16. Oh to be young again!!