Piseco Lake Historical Society, Museum and Riley Tavern

04/07/2026

Dear PLHS Supporters, Members, and Friends, Just a friendly tip, if you use Paypal or GoFundMe to conveniently submit memberships and donations, it is helpful to check the "Share my name and email with this charity" box in checkout, so we may properly record and thank you for your contribution. We have received some anonymous donations on 4/6/26 via Paypal Giving Funds - please contact us with your transaction ID if you would like your thoughtful donation and membership recorded. Thank you very kindly for your support for the Piseco Lake Historical Society!

04/06/2026

2026 Spring Newsletter of the PLHS
Greetings Members and Friends of the Piseco Lake Historical Society,

We hope this newsletter finds you well, and looking forward to spending the summer months at Piseco. The Piseco Lake Historical Society would like to invite you to join or renew your membership. Your $10.00 yearly contribution and kind donations help maintain our museum buildings and showcase Piseco's very special history through displays and our summer speakers. Membership Dues & Donations are gratefully welcomed at:

1. Personal Checks (May 1- Sept. 1 please) mailed to: Piseco Lake Historical Society, P.O. Box 115, Piseco, NY 12139
2. Paypal Giving Fund: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1382998 (Paypal does not charge us a fee)
3. GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/6aa04f22 (GoFundMe charges a small fee to our organization).

We are excited to announce the schedule for our two summer programs. Meetings begin at 7pm at the Piseco Community Hall, 139 Old Piseco Road. We look forward to seeing you there!

*Wed., July 8, 2026 at 7pm at the Piseco Community Hall: “Artistry of Piseco” Join us to view examples of artistry inspired by the beauty of the Piseco area in the Adirondacks. On display for your enjoyment will be photographic images, fungus art, quilts, paintings, and sketches created by local residents. Also on exhibit will be the folk art of "Hermit" Pip Broughton, and the mystery photographs of Frank Rix. This will be a truly interesting meeting for all to appreciate the artistry of Piseco. Please email the PLHS if you would like to join us to display/sell your vintage or current Piseco/Adirondack artwork at the meeting at [email protected].

*Wed., August 12, 2026 at 7pm at the Piseco Community Hall: “15 Miles on the Sacandaga Canal? The Canal Craze” David Brooks will discuss the construction and success of the Erie Canal and the subsequent “canal craze” that sparked the idea of the Great Sacandaga Canal to connect the Adirondack region with the Erie Canal. Discover the area's efforts to expand commercial reach, seeking to draw raw goods and resources from the Sacandaga Valley and throughout the Adirondack Mountains.

To participate in the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Historical Society has submitted a written history of Arietta and Piseco Lake to the New York Association of Towns to highlight our area in their publications. We have also designed and purchased a patriotic banner that will hang on the Riley House this summer to commemorate the Semiquincentennial event.

The Piseco Historical Society Board plans to open the Riley House Museum and Tavern to visitors on Saturdays & Sundays 1-4pm in July and August - but please monitor Facebook for schedule changes or email us at [email protected]. Volunteers are always welcomed and appreciated!

The 2026 PLHS Membership Form and Remembrance Brick Order Form can be found in the attachments as well as on our page, along with society information and updates: http://www.facebook.com/PisecoLakeHistoricalSociety (Please have summer brick orders in by May 30).

We would like to thank the following individuals who are serving
on the PLHS Board for 2026:
President- Fred Adcock
Vice President- Bill Hotaling
Treasurer- Bud Christ
Secretary- Cindy Adcock
Trustees- Dee Christ, John Simons, Karen Risley

We greatly appreciate your support, and
together we can "Keep Piseco's History Alive!"

With our sincere thanks,
Fred and Cindy Adcock
[email protected]

02/04/2026

Greetings PLHS Members and Friends, The Piseco Lake Historical Society is currently in the process of organizing our presentations for the summer of 2026. A longtime Piseco resident and PLHS member has offered to show some of her late father's paintings of various Piseco scenes for our Wednesday, July 8, 2026 meeting at 7pm. We would like to invite others to exhibit interesting artwork relating to Piseco as well, including paintings, drawings, folk art, tramp art, poetry, fungus art, photographic images, etc. We will also be displaying Piseco related artistic artifacts from the Riley House Museum collection. If you are interested in attending and showing any Piseco artwork at the July meeting, please email us so we can make the proper arrangements with you to display your pieces for show (or sale, if interested). All levels of artistic ability are greatly welcomed! We believe this will be a truly interesting meeting for all to enjoy the Artistry of Piseco. Fred and Cindy Adcock, PLHS

11/07/2025

09/29/2025

Piseco Lake Historical Society Fall Newsletter 2025
Greetings PLHS Members & Friends,

We wish to thank you all for your interest and support for the Piseco Lake Historical Society. Our society has 110 paid members for 2025, as well as generous donations that help us maintain the museum buildings and grounds. The last of the 2024 tornado damage has been addressed and we sincerely appreciate the kind assistance from Thomson Construction. We also thank Supervisor Chris Rhodes and the Arietta town workers for the removal of additional damaged trees in close proximity to the museum (they keep falling!). In addition, we would like to acknowledge the continual efforts of Dee and Bud Christ maintaining the lovely flower pots and memorial brick walkways leading to each building, and the Thomson Family for the colorful landscaping around the bell rock near the tavern. Bob has also done a wonderful job rejuvenating the lawn surrounding the museum's property. Volunteers are vital to maintain this organization. Please contact us if you are willing to lend a hand!

Our treasurer, Bud Christ, has invested $10,000 from the society's savings in a CD at NBT Bank for a term of 5 months at 3.25%. The interest accrued will help us with some short-term projects, including the possibility of painting the exterior of the Riley Tavern. We will evaluate the condition of the tavern's siding in the spring.

Our speakers this summer provided most interesting programs, and we thank author Larry Weill for presenting his entertaining book, “Out There Adirondacks: Weird, Wild, and Wonderful Attractions!”, and David Brooks for his informative presentation, "The Erie Canal at 200" to help our audience remember the bicentennial of the Erie Canal. We are currently organizing our speaker series for 2026. Meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of July and August at 7pm at the Piseco Community Hall.

We were greatly pleased with the museum attendance this summer! There were visitors from far and near, including a tour of our museum by the Lake Pleasant Historical Society. It is great to see such an interest in local history.

To renew or become a member of the Piseco Lake Historical Society, your $10 membership may be sent to the Piseco Lake Historical Society, P.O. Box 115, Piseco, NY 12139 between April 1 – September 1. Membership applications are available on our page (https://www.facebook.com/PisecoLakeHistoricalSociety/) or by request via mail or email ([email protected]).

Fundraising efforts to maintain the museum buildings continue through:
Paypal Giving Funds (no fee) ( https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1382998 ) and
GoFundMe (charges a fee) ( https://gofund.me/6aa04f22 )

The current PLHS Board:
President: Fred Adcock Vice President: Bill Hotaling
Treasurer: Bud Christ Secretary: Cindy Adcock
Trustee: Dee Christ Trustee: Karen Risley
Trustee: John Simons
* Thank you very much to the board for volunteering your services to the society.


Once again, we, as well as our serving board members, wish to thank you for your kind support with our efforts to collect and preserve the special history of Piseco. We hope you all have a safe and healthy winter, and we look forward to seeing you in 2026!

Sincerely, Fred & Cindy Adcock, PLHS

08/14/2025

PISECO LAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, 8/13/2025

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm in the Piseco Community Hall with 49 present.
Current Board Members:
President - Fred Adcock
Vice President - Bill Hotaling
Treasurer - Bud Christ
Secretary- Cindy Adcock
Trustee - Dee Christ
Trustee - John Simons
Trustee- Karen Risley

SECRETARY'S REPORT (CINDY ADCOCK)
Cindy read the Secretary's Report for 6/11/2025. John Simons moved and Karen Risley seconded a motion to accept the report as read. Motion passed.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT (FRED ADCOCK)
- Fred welcomed and thanked those in attendance for supporting the PLHS and introduced our Board.
- Fred thanked Bud and Dee Christ, Dick and Joann Brewer, John Simons, and Karen Risley for conducting the June meeting since the Adcocks were out of town due to a death in the family.
- Appreciation was expressed to the 12 volunteers who helped work the Museum for visitors this summer, which has enabled us to keep the museum open two days a week during the summer. We also have had a record number of visitors to the museum in 2025!
- Much of the tornado damage to the grounds and the Museum have been addressed – trees have been removed by the town, and Bob Thomson repaired the porch railing and the roof fascia on the Riley House.
- Fred recognized Bob Thomson for his continual maintenance of the museum buildings and maintaining the grounds. Bob, his daughter Grace, and his granddaughters Joanna and Lucy, cleaned out and replanted the garden around the bell rock near the tavern, and it looks great! Also, a thank you to Dee Christ for her continual efforts planting and maintaining the flower pots that adorn the property. We truly appreciate all the hard work of our volunteers.
- We would like to acknowledge Bill Hotaling, our new Town Historian. Bill served as treasurer and trustee of the Piseco Historical Society for many years and currently serves as our vice president.
- As of August 13, we have 110 paid members for 2025. See Bud Christ if you would like to join or renew your membership ($10), or to purchase a memorial brick.
- Check our page for updates regarding museum hours, presentations, brick order forms, and membership applications. Please make sure we have your current email address if you would like to receive society emails. Some emails have been bounced back to us.

TREASURER’S REPORT (BUD CHRIST)
Bud read the Treasurer’s Report. Patsy Limpert moved and Judith Ford seconded a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Motion passed.

NEW BUSINESS (FRED ADCOCK)
- The society is looking into establishing a 2-car paved parking area between the two museum buildings.
- A suggestion was made to have a microphone and amplifier (portable PA system) to project the voices of the speakers during our meetings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS (CINDY ADCOCK)
- On Tues, July 22, the Historical Society in Speculator organized a tour of the local historical museums, starting with Piseco’s Museum at 9am. There were 18 participants on the tour. It was an enthusiastic group that greatly enjoyed visiting our Museum.
- Bryan and Sarah Rudes were thanked for their donation of four Adirondack chairs for the porch of the Riley House.
- The PLHS is seeking new participants for Board positions as well as volunteers for projects and activities. Please contact a Board member if you are interested in volunteering in any capacity.
- The last day the Museum will be open for visitors for the season is Sunday, August 17.
- We had 2 interesting presentations scheduled for our meetings this summer. Please feel free to submit ideas for next summer’s speakers since we need to arrange for those in the near future. An idea for next summer is to display original artwork depicting Piseco and the surrounding area, so please contact us if you would like to take part that day.
- Chips Arend from the PLA announced the upcoming Piseco Lake-Wide Cleanup at the end of August. Property owners along the shoreline are encouraged to clean human-caused and natural debris that has accumulated near the lake. Volunteers are also asked to clean up wild areas along the shore, near the public campgrounds, etc. Clean-up may be done on the day and time of your convenience. The Piseco Lake Association has hopes this will become an annual event and grow each year to preserve and protect the shoreline and waters of Piseco Lake.

Dee Christ made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Janet Allison. Meeting adjourned at 7:20pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Cindy Adcock, PLHS Secretary

Fred Adcock introduced tonight’s presenter, David Brooks, Education Director at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, who presented his program, “The Erie Canal at 200”.

08/10/2025

Please join the Piseco Lake Historical Society on Wed., August 13, 2025 at 7pm at the Piseco Community Hall for the presentation, "Erie Canal at 200" presented by David Brooks. Hope to see you there! The last day the Piseco Museum is scheduled to be open for the season is Sunday, Aug, 17 from 1-4pm. Thank you to all our visitors and supporters!