Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society-Winter Speaker Series

The Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society is pleased to announce the second program in its 2025 Winter Speaker Series: Driven to the Poorhouse, presented by Margaret Bartley. Poverty has always been with us! In Driven to the Poorhouse, Ms. Bartley will examine how the earliest settlers in the Adirondacks faced this problem, and how communities and government programs evolved from the 18th to the early 20th century. Margaret Bartley, historian and Adirondack History Museum trustee, will share Essex County’s history of dealing with poverty.

The program will be held at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts auditorium on Wednesday, February 19th at 7:00 pm. The event will be recorded and can be viewed on the Society’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalMedia-LPNEHS after February 19th.

Upcoming programs in this year’s Winter Speaker Series:
March 19: Aviation in the Adirondacks. This program will explore the history, events and the role of aviation in the Adirondacks. Presented by Aurora Pfaff, author of recently published Aviation in the Adirondacks--an Images of America Series by Arcadia Publishing.

April 16: Lake Placid Steamboats, Fancy Hotels & the Gilded Age. This program is an all-new historical photo tour with expanded material, anecdotes and images showcasing Lake Placid’s rich history. Presented by RJ Potter, retired radio and television broadcaster and former educator.

All 2025 Winter Speaker Series programs are free and open to the public and will be held at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts auditorium. Refreshments and an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a basket of goodies will be available at each program.