About

Historic Saranac Lake

Historic Saranac Lake recognizes that the museum is located on unceded homeland of the Haudenosaunee people.


​We respect the sovereignty and traditions of the Haudenosaunee, and we support their enduring presence here.​

Strategic Plan

In February of 2023, the Board of Directors of Historic Saranac Lake approved a new Strategic Plan that lays the framework for our museum expansion and organizational growth in the coming years.  Download Historic Saranac Lake’s Strategic Plan 2023. The project was developed with the help of consultant, Susan Weinrich of the NY Council on Nonprofits, supported by a grant from the Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York.
Historic Saranac Lake was founded in 1980. Our mission is to preserve and present area history and architecture to build a stronger community.
 
  • Restoring the Saranac Laboratory and opening the building as a museum interpreting Saranac Lake’s unique role in history as a world-famous center for the fresh air treatment of tuberculosis.
  • In 2019, embarking on a major museum expansion project, with the acquisition and rehabilitation of the Trudeau building.
  • Preserving the Bartók Cabin, with tours provided upon request.
  • Operating our innovative outreach project, the Cure Porch on Wheels.
  • Leading a growing Oral History Project.
  • Advocating for the preservation of Saranac Lake’s unique architecture. HSL has nominated and listed over 230 resources to the National Register of Historic Places. HSL Partnered on and administered the Union Depot preservation project.
  • Caring for our museum collection of artifacts, photos and documents pertaining to Saranac Lake’s history as a center for science and patient care.
  • Publishing books and pamphlets such as Cure Cottages of Saranac Lake by Phil Gallos, our Downtown Walking Tour brochure, and A Rare Romance in Medicine by Mary Hotaling.
  • Sponsoring educational activities such as a summer music series, walking tours, presentations for student groups, lectures, history days, and oral history projects.
  • Hosting temporary exhibits in the John Black Room library.
  • Maintaining the HSL Wiki site, an innovative online encyclopedia of over 6,000 pages of local history.

 

Find out more about all of our current projects!

Meet the HSL Staff

Amy Catania

Executive Director

​Amy has served as Executive Director of HSL since 2009. She has implemented new projects including school outreach programs and the Cure Porch on Wheels. During her time as Executive Director, she has increased staff, grown the endowment from $10,000 to over $550,000, and launched the campaign for expansion of the museum. Ms. Catania has a Masters in Liberal Studies from Plattsburgh State University and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Oberlin College. Her interest in local history stemmed from a research project for her masters program on the history of the Latin American patients who cured in Saranac Lake. She lives in a Saranac Lake cure cottage with her husband Roger. Together they have two grown children and a dog named Walter.

Photograph of a smiling woman with a pink bob haircut. She is wearing glasses and standing in a large, bright historic laboratory room.

Chessie Monks-Kelly

Archivist / Curator

Chessie is an archivist with a love for local history. Chessie manages the museum's collections, plans public programming, coordinates social media outreach, and maintains Historic Saranac Lake's two historic buildings. She is passionate about making our community's history accessible to all. She has a Masters degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Archives Management. Prior to joining the HSL staff in 2015, Chessie worked on contract projects for the National Park Service with History Associates, Inc. Chessie has lived in Saranac Lake with her husband Andy and their two cats and flock of chickens since 2013, and they work on fixing up their Park Avenue cure cottage in their spare time.

Alex Krach

Program Coordinator

With over ten years of experience in the museum field, Alex loves finding creative ways to connect people with local history. He previously served as the director of a regional museum outside Indianapolis, where he led a full rebranding effort and developed several permanent exhibits. In his current role, Alex creates engaging educational programs for local schools, colleges, and the general public. He also leads historic tours, manages speaker events, and coordinates HSL's volunteer team. Outside of his work at the museum, Alex serves on the Saranac Lake Arts & Culture Advisory Board, the Village Events Team, and the Community Enhancement Fund committee. He is also a graphic designer and lives in Saranac Lake with his wife, Natalie, and their cat, Niko.

Ellie Hoyt in laboratory museum

E. Hoyt

Museum Specialist

Hoyt joined Historic Saranac Lake in 2026 as a Museum Specialist, where they complete research requests about historic residents and buildings in Saranac Lake. Originally from Michigan they've lived in the North Country for over 7 years. Hoyt graduated from St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and plans to pursue a graduate degree in museum studies and library science. They live in Lake Clear and have a pet turtle named Juniper.

Em Wilson

Visitor Specialist

Originally from the North Country, Em lived just south of Houston, Texas, for almost a decade with the hope of returning to New York. In 2021, they got the chance to move to the Adirondacks to attend Paul Smith's College. They received their Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2023, working for Historic Saranac Lake temporarily that summer. They have since joined Historic Saranac Lake on a more permanent basis in the spring of 2026, now serving as HSL's Visitors Specialist. With over seven years in customer service, they work to ensure museum visitors have the best experience possible. Em lives in Saranac Lake with their wife, Autymn (also a Smitty), and their two elderly cats, Sheba and Ming.

Meet The Board of Directors

Lisa Lauroesch, President

Lisa has spent summers in the Adirondacks since 1970, initially at Lake George and since 2008 at Upper Saranac Lake. Lisa has a degree in American History and an MBA from SUNY Albany. She spent many years working for financial and governmental organizations developing organizational and technology programs in the Washington DC area. Since she retired, Lisa and her husband Jack split their time between Florida, where their two daughters and grandchild live, and their camp on Upper Saranac Lake. The chance to get involved with HSL builds on Lisa’s love of history and the opportunity to be a part of the Saranac Lake community.

Ann is a historian of American environmental and technological history. She recently retired from teaching and administering in the History and Sociology of Science Department at the University of Pennsylvania.

Marie Killory-Garso was born in Syracuse, the youngest of nine children. She has lived in many different places, but she has called Saranac Lake home for the past seven years. With a background in science and public health, Marie knew about the history of Trudeau and tuberculosis before she knew about Saranac Lake. Marie has three sons from her prior marriage and a stepdaughter. She recently married native Saranac Laker, Joe Garso, who had been her college sweetheart at Syracuse University, 37 years ago. Marie loves to travel, cross-country ski, and bicycle. She is excited to serve on the board of directors, as she believes in the importance of teaching the future generation about Saranac Lake’s unique history in public health.

Commencing in 1974, Lynn was introduced to the wonders of the Adirondack Park during vacations at the family camp of her late husband, Chip, located in Elizabethtown. This interest continued with their purchase of a home on Upper Saranac Lake in 2001, which was initially a vacation home, then in 2017, it became her permanent residence. A graduate of Cornell University with a BA in sociology, Lynn was employed as a litigation paralegal for 40 years in northern New Jersey, retiring in 2017. She currently serves as the secretary of the Upper Saranac Lake Association and the Adirondack Garden Club. Paddling, hiking, gardening, and continuing to learn about anything that piques her imagination keep her busy in addition to her three children, their spouses, three grandchildren, and her furry canine companion, Winston.

Debbie Abitante grew up in Thomasville, Georgia, once a winter resort renowned for its healing, pine-scented air. She holds degrees from Emory University in English and Nursing, as well as a master’s degree in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University, and has worked in education her entire career. She and her husband Pete have called Tenafly, New Jersey, home since 1993. Their family became captivated by the Adirondacks in 2002 and for a week each summer for over a decade enjoyed the architecture and exquisite natural beauty of Covewood Lodge on Big Moose Lake. In 2021, they began spending as much seasonal time as possible in the Saranac Inn area of Upper Saranac Lake. Debbie looks forward to joining the Historic Saranac Lake board as it continues to authentically promote the rich history of this area.

Dave Chapin first became involved with HSL in the 1980s. He and his sister, Gail Bullock, both served on the board, and together with Mary Hotaling and Barbara Parnass, they worked in the mid-1980s on the survey of cure cottages for the National Register. Dave’s parents, Mott and Elise, were both TB patients in Saranac Lake. Here, they learned skills in arts and crafts at the Guild. After they married, they opened up a popular pottery shop downtown called “Mott’s Potts.” Today, Dave lives in Tupper Lake with his wife, Sarah Wardner, who also has deep roots in the area. A retired nurse, Sarah is a welcome new member of our busy Events Team. Dave is retired from his work as a carpenter, and we are glad to have his expertise overseeing our facilities as a new member of our Internal Affairs Committee.

Nancy was raised in Franklin County, where her mother served as president of the Franklin County Museum and Historical Society. Having also gone to a children’s camp on Upper Saranac Lake, she felt particularly close to the area, and as a result, she, with her husband and three daughters, began renting for part of the summer on the north end of the lake in 1969. In 1994, their love of the lake led to the purchase of the 125-year-old Bucknell Camp on Gull Bay. Nancy has an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and master’s degrees in both English Education and Art History. At the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, she was a member of the curatorial associates for 20 years and worked as a head curator for 10 years. Presently, Nancy is a board member of the Upper Saranac Lake Association and a member of the USLA Cultural Committee. She spends as much time as possible in Saranac Lake. As a new board member of Historic Saranac Lake, she hopes to help in any way she can to preserve the history of the area and to make these wonderful historic buildings become the pride of Saranac Lake.

Becky spent summers growing up in Saranac Lake, first at her grandparents’ house on Old Military Road, and for the last 10 years, as residents on Upper Saranac Lake. Becky and her husband, Patrick, have three children, and recently their first grandchild, Patrick. Becky graduated from Colgate with a fine arts degree and has been a photographer for her professional life. She is drawn to HSL by her love for Saranac Lake and the chance to promote and preserve the town’s unique history. Becky and Patrick split their time between Saranac Lake and Far Hills, New Jersey.

Joan Grabe was born in the Bronx. She attended NY City public schools and then Hunter College, where she received her Bachelor’s of Science and became an RN. In 1960, she married her husband Bill, who made his career at IBM. They have four children and eight grandchildren. Joan and Bill have made their summer home on Upper Saranac Lake since 2008. She is actively involved with many organizations, including Adirondack Health Foundation and Adirondack Community Foundation. She is in the Hunter College Hall of Fame and received an honorary doctorate from Hunter in 2022. Joan is excited to see the museum expansion come to completion, and she has been a supporter of HSL’s efforts to make the museum campus fully handicap accessible. 

Judy Landes was born a Buckeye in Warren, Ohio.  She is an avid Cleveland Guardians and Browns fan. Judy is a registered nurse who worked at University Hospitals in Cleveland in the 60’s and was part of the renal dialysis research team. Her husband graduated from Case Western Reserve Medical School, and they moved to Winchester in 1967, where he established his practice in dermatology. Judy went back to graduate school at James Madison University and became a school psychologist. She was Director of Counseling at Shepherd University and advisor to the Panhellenic Counsel for four years. For twenty years, at Shenandoah University, she served as Director of Academic Support Programs, which consisted of counseling, disability services, tutoring, grant writing, and advising freshmen and athletes. She was also compliance officer for sexual assault and harassment.  
 

Judy has served on boards that include Shenandoah Valley Community Residences, Healthy Families, Shenandoah Valley Boys and Girls Club, Powhatan School, Coalition for Racial Unity, Kids Are Our Concern, and Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. She is currently co-chair of a community scholarship committee that awards local high school seniors with awards for civic involvement. She is a member of Torch Club. Judy spends her summers at her camp in the Adirondack Mountains. She is proud to serve on the board of Historic Saranac Lake, and she is a former board member of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. Judy’s hobbies include collecting duck decoys and birding. Her favorite birding places are Hawaii, Costa Rica, and South Africa. Other hobbies include traveling and reading. Judy has three children and four grandchildren.  

Originally from Central NY, Doug has lived in Saranac Lake since the 1980s. After attending Saint Lawrence University, where he received a Bachelors degree in Biology and Environmental Science, Doug moved to Lake Placid and settled in the tri-lakes. He subsequently worked several jobs with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Adirondack Park Agency.

After a 31 year career with these agencies, he retired to pursue his personal interests, including many outdoor recreational opportunities. He has also had the opportunity to enhance his understanding of local history through several volunteer opportunities. Doug very much looks forward to working with Historic Saranac Lake to help share our wonderful, unique local history with his neighbors and the many visitors we have in this area.

Nancy worked for the Federal Housing Administration in Washington, D.C., until her retirement. She lives in Saranac Lake full-time and volunteers as a board member for a number of organizations.

Dick Simons grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Princeton in 1970, majoring in American History. He graduated from Wharton Business School with an MBA in 1974 and joined First National City Bank (now Citibank). He stayed in banking through 2008 with assignments in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London.

Dick married Pam Ellis in 1972. They have three daughters and three grandchildren. Upon retirement, they moved to Charleston, SC. Dick served on the board of the Historic Charleston Foundation for six years. Dick began his association with Saranac Lake in 1957, when his parents rented a camp on Upper Saranac Lake. In 2020, Pam and Dick purchased a camp at the northern end of Upper Saranac Lake and have enjoyed the experience of spending four months on the lake each summer.

Please note: Our exhibit fabricators at Apogee Exhibits will be installing the final phase of exhibits the week of October 26. The museum campus will be open to visitors; however, please be aware that some gallery spaces will be impacted. The team will do their best to cause as little disruption as possible.