This morning, The Folklife Center received a wonderful new collection. Jon Patton and his sister Mary Jo Patton Russell stopped by on the way to the family home in North Creek to donate research materials of Jon's lifelong passion: the history of the Adirondack branch of the D & H Railroad, from Saratoga Springs to Tahawus.
Jon's research over the years led him to accumulate everything he could find, to create a website (see below), and to write the overall history of the Adirondack Railway. The materials used for this task total about 5 cubic feet. These boxes contain 6 binders of photographs, another binder of original documents, information on all the railway stations, the Saratoga and North Creek Railway, stereo views, negatives, reference books, etc. It's a treasure trove for local railroad enthusiasts!
Jon's collection will become part of the permanent, non-circulating Special Collections managed by The Folklife Center. It will be available for study by patrons visiting our Research Room during regular business hours (M-Th 9-noon, 1-7; F-
Sa 9-noon, 1-5).
Many thanks to Jon and Mary Jo for reaching out to us and sharing their passion. Donations such as these help us to share the stories of our region.
For more information, check out Jon Patton's website, The Adirondack Branch of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad www.brasshistory.net/Website%20RR/index.html