John S Apperson Papers Finding Aid

The first mentions of skate sailing as well as Apperson’s concerns for the islands in Lake George are found in this earliest correspondence. In 1906 Apperson was modifying skate blades and purchasing spars to make his own sails. In 1909 he purchased his first camera.

Apperson’s 1910 correspondence greatly concerns fire stations in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. In this year he also received correspondence from a General Electric colleague in Japan.

In this year Apperson’s correspondence concerns the construction of many sets of skate sails and skate spars for his friends and associates. Apperson orders a sewing machine for the sails and charges it to his General Electric account. Apperson’s Japanese correspondence continues. A July 15th letter recounts the damage incurred to Apperson’s canoe by the rail road company as it was shipped to him. On December 18th Apperson receives a letter from Irving Langmuir.

1912 concerns mostly outdoor recreation topics, such as skate sailing and sleeping bags. Apperson had problems with his new boat motor and also had to repair his canoe. This folder contains water crest measurements at the Lake George Dam.

On June 7th Apperson was invited to join the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. Apperson continued to experience boat motor issues for many years. On August 28th Apperson received a letter from Irving Langmuir.

In March of 1914 Apperson worked with William College students to connect them to the great outdoors. Beginning in December of this year Apperson corresponded with William Hornaday, and others, regarding the leasing of state-owned lands.

1915 marks Apperson’s first major involvement in the political sphere. A state-wide Constitutional Convention was held which proposed altering Article 7- Section 7, which concerns the protection of New York State lands. During this year Apperson produced his first major pamphlet, which he used to inform the public of the dangers of altering Article 7- Section 7 posed.

In this year Apperson registered a barge for riprap work on Lake George which he christened “Art 7- Sec 7”. In June and July of this year he corresponded with the Glens Falls photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard. In October Apperson's correspondence concerned Dome Island. There are many references throughout this year to the photographic documentation of both the damage done to the islands and shorelines of Lake George as well as the riprap work done to repair the shorelines.

1917 marked the beginning of state conservation of the Lake George islands. On May 24th Governor Charles Whitman signed a bill to appropriate $10,000 specifically for work on Lake George. Even though he had no official role on the project, Apperson was in constant contact with the teams as they went about their work. He loaned his barge and convinced D. A. Loomis of the Lake George Steamboat company to loan a barge as well.

1918 marks the year that the impact of WWI was felt by Apperson. A great deal of this year’s correspondence relates to the war effort, including the notification of many General Electric employees of their deferred conscription status. During this time as well Jay Taylor riprapped over 30 islands on Lake George and Apperson attempted to make weekly visits to examine the work. Apperson corresponded with General Electric employees in both Cuba and Japan in this year.

1919 marks the beginning of the decades long struggle with the International Paper Company in Ticonderoga, NY. International Paper’s high dam and added splash boards held water back from its natural outlets on the northern end of Lake George. Lake George residents and recreationists complained of being flooded out of the area. The Conservation Commission was unable to reach a settlement with International Paper this year.

In 1920 Apperson purchased a small property on Tongue Mountain from Thomas Coolidge and made several renovations and repairs over the course of the year. In April Apperson, G. Hall Roosevelt, and William Dalton purchased the Lakeview Hotel Property in Bolton, NY. Apperson converted the ice house on the property into a cabin for his personal use.

In this year Apperson and Jim Crawley spent a great deal of time arranging the dedication ceremony for the American Canoe Association on Lake George. Over 100 people attended the event and Apperson struggled to arrange housing.

During this year Apperson, Langmuir, and three others embarked on an extensive skiing trip to Haystack Mountain in the Adirondacks through the Upper Ausable Valley. Apperson moved to a new department in General Electric.

In 1923 Apperson began petitioning New York State to pass an appropriations bill in order to purchase land on the Lake George shoreline and protect the lake’s remaining undeveloped areas. On May 10th the bill was passed granting $75,000 for the state to purchase Tongue Mountain. Apperson helped facilitate the purchase of many properties for the state. Correspondence with the Loines family is prominent from this point forward.

In October of this year Apperson purchased another tract of land on Tongue Mountain. The state conducted a land survey to construct a road from Bolton, NY, through Tongue Mountain. The Loines family were very concerned that the road would cut across their land.

In this year Apperson served on many state committees concerning the wilderness. He fought and chronicled a white pine blister outbreak on many trees in his Lake George property. The American Canoe Association used Apperson’s Lake George property as their base of operations for their executive committee.

In 1926 Apperson unsuccessfully petitioned the state to purchase and protect Dome Island on Lake George. In June Apperson began construction on a dock for his Lake George property. In this year Apperson helped construct a covenant for the landowners of Tongue Mountain in which they promise to keep their lands undeveloped in order to preserve the natural beauty of the Narrows of Lake George.

In this year Apperson purchased a Chris-Craft motorboat which he christened “Article 7- Section 7”. Unfortunately, the boat immediately started giving him problems. Apperson’s relationship with the Loines family continued. His assistance to the family regarding the proposed state highway led the Loines family to sell tracts of land to New York State.

Early in this year Apperson expanded his Lake George property by first purchasing a portion of Dalton’s shares and then a portion of Langmuir’s shares of the original Lakeview Hotel property. This year contains multiple letters from Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

In January Apperson sold a portion of the Lakeview Hotel Property to A. Kilgour Christie which included a large house and 500 feet of shoreline. Apperson and Alexander MacDonald, the New York State Conservation Commissioner, came to a gentleman’s agreement in which MacDonald promised the state would purchase several tracts of land that Apperson had previously purchased to protect from development. MacDonald went back on his word, infuriating Apperson. This year also contains a great deal of correspondence with the Roosevelts.

In 1930 Apperson was contacted for the first time by Raymond Torrey of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. This folder contains a January 6th certificate appointing Apperson as treasurer for the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. In this year’s correspondence Apperson rails against this year’s legislative bills, stating that concerning lumbering and building structures 1930 was the worst year for conservation since 1915.

1931 greatly concerns proposed legislation. A large amount of correspondence concerns Apperson, the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, and the Adirondack Mountain Club’s strong opposition to the proposed Hewitt Amendment and their support of the proposed Baxter Amendment. Apperson and these organizations campaigned heartily. Henry Morgenthau was appointed as Conservation Commissioner in March. In mid-March Governor Roosevelt extended the size of the Adirondack State Park. Apperson and Paul Schaefer met for the first time in June.

High water on Lake George created by the International Paper Company’s dam in Ticonderoga, NY, continued to be a major problem and continued to be for the next 30 years. Apperson organized speeches and political meetings concerning new environmental legislation and distributed thousands of pamphlets. In this year he purchased a new camera and corresponded with both Paul Schaefer and Vincent Schaefer.

In January the New York State Conservation League was formed. This group of Apperson and his associates began focusing on the issues of a proposed state road along Long Lake, the protection of Prisoner Island, and a proposed amendment to Article 7- Section 7. In May Vincent Schaefer performed riprapping on Ship Island in consultation with Ranger Taylor. In order to facilitate the fight towards removing the artificial dam at Ticonderoga Apperson commissioned W. G. Watts to perform research on the original stone barrier at the north end of Lake George.

Apperson’s major conservation fight in 1934 was the proposed road and monument on Whiteface Mountain. In February of this year Apperson and his associates formed the New York State Forest Preserve Association. In May the NYFPA defeated the Whiteface Mountain bill; additionally Governor Lehman approved an appropriations bill to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. In July the New York Forest Preserve Association met for their first annual meeting at Apperson’s Lake George property Camp Chilhowie. The Association produced "The Tragic Truth about Erosion" pamphlet in August. It was a huge hit and was distributed nationwide, due largely to the support of H. H. Bennett of the US Department of the Interior. He became a friend of Apperson's and stayed involved in New York conservation for several decades.

In February of 1935 H. H. Bennett, of the U.S. Department of the Interior, traveled to Schenectady in order to meet with Apperson. Dome Island was once more for sale and Apperson organized to purchase and protect the island. In August Apperson hosted a small group of environmentalists in order to plan their next moves.

In March of this year Apperson incorporated the New York Trails Conference. Apperson, Vincent Schaefer, Langmuir, and Torrey were among its first directors. In this year the Forest Preserve Association continued to receive requests for “The Tragic Truth About Erosion”. In the aim of forest fire prevention, Apperson and his associates supported a slash removal bill despite the Conservation Commissioner’s opposition. In the summer Apperson continued to take documentary photographs of the degradation of the Lake George islands. The Forest Preserve Association again held their annual meeting on Apperson’s Lake George property.

The core of the 1937 correspondence concerns preparations for the upcoming constitutional convention. Attached to a letter in this year is a collection of Apperson’s correspondence from 1919-1937 concerning Lake George water levels. The Forest Preserve Association once more held their annual meeting on Apperson’s Lake George property.

For the 1938 New York Constitutional Convention Apperson gathered support for Article 7- Section 7 from over 40 organizations and 500 affiliated groups. A bill was defeated that would have allowed the state to charge for the use of their campsites. After George Foster Peabody passed away in May Apperson established a memorial fund for the purpose of purchasing land on Lake George in his honor.

The majority of 1939’s correspondence concerns either the George Foster Peabody Memorial Fund or “The Tragic Truth About Erosion” pamphlet. A great deal was accomplished concerning the Peabody fund: a plaque was designed and purchased for a French Point memorial and 42 acres were purchased and transferred to state ownership. Raymond Torrey and Robert Marshall passed away.

As war tensions mounted Apperson shifted his focus to national defense preparedness. Apperson received 75 chestnut saplings for Dome Island from Alvin Whitney at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

In 1940 Apperson facilitated the sale of the Knapp estate in the Lake George area, more than 7,500 acres, to New York State to be conserved as wildlands. Governor Lehman signed the appropriations bill for this sale in April. Apperson’s commitment to regulating the water levels redoubled when the lake experienced the lowest water levels since 1920. Apperson lobbied against a bill to build ski trails on Whiteface Mountain, which was defeated in the election.

In 1942 Apperson, along with New York State, filed a lawsuit against International Paper Company over their use of the dam in Ticonderoga, NY to control the water levels in Lake George. With gasoline rationing imposed during WWII Apperson requested additional gasoline for his constant trips to Lake George.

The “Lake George Trespass” lawsuit against International Paper Company continued. The Lake George Association supported the International Paper Company, much to Apperson’s chagrin. Apperson went on the offensive showing his slides and film to the attorney general to advocate for their cause. As the case suffered from many delays, Apperson and associates were forced to raise over $800 in order to pay their attorney, R. Moot, for his services.

Apperson gathered 145 signatures from Lake George shoreline owners on a petition urging Governor Dewey to hasten the litigation process in the suit against the International Paper Company. Over the summer Apperson and associates formed the Lake George Protective Association as they felt the Lake George Association was no longer representing the interests of the lake and its residents.

The “Lake George Trespass” suit against the International Paper Company continued. Apperson gave a presentation at the Albany Institute of History and Art to rally support for the cause. Apperson convinced Rockwell Kent to testify for the state.

In addition to the continuing legal battle with the International Paper Company over their use of the dam in Ticonderoga, NY, Apperson challenged the Black River Regulation Board and the Adirondack Moose Committee in this year.

In March of this year Apperson retired from General Electric. He continued the legal battle against the International Paper Company over water levels in Lake George. In September of this year the plaintiffs in the case, supported by the New York Attorney General, appealed Judge Ryan’s ruling. The conservation struggles over the proposed Black River and Moose River flooding continued as well.

1948 was consumed with the fight against the proposed Panther Mountain dam. A small appropriation was passed by New York State in September to fund the riprapping of selected islands in Lake George.

Apperson continued to fight the proposed Panther Mountain dam. In March he spoke to the Federated Garden Clubs of New York and was honored with a silver medal for his decades of conservation work.

In April Apperson received word that they had achieved victory against the proposed Panther Mountain dam. The lawsuit against the International Paper Company over water levels in Lake George continued to be delayed in court. In November Apperson’s Lake George property sustained severe damage due to the “Big Blowdown” storm.

In 1951 Apperson spent over $300 to repair the damage to his Lake George property from the severe November 1950 storm known as the “Big Blowdown”. In April he purchased a tract of land from Langmuir for $5,000. September brought long awaited movement in the lawsuit against International Paper Company over water levels in Lake George.

The Hammond-Ostrander bill was introduced which proposed shifting the power to flood land to the people. A second bill was proposed that would have granted the state the right to flood more than the previously stipulated 1% of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. In September Apperson, Atwater, and Newkirk withdrew from the Adirondack Moose River Committee.

The months of January and February were consumed by preparations for the appeal hearing in the lawsuit against International Paper Company. In March victory was attained when the court decided in favor of New York State. Apperson began his discussions with the Nature Conservancy over Dome Island in September.

In 1954 Apperson was very concerned with the proposed amendment for the Adirondack Northway. The New York chapter of the Nature Conservancy was very interested in purchasing and conserving Dome Island, however, the chapter was only one year old and did not have the funds. Langmuir was appointed chair of the Nature Conservancy’s Dome Island committee. Whitney arranged for several members to visit Apperson’s Lake George camp in order to view Dome Island in October.

Detached parcels of land in the Adirondack Forest Preserve were a major conservation issue in this year. A bill was introduced that would allow the state to sell these parcels. Joseph Illick wrote a report approving the bill. Apperson notes the February hearing on the issue had an excellent conservation turnout. March brought victory over the proposed Panther Mountain dam. In December the Nature Conservancy began the official process to acquire Dome Island.

Proposals continued to be made to sell over 400 parcels of detached lands in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. By March the Nature Conservancy had raised $6,700 for the purchase of Dome Island. By September $12,000 had been raised. In December Apperson transferred Dome Island to the Nature Conservancy’s care.

On January 7th the Federated Garden Club donated $1,000 towards the purchase of Dome Island. On January 27th the Nature Conservancy held an event to recognize Apperson and to officially transfer possession of Dome Island. In 1957 Apperson and associates revised their "Lake George: a Mill Pond" pamphlet. Langmuir passed away on August 13th, and Apperson was made president of the Lake George Protective Association.

The proposed Adirondack Northway was a great cause of debate. Apperson conducted inventories of his Lake George properties and his Schenectady home.

Apperson created the “Your Northway” pamphlet in order to educate the public on the proposed Adirondack Northway and to support the proposed Champlain Mountain route which would leave the Adirondack Forest Preserve intact. Unfortunately, they lost the vote on the Northway route. In August Apperson was made an honorary member of the Nature Conservancy.

In January Apperson’s associate Rienow was in an accident with a saw in which he severely damaged his left arm and hand. Whitney and Bennett passed away in the summer.

In this year Apperson was concerned with the proposed the Cooke-Sadler bill, which would have regulated the water levels of Lake George.

Apperson corresponded with the Nature Conservancy regarding the upkeep of Dome Island. They conducted a vegetation survey together. Apperson praises Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Apperson was hospitalized in November due to an accident.

1963 contains documentation of many of donations to the John S. Apperson memorial fund.

These folders contain all of the undated letters in the collection.

Bylaws, articles, and member correspondence.

Association correspondence.

Association correspondence

A notebook containing the record of yearly dues.

Correspondence and meeting minutes.

Member submitted ballots.

Association publications.