Tag: Artifacts
-
Upcycled Christmas Gifts
What wintery wonders shall I share with you today? How about a celebration (and showcase) of upcycled Christmas gifts dreamed into existence by three allstar members of our icehouse rehab team? Pam, Hroth, and Tony stopped Susan and me in our just-barely-post-winter-solstice tracks with an early Christmas gift (or three) that exemplify the apex of…
-
Champy Spotted at Essex Ferry Dock (circa 1980?)
Champy spotted at Essex ferry dock?!?! Once upon a time… I’m gambling that it was around 1980 for no reliable reasons except the look and condition of the Old Dock Restaurant, the presence of ice shanties on a throughly frozen lake with no ferry canal, and the incredibly well executed snow/ice sculpture just north of…
-
Sherwood Inn Room Keys
Room keys from the days when our home was an inn, a restaurant, a tavern, and a waterfront travel destination. We inherited these Sherwood Inn room keys (along with so many other cool artifacts) when we purchased Rosslyn. And, despite their practical irrelevance today, it’s hard to throw them away. Drop in any mailbox. We…
-
Icehouse Rehab 01: The Ice Hook
Our first full workweek is in the rearview mirror, so Rosslyn’s icehouse rehabilitation is officially underway. No gold plated spade plunged into the earth, no glossy speeches, and no hoopla aside from a collective sigh of relief, some well earned rest today, and an antique ice hook. A what?!?! More about the ice hook in…
-
Sherwood Inn Brochure c. 1950s
Did you ever vacation at the Sherwood Inn in Essex, New York? If so, you’ve been a guest in our home! That’s right, long before Rosslyn became our home, it operated as a lakeside accommodation for travelers and a restaurant and tavern for everyone. This vintage Sherwood Inn brochure (I’m guessing it dates to the…
-
September Poems
Boathouse Bonfire, September 27, 2014 (Source: Geo Davis) If September poems sound overly sentimental to you or if you’re inclined to a grittier observance of the almost-upon-us Autumn Equinox, I’ve got you covered. Soon. Stay tuned. But if you’re comfortable lingering briefly — and these poems are, if nothing else, brief — in the seasonality…
-
Essex Cottage & 1946 Buick
Essex Cottage & 1946 Buick (vintage photo) Sometimes a trifle is all we need to smile inwardly and lift our spirits. A chuckle. The wink of wonder. This auction item offered no specific insight into Rosslyn’s yesteryears, nor did it illuminate in any meaningful way our fair village or its environs. But the photo, auction…
-
W. D. Ross Artifact Discovered by Scott Brayden
That black-and-white photograph was a personal possession of, W. D. Ross, the man who owned and built Rosslyn almost exactly two centuries ago. And it was somewhat miraculously excavated from our yard by a remarkable man who good fortune brought into our path almost a decade ago. Remember Scott Brayden? It’s no exaggeration to claim Scott…
-
Beekeeper Rendezvous 1924
Almost 100 years ago Rosslyn (a.k.a. Hyde Gate Farm) hosted a beekeeper rendezvous. Or, to be more precise Professor Wilson, from Cornell’s Dept. of Agriculture, and Mr. Rae, New York State’s “chief inspector” (of apiaries?), hosted a gathering of beekeepers at Rosslyn. Now & Then Although any Rosslyn artifact piques my interest, this news clip…
-
Keuhlen Family at the Sherwood Inn, August 1951
One of the great joys in owning Rosslyn these last 15 years (hard to believe it’s been a decade and a half since we purchased our Essex home from Elizabeth and George McNulty!) has been discovering the memorabilia of those who’ve come before us. So many Rosslyn memories, stories, and artifacts. Today I’d like to introduce…
-
Sherwood Inn Waterfront
This morning I revisit a familiar and particularly popular perspective of Rosslyn’s lakefront or, to be more historically accurate, the Sherwood Inn waterfront in the early/mid 20th century. Taken together this pair of vintage postcards forms a veritable diptych of the Sherwood Inn (aka Rosslyn) lakefront, “dock house” (aka boathouse), and a veritable flotilla of classic…
-
Industrial Essex Waterfront
In Essex we live connected with our history. There are daily reminders — architectural, cultural, anecdotal, etc. — of the yesterdays that endure or linger on today. It’s not so much that time has stood still (although there are plenty who will suggest as much), but rather Essex allows a concurrence of times. Past and…