Over 100 join museum board at grand opening of new history museum Saturday

by Dan McClelland

About 100 supporters and well-wishers joined members of the Tupper Lake History Museum Board Saturday afternoon for a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting at the new museum quarters at 291 Park Street.

The renovated building has been the site of many businesses here over the years, most recently as a Mexican Restaurant.

For the occasion American Flag semi-circular banners hung from the front deck which was built by the previous operators when the building was last leased by the Knapp family.

A new banner inviting people inside was also hung for the special occasion.

Board Member Dan McClelland introduced several of the local leaders in attendance that day: Supervisor Rickey Dattola, who he called a great businessman, active community member and forward-thinking supervisor, County Legislator Nedd Sparks, the second generation of his family to represent Tupper Lake on the county board (his father, John Sparks, served this community well as both village mayor and county legislator in the 1970s before his untimely death) and Trustee Eric Shaheen, who he called a very hard-working business man and dedicated public servant who as deputy mayor was filling in for Mayor Mary Fontana that afternoon who was out of town.

He also introduced former and long-time town supervisor Dean Lefebvre.

“Wouldn’t Art Richer have been proud of this day?” Mr. McClelland asked the people packed into the museum’s new great room. His question brought cheers of agreement.

“Our museum here goes back nearly 20 years when Mr. Richer began collecting artifacts from people he knew. Art was charming and well-liked here and he planted seeds with many here of the importance of preserving Tupper Lake’s history by cleaning out their attics and basements and giving him things thought to be of a historical nature. Art enlisted the help of his nephew Michael and the paired combed the community for historical goodies for years, hauling them back and storing them at the Richer Farm.

“The first museum here was in the former Hull family home on Water Street for a very brief time. Its next location was on the second floor of the Town of Tupper Lake’s old Junction fire station on Pine Street, where it operated for more than a decade.

“A number of local men and women, many from downtown Tupper Lake, worked alongside the two former funeral directors to ready the collection for exhibit in those quarters.

“Among them were Dian Connor, for many years the museum board president, and others like Jeannette Keniston, Gail Auclair, Fleurette Rolley, Shirley Lavigne and others. Mrs. Connor and Mrs. Keniston continue to serve on the current board of the museum, as vice president and treasurer, respectively.

“The founding board members were Judy Frey, Chalice Dechene, Mike Richer, Bob and Joyce Earle, Bill Frenette, Herman and Irene Charland, Gail Auclair, Shirley Lavigne and Art and Pat Richer.

“During the years in the old fire station the two-story building encountered a number of mechanical and structural problems, the severity of which convinced the town board about eight years ago that the best path to take was for the museum leaders to find other quarters.

The local history museum was homeless, the hometown publisher told the group.

“With no place to go and with many museum pieces to store until a suitable place could be found to exhibit, the Next Stop! Tupper Lake board offered temporary space to them in the great room of the train station.

“There the museum volunteers built some wonderful historical exhibits, under the vaulted 30 foot high ceilings in the spacious depot. The museum operated in the historic train station for two summers, greeting visitors from all across the nation and Canada. The volunteers loved it there.

“So that made it that much sadder when they again had to move.

“The Adirondack Railroad Preservation Society needed the train station space for its operation and its passengers. The building was built by this community as a train station, so when the opportunity arose to fulfill its mission, that was the route Next Stop! Tupper Lake leaders had to go.

He said that was a very tough decision for him as the train station chairman and a history museum board member.

“Museum leaders were left again with the unfortunate circumstance of finding a new home. Homeless for the second time in three years!

“The museum board set about on a plan to find a permanent home, once and for all.

“All the artifacts were placed in temporary storage again.

“After a year of ambitious fundraising which produced many donations from supporters here, the museum board purchased the empty gas station at 291 Park Street, with the help of a mortgage.

“Seed money for the campaign was a $12,000 donation from Next Stop! Tupper Lake, and donations flowed from there.

“It is my pleasure to introduce my fellow board members, most of whom need no introduction.

Representing the Richer family here and Art’s nieces are Mary Richer, a tireless worker and pretty good carpenter, and Laurie Amell, who with her husband Stuart, are responsible for the nice landscaping you see outside. Stuart was on our board too for a time. Both have offered sage counsel along the way, and routinely make the trip here from their home in the Syracuse area for our board meetings.

“A lady who like her friend, Art, believed in the importance of a local museum and who has been there behind it from the start is our vice president Dian Connor. Dian is steadfast in her thinking about the important things that must be showcased here, and we don’t mess with her.

“Another museum veteran is our treasurer, Jeannette Keniston, who has offered the strong backs of her sons, Chris and Mike, on some of the past moves. Jeanette insists this is the last move for the museum. Her sons concur.

“Another of the board members, Jim Lanthier, donated over a year of his time and carpentry talent to renovate most the entire quarters into the showpiece it is today. Any time last winter if you passed this place at 11p.m., Jimmy’s car was outside and he was inside painting, staining, hanging ceiling, redoing walls. Without Jim’s generous gifts of time and skill we wouldn’t be where we are today. Contractors Ed West and Brandon Moeller were also hired to help. Ed did many electrical improvements and Brandon laid several laminate floors.

“The board members have been very busy in recent months building exhibits and planning for today.

“Another board member is Joe Kimpflen. Joe Kimpflen spent many hours on grant applications to augment the fundraising campaign.

“Prior to the campaign Mr. Kimpflen and our chairwoman won accreditation from the New York State Department of Education to be an official museum and from the federal internal revenue service was secured 501-3c, not for profit status, which made all donations to the museum tax-deductible.

“Joe and his wife, Lisa, took it upon themselves to create our new gift shop inside and get it ready for visitors.

“Our museum relies on donations to sustain itself and sales from their gift shop will also help pay our bills.

“Board member Patty Reandeau brings the Piercefield perspective to our board, and is always willing to help with any chore in the building we agree to tackle. She scrubbed the place before today’s opening.” He joked Elvis Presley has a huge fan here in Mrs. Reandeau, and there’s always a chance The King may pay a visit to the museum soon.

“Great help has come too this year from Board Member Marlene Hyde. Marlene and her husband, Tom, and their technicians at Hyde Fuel Co. helped in the building’s completion in many ways. For two years between the time the museum left the train station and moved into its new home this spring, the couple donated the space to store all the artifacts in company-owned buildings.

“Tom and Hyde Fuel also donated and installed a Monitor heater in the renovated great room. Tom and his crew picked up and installed the new museum sign out front, and hung it between posts and planters. They removed an old exhaust hood and vent and the accompanying Ansul fire suppression system from the year or so the place was a Mexican restaurant. In recent weeks Hyde Fuel Co. workers removed the fan cover from the building’s roof and repaired the hole in the roof. Hyde Fuel Co. and Mr. and Mrs. Hyde also donated an air conditioning system with heater unit which will warm the public place in winters and cool it in summer. In recent days too Ken Stoll and his local firm did electrical upgrades to permit the recent cooling and heating upgrades to the building.

“I’ve also had the pleasure of serving on the museum board in recent years, telling the good story about it whenever I had space on my front page. I’ve also used the hometown weekly to raise money for our cause and applauding those who gave so generously in recent months.

“The final board member is our town and village historian Jon Kopp, who has archived thousands of early stories about Tupper Lake, many of them which can be found on Jon’s Facebook page.” He called Jon a great ambassador of history for this community, and joked he’s always willing to share a tale with any visitor to his antique shop at the corner of Park and McLaughlin.

“Not on the board but heard from often in recent years is our enthusiastic cheerleader, Bob “Popcorn” Duhaime. Bob’s been an exhibit builder, and he’s cleaned out his garage at the Duhaime farm to that end, and he’s promoted our museum’s importance with everyone who would listen. He’s also pleaded our case for donations recently and been very successful to that end.

“My most important job this afternoon is to introduce the local lady who brought us to where we are today: our very able leader, Kathleen Lefebvre. A retired science teacher, former town board member, Kathleen is the person who gives tirelessly to her community every day in so many ways. She is involved in the work of so many groups and organizations, the museum project was fortunate to have her step forward a number of years when we were in crisis and inspire us to all work together to find the museum a new home.

There’s been challenges along the way, but Kathleen’s leadership has permitted us to meet them and overcome them. She’s been the calming influence that a high-spirited and creative group like ours very much needs to succeed.

“Our chairman and leader: Kathleen Lefebvre.”