Sand Lake Historical Society

"Preserving the past, enriching the future"

Author: Admin

  • Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore’s “Then & Now”

    It’s Throwback Thursday! Today we begin the new series Then and Now. My hope is that people will share their stories about these historic sites in our community. We begin with the old District #7 school. Built in 1893 it became known as the Averill Park three-room schoolhouse. In 1928 the Averill Park Central School District was created, and Elmer E. Stahlman was appointed Superintendent.

    In June 1935 the board approved the transfer of the District #7 school to the Walter Adams American Legion Post. Sergeant Adams was killed on October 10, 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

    Recently the SLHS and the American Legion have begun a partnership to share this historic building. Plans to renovate the building include a history museum on the lower floor.

    Don’t forget to share your memories of the historic District #7 School/Walter Adams American Legion Post.

    Throwback Thursday: This week we have Main Street in Averill Park looking east. The two people on the far right are standing in front of the store and newsroom owned by George Shriner. Mr. Shriner also ran the post office.

    Center building was Jacob Warger’s Dry Goods store. Most of us still refer to it as the Variety Store, though now it’s Miller Young’s Pharmacy and Paula’s Country Kitchen. In the background is Travelers Rest Hotel on Eastern Union Turnpike which burned down in 1939. Today, it’s where Tom Miller’s Automotive is located.

    Throwback Thursday: There were 11 one-room schoolhouse districts, 12 if Poestenkill District 1, Round Top School, is included. There are only a few left standing. Here is the District 3 Best School which has been beautifully restored as a family home. Thanks to the owners for participating in this week’s Then and Now.

    Throwback Thursday: While we’re on the subject of old schools, let’s look at what is today Homeroom Lofts. In 1928 the Board of Education passed a resolution for voters to authorize the erection of a new school building not to exceed $97,500. The vote passed 96 to 2. In 1929, the corner stone of the new building was put in place by William Mahoney President of the Board of Education. It originally housed grades 1-8 and two years of high school.

  • A place of our own

    The first item on our wish list is to have a place of our own. We plan on using this page to keep our members up to date on how we are doing.

    Goal

    A Town Museum / SLHS History Center that brings together current (and future) Town of Sand Lake and SLHS collections, artifacts and archives and makes them available to residents, students, researchers, and visitors, operated by SLHS in partnership with the Town and in cooperation other community organizations (school district, churches, businesses, etc.)

    We are Serious

    • Committee formed in September 2024 from SLHS membership at-large after latest WSLFD proposal “saved” the historic 1873 fire station and 1911 social hall and retains both buildings for WSLFD purposes
    • “Museum Account” announced and established to begin fundraising efforts
    • Contacts and inquiries made, including:
      • NYS Museum Association
      • Hart-Cluett Museum / Rensselaer County Historical Society / County Historian
      • Stephentown HS
      • SL Town Historian
      • TOSL Building Dept
    • Begun inventory of collections, currently stored or displayed at Town Hall, with special attention to what “museum quality” exhibits would look like and resulting museum space needs (for both public exhibit and storage). 
    • Identify various buildings / properties in town that might be suitable (based on size, historic character, availability, location, etc.), for rent / lease, donation, or purchase

    On December 12, 2024 the committee had a very productive meeting with Sand Lake Town Supervisor Stephen Clemens. We very much appreciate his support and we are looking forward to our continuing discussions.

    SLHS Museum Committee December (2)

    March 2025

    Thanks to Bob Moore (and Dave Post), we had a brief tour and a very positive discussion with the Veterans of Sand Lake (American Legion & VFW) this past week about the possibility of partnering and locating “the town museum” in their building. It’s historic (former School 7), has the space (vacant and available), visible, has parking, and potential for “additional opportunities” in the future.

    April 2025

    From a SLHS Museum Committee internal email:
    Thanks for arranging the visit to the Veterans post yesterday. It presents an exciting opportunity for a museum and for a good local partnership. It’s sadly obvious that Federal grant funding is disappearing and it’s hard to say how much the State or nonprofit orgs could fill the gap. We need a strategy that taps into more readily available resources first. In short, I recommend that the first joint effort be made on the upper floor, not the basement.
        

    May 2025

    From a SLHS Museum Committee internal email:
    Things are moving quickly. The project has “gone public” with SL Town Historian Bob Moore posting on FB and SLHS spreading the word at the SL Merchant Spring Market. We need to get our heads around the building project — costs, etc. ASAP so we can begin to figure out how to do it. There are three distinct “cost factors”, first is the building itself (upstairs, the stairs, etc.), the second is the museum space (downstairs), and the third is the cost of exhibits, furnishings, etc.

    We also have been discussing, as a first step, installing a vets-oriented exhibit upstairs, combining the town’s and SLHS materials with the American Legion / VFW’s. Hopefully with a Veteran’s Day reception / open house. November 11th also is a regular SLHS meeting night (2nd Tuesday).

    Finally, last week the NYS Council on the Arts announced their 2025 community grant awards. This could be an excellent source of funds for us, particularly “the museum” aspects. These grants have no match but they do require “excellence in design” so we’d need to do a lot of work before applying (for 2026). Last year, capital grant applications were due in January and program grants targeting museums were due in July.

    June 2025

    6/3/25 We had a very productive meeting with a delegation from Veterans of Sand Lake. Topics of discussion included:

    • 11/11/2025 SLHS Veterans Day “Open House”
    • Can a student at ALN, RPI, or HVCC produce an Architectural Rendering of proposed museum
    • The story of Sergeant Walter A. Adams presented as part of an upcoming “Amazing Graves”
    • Current building expenses
    • Insurance
    • Museum Study Grants
    • Partnering with Arts Letters & Numbers
    • Partnering with theTown of Sand Lake


    We welcome comments, suggestions, and help when the time comes


    Thank you for your support.

    ~Bud Whitney

  • Upcoming Programs

    Upcoming Programs

    September 9th – Meet Mascot

    Also: Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore’s Annual Report

    October 8th – Field Trip

    Visit AP Fire Department to see building and restored fire engine. 

    November 11th – Veterans Day Field Trip

    Veterans of Sand Lake

    Sergeant Walter A. Adams American Legion Post

    ~ possible future site of the new Sand Lake museum ~

    December- SLHS Holiday Gathering – Details to be determined

    January 2026 – Show & Tell – Bring your historic item

    Meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of each month, beginning at 7:00 p.m., typically in the Courtroom of the Sand Lake Town Hall, 8428 NY 66, Sand Lake, New York 12153, unless otherwise noted.

    If you are unable to attend in person, all presentations are live streamed on the Sand Lake Town Website

    https://townhallstreams.com/towns/sand_lake_ny

    Past Programs