So what is the Lake View House?The Lake View was one of the many big hotels built on Lake George in the late 1800s to cater to a growing class of vacationers, most of whom trained up from New York City. The main hotel was burned down in the 1930s, but the annex*, which included the Music Room, the kitchen and some dozen rooms to let, has survived virtually intact and unchanged since its two parts were built, the main hall in 1879, the addition in 1896. The property is now under the care of the fabulous Horne family, who also maintain this site, which is devoted to the house, its rich History, and the lives lived within (and without!) its walls.
* "The latest addition, and one which proves to be very popular with the younger guests, was the erection last year of an amusement hall or music room, adjoining the main building. The entire lower floor of the building is thrown into a large dancing and music hall, with polished maple floor, and oiled pine ceiling and sides. Above are several large and cheerful rooms for guests, also finished in wood. On the third floor are a number of well-lghted rooms for artists use." LVH Brochure, ca. 1900 The Annex today is at right.
Swimming, boating, runs amok, extremely tall tales, with visitors from Ohio, Brooklyn, Manhattan and elsewise, and PIZZA!! naturally a super good time was had by all.
Labor Day 2009 (by tobias campbell)
D/C's Pizza Kitchen
TALL Tales
Bob the Cat (latest addition!)
No Wake Sam
JULY 2009 Various and sundry Pecks, McKinsters, Perezs, Wards, and so on gathered at the Lake View during a surprisingly fickle week of sun and rain, equally and nearly every day--perfect for reading and napping sometimes, and swimming, running, waterskiing, sunning and cocktailing at others. There were run/hikes up Tongue and Black, games of monopoly and cards, and a week in which the beloved new Chris ran like a top throughout--yes, believe it or not! On top of that were made several new entries to the Sweetbriar Island Club--including an astonishing 12 swims by Mr. Grant McKinster, 15. In the end, of course, a good time was had by all and all had a very good time.
happy 4th 2009!
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Haystack III, Basin Expedition 2008
Yep, we were at it again Feb. 14--a labor of love, the usual 3 (Ed, Hank, me) and a solid newbie, Gary Carr. UUp at 3:30 am, on the trail by 6 with headlamps and then--12 hours in the mountains, 22 miles, but the wind and ice on Little Haystack shut us down within 100 feet of the summit, darnit! Still, we nailed Basin, had some perilous slides and other great moments, and we all made it relatively unscathed--salud!!
For More See WINTER CLIMBS
x, Henry, Ed on Basin--pic by Gary
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Summer 2008
Sparklers and Flags for the Fourth! A New Boat! Skunk in the Kitchen! Virgins Attack Sweet Briar Island! Apples to Apples! Children and Teens Invade the Lake View! Fill 'er Up? That'll be $337! Night Swim! Turbans! Lilies! Boggle!
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August / Labor Day 2007
August welcomed the Va. Hornes to the lake for 3 weeks of the usual--tennis, sailing and swim lessons for the kids; an amazing Moonlit Swim to Sweetbriar; the visit of various and sundry pals (Hoyts, Perezs, Spindlers, Bartletts, Ohio Hornes); badminton, ping pong, waterskiing; the launch of Dan's new old boat, the Penn Damn Too; the failure of the Penn Damn to remain healthy, my first ticket from the lake patrol and so on: the spotting of TWO PAIRS of Pileated Woodpeckers on the 23rd at the Lake View made for a neat addition to the LVH bird list! Labor Day, of course featured the usual gathering on the dock for the christmas boat parade, and that was that!
FOURTH OF JULY, 2007 The 4th of July came and went amid a flurry of Hebrew Nationals, Magic Hats, fireworks in the drizzle and the Regans, Bartletts, Hornes and Pecks (and Allison) ! to be followed by glorious days of sun and sunburn and boating and 4 attempts on Sweetbriar, 2 successful: Dan Sr. on the 4th: chattily, in chop! and Bill, on the 5th, the first Kiss & Go--swam out, kissed the rock, and swam back! (Better luck next time to Helen and Allison, who had to be rowed home.) Yep, kayaking, some rowboating, some tubing and motor boating, some grilling, some ping pong, the neighbors earthmoving efforts duly noted--and thats it!
five very white children in early summer
Cold swim for three to Sweetbriar--only one made it!
John Apperson, former Lake View owner, skis up . . .
the Ohio and
Virginia Hornes made the trek and found moderate weather, a bountiful
table, and Ping Pong! Yes, the beaver had taken some trees, but in
their place we obtained Rip Rap by the famed sculptor Daniel Horne. And
in addition to a delicious t-day meal topped off by a visit to GF to
lift a glass to the various Bartletts, we made a jaunt up north to John
Brown's resting place and bustling Lake Placid--a good time, as usual,
was had by all.
John Brown, after the hanging
wild childs
Thanksgiving at the Lake View 2006
Roadtrip! [Click on to ENLARGE]
Topping Tongue
at the fort...
the Saucy Six
Columbus Day 2007
They came, they conquered, they left. who? the children of course! Six of them all the way from Virginia, the Horne tykes and their pals, Sam, Jack and Elizabeth. There were the usual water sports, kayaking, boating, fishing and -- from Jack -- a couple of unexpected swimming adventures (ok, there was some sort of pirate ramming and boarding of kayaks, I'm told! ); a harrowing climb to the first peak of Tongue Mountain (see adds to Club list); and an equally boring trip up to Ft. Ticonderoga!!
See the Historypage for some great photos of the Lake View like this one to the right. That's the dock in 1906: note luggage cart, now on our entry porch, and sign, now on the front porch, and windows, now part of the playhouse. Just added three brochures--take a look!
The "Lake View," 1906
1905 LVH Brochure
Rip Rap (sculpture by Daniel Horne, 2006)
SPEAKING OF ART, check out Through the Eyes of, in which various folk have rendered the Lake View--and occasionally other parts of the Lake--in words and image, including the sample to the left. (Click on photos to ENLARGE)
Glowering Clouds Over Northwest Bay by W.W. Horne Jr., Sept. 2004
Or try Now & Then, in which--now and then--we juxtapose now, and then. [Click on photos to enlarge.]
NOW--Black Mountain bound, 2006 . . .
and THEN--the Daltons, 1921
here's to the Lake View!
Please direct all praise and complaints, flattery and vitriol (and rental inquiries!) to folks@lakeviewhouse.net
