Rickety Rackety Railroad, H.M. Beach

Deciphering Antique Postcards

Writing on old postcards has always fascinated us, particularly on these early cards when the notes were written on the face of the card. We wonder if Mrs. W.S. Seymour was related to Helen Seymour Sylvester who built Seymour Point on Fourth Lake. Is she writing to say the butter arrived or the butler? Who was Mrs. A.E. Sigourney? Sometimes, some of these cryptic messages can be understood with a little research; other times, they remain a mystery. This one was written just around the time that Seymour Point began to be used by the Sylvesters and Seymours.

After a little online detective work, we think that W.S. Seymour was William S. Seymour and was related to Helen Seymour Sylvester. Mrs. W. S. Seymour was likely visiting Seymour Point as a guest of Mrs. Sylvester and her husband William Bedell Sylvester. We also bet that she was writing about a butler. More on the Seymours in future posts.

A Rare View of Cedar Island

Cedar Island, Fourth Lake, near Inlet, New York, is the summer home of former New York City Ballet principal dancer Suzanne Farrell. It has over the years been developed and re-developed for various purposes. Here is a rare image of Cedar Island showing two bridges, a lean-to camp, and a floating dock with slide. These are long gone relics from one of the Island's past lives. Beautiful and classic Adirondack style.