August 14, 2014

Today I came in at 9:30 so I could meet with Ruth, who is coordinating between Pat and myself. I asked her about whether the WSW has any connections with the Snyder Estate and the Widow Jane Mine, and if it is possible for me to get compensation for gas.

As I headed over to meet Pat at the church, I got a call from Linda the librarian. She told me not to come over until 11:30, because it was story-time at the library and I wouldn't have an available table.

Pat informed me that we are going to participate in the Kingston Artist Soap Box Derby, and that I should research it. She also mentioned a Gala at the Mohonk House, for which she intends to make hats. I am quite excited about both of these events. We discussed and planned for a bit; I reviewed all of my correspondences with potential volunteers, and notified her of the meetings I've set up.

I left a bit early for the library, so that I could return the bike gear she had purchased. Unfortunately, the bike store does not give back cash refunds; just store credit. I refrained, not sure whether Pat would prefer to keep her purchases or to have store credit.

At the library, Linda talked to me for about 45 minutes, eagerly pointing out various articles, maps, receipts, and other fascinating relics from the days of Rosendale's thriving cement economy. She was full of interesting information, and I suspect that she is as good of a resource, if not better, than many of the binders she showed me. She told me about how they drained the local canal, once it was out of use, because people were afraid of malaria, and because people could easily drown, especially in one spot known as "Dead Man's Curve." It is apparently by the trestle bridge, and is a tight curve that people often did not see at night, so they would walk into it. Once you fall in, it is hard to get out, because the walls are straight and the water was about 6 feet deep--just enough to make it rather tricky!

I spent the majority of the day doing research. I found some interesting photos, and I kicked myself for forgetting to bring in my camera. I am trying to keep my information organized, but it is difficult because I don't know what I'm going to find. Highlights of today's research include Iron Mountain Incorporated, which apparently uses the abandoned mines to store companies' records, and High Bridge, which was part of a costly and inadequate aqueduct project designed to ship water to NYC.

After I finished at the library, Pat and I went to a property on a lake owned by Anne, the executive director & co-founder of the WSW. We swam across the lake so that Pat could look for a path. While we swam back, I told her about my findings from that day's research.