I am currently working on two articles for the May issue of the Society's newsletter.
The first is a chronology of the theater that is in the Chateaugay Town Hall. It began as the opulent "Opera House" when the Town Hall was built in 1910. Stage shows, vaudeville acts and concerts were offered regularly. It later became known as the "Ideal Theater" where movies were primarily shown. Then, following the rebuilding of the Town Hall after a disastrous fire in 1940, the movie theater was renamed the "Gay Theater", after the "Gay" in "Chateaugay". It closed as a movie house in the mid 1960's. Two subsequent attempts were made to revive it as a movie theater, but both failed. Today, an extensive renovation project is underway to restore the theater to a measure of its former glory and usefulness.
The second article concerns the Moffit brothers; John Henry and Stephen. Both were Civil War heroes and led impressive public lives following their war service with connections to the Lyon Mountain mines, Plattsburgh State, the NYS Assembly and other venues. They also owned the island in Upper Chateaugay Lake and maintained an impressive residence there. Their sister lived in Chateaugay and John Henry married a local lady.
I think both will prove to be great tales to tell with lots of information and illustrations.
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