Skaneateles Historical Society Meeting

Last evening I attended the monthly meeting of the Skaneateles Historical Society.  The topic was about the renovations that created the Creamery as a home for the Historical Society.  Jorge Batlle gave the presentation which was concise and well-documented with photos he had taken over the years.

The building was, indeed, a creamery for years and years in the Village.  In the early 1900s it was the center for processing milk brought in by dozens of local farms.  In a day it could put out 575 lbs of butter, which seemed like a tremendous amount to me!  Jorge said a lot of the butter actually went to New York City.  (Today I know of trucks that do the daily run with milk tankers to the City.)  Several companies, including Borden, over the years owned the creamery until it stopped processing milk.

Jorge regaled us with a description of the building's floors being washed down, and the refuse allowed to drain into the creek, so much so that it actually turned white at times!

Bobbett Implement and Tractor Company bought the building and used it as storage from about the mid-50s on.  In 1990 when it was offered to the Village, a hardy group of volunteers and visionaries who kept the museum in rented space requested to "buy" the building by cleaning it up and refurbishing it to house the artifacts.  One of this group was Bob Eggleston, a local architect, who saw the potential in the "most derelict building in the Village" as it was described.  Together they all pitched in and the work was on!

They were smart about what they were doing.  They spoke with other museums and historical organizations about how to reclaim the building.  They saved bricks and re-used them.  They put in radiant heat.  They moved anything related to water to one side of the building so broken pipes would not affect the artifacts.  They painted in dark colors so the acquisitions would have center stage.  They made it handicapped accessible throughout the first floor.  A meeting room (see below) was planned to hold about 50 people.  In October of 1991 they opened it for a preliminary showing.  Over 800 people toured that week.

Although Jorge called up Beth Spain, his wife Beth Batlle, and Bob Eggleston at the end of his presentation for a well-earned round of applause, he emphasized that the Creamery was indeed a community project and owed a lot to all the citizens of Skaneateles and surrounding areas for their support.  It is truly a beautiful building that pays tribute to its own history.  Find it at the corner of Hannum and Kelley, just a block from the lake and The Sherwood Inn.

Please see the Creamery photos and learn about the Historical Society: http://SkaneatelesHistoricalSociety.org.


While I am sending you links....from yesterday's blog:
https://stageitwithLorrie.shutterfly.com