Have you seen our Fall Newsletter? Continue reading below or download it as pdf.
- Releasing the Monarchs
- Yes, we would love to have your help
- When work becomes an adventure
- Many Thanks to Give
- Shout Out from the Adirondack Explorer
- Ecumenical Service of Hope
- Apply to Serve as out Caretaker & Innkeeper
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook.
Release the Monarchs. Doug Masters
The beautiful monarch butterflies were released this year at St. William’s on Long Point on July 17th. A small group gathered to help with the release under the guidance of Doug Masters.
Wintering in the mountain forests of Mexico on only 7 acres, the monarchs’ orange and black and white spotted wings bring them over 2,000 miles in four generations arriving in June in the Adirondacks. Their return trip around October can take as long as 2 months done within a single generation. Their wings are called Nature’s Stain Glass Windows.
Milkweed is both the place for their eggs and food for their caterpillar stage. Their entire life cycle from egg to adult is only 4 to 5 weeks.
Mark the date July 16, 2025 at about 2 pm, when a number of adult live butterflies will arrive at St. William’s on Long Point for release.
Everyone who is interested is welcome to the “Celebration of the Monarch”.
Yes, we would love to have your help. Sue Norris
We are interested in starting an Adirondack library for the guests who stay here at St. William’s. If you have spare copies of books about the Adirondacks and nature that you would like to donate, please let us know! Thank you.
Over the last two years we have been organizing our historical papers. We realized that we do not have a complete list of events that have been celebrated here, such as weddings, renewal of vows, and a 75th birthday celebration.
If you or someone you know had a celebration here, please send me the information so that we can put this information in our records. Sometimes we just have first names, such as Amy & Charles from AK. A picture or two would be great also. I would truly appreciate anything you can send me. Thank you!
We would like to thank some people who have donated some special touches:
- We have a certificate of our National Historic Site, for which Tina Timm made a beautiful frame.
- We received as a gift a spectacular painting of the church, by Judy Nelson of Speculator. Seen on the right.
- In 2012, Betty Murphy, a quilter from the Syracuse area town of Hilton, appliqued loons and the church on 19 matching quilts for our beds. They are handsome and very special. Here they are in one of our rooms.
Please click to see larger versions of any of the images shown below:.
We appreciate all the ways people offer their own skills to make St. William’s on Long Point such a unique and loved place.
When Work Becomes an Adventure. Todd Westhuis and Mary Harding
First, we would like to thank the St William’s community for a wonderful summer on Raquette Lake at this unique and historic property. Being Caretaker and Innkeeper is a lot of work, but it is also gratifying.
From the weekly concerts and meeting all of the volunteers, the interesting variety of guests, and the beautiful lake itself, we had the most amazing experience.
While we had busy Saturdays for cleaning changeover between groups, our early-rising and to-do list driven approach made most weeks’ transitions very smooth. Todd’s work on projects included repairing stairs and doors, staining buildings and docks, attaching bumpers to docks, just to mention a few. His work during the week allowed us to make the most of our time at St William’s in the off-time.
Not only is the church a historic structure with an interesting history, it is absolutely amazing for its architecture and acoustics. Experiencing the concerts on a weekly basis from early July through mid-August never felt like “work” despite significant effort needed to ensure everything was set up for the musical acts’ arrival. The classical concert was the highlight of the musical experiences for us.
Let’s talk about the boats! Seeing and hearing the WW Durant make its daily treks by the camp was fun. The steamboaters week was a very unique treat and we appreciated the tutorial about the workings of each, as well as a short ride on one! Our season was capped off by watching the boats participating in the 90 mile Adirondack Canoe Classic. Right in front of St William’s we saw classic canoes, kayaks and Adirondack guide boats, war canoes and many others.
This is all on top of the nearby hiking trails, neighboring lakes and especially the Adirondack Experience (formerly the Adirondack Museum): it’s one of our favorites and we picked up the Raquette Lake Library pass to get half off our admission! It’s truly a wonderful place to work and have an adventure.
For anyone considering taking on the Caretaker and Innkeeper role in the future, hopefully this article gives you a sense of excitement for what you’ll embark on!
Many Thanks to Give. Tom Polivika
St. William’s on Long Point, a jewel on Raquette Lake, relies on many dedicated individuals in order to preserve its long history.
One of those people is Sharon Faulkner, who as Vice President of SWLP, has decided its time to step aside from the Board. We thank her for her service over these many years in maintaining St. William’s place in history.
Our weekly Thursday night concerts and programs would not be successful without the support of all of you – thank you. Of course, the programs would not be the same without the pies provided by Amy Williams, our Raquette Lake Baker. We raised $1,395.00 – thank you Amy for the wonderful pies. Thank you all for supporting the concerts and presentations this summer.
This year’s annual fund raiser/cocktail party was held at Bluff Point. A big thank you to our hosts Mary Tyler Daub and Allie Tyler who were extremely generous in sharing their historic home. Thanks to the generosity and support of the guests, we raised $8,218.00, which allows SWLP to continue as a thriving historic site.
In addition, thank you to John Linck for his generous memorial donation to SWLP in order to preserve its history. His daughter, Elizabeth Linck Blakely, serves on our Board of Directors and is our webmaster.
And finally, a big thank you to our Coordinator Sue Norris for her unwavering support and dedication to the preservation of SWLP. SWLP would not be what it is today without her, although she would tell you “we are a team”. The next time you are at SWLP, don’t forget to say hi and thank you.
Our lectern, shown to the left, was redone by volunteer, Jeff Livingstone.
Shout out in an Adirondack Explorer Article
Both St. William’s and Sue Norris were mentioned in a recent article titled “A tour of Durant’s Pine Knot camp, part of Raquette Lake history, now owned by SUNY Cortland.” The article also talks about other Great Camps and buildings and includes a brief history of Raquette Lake. Read Tom French’s article at: adirondackexplorer.org/stories/the-first-adirondack-great-camp.
End of Year Donations
It’s that time of year to ask for you to consider making a tax-deductible donation. Your support to SWLP will allow us to continue to maintain and operate this historic site on Raquette Lake.
Please donate online or send your donation to:
St. William’s On Long Point
PO Box 71
Raquette Lake, NY 13436
Thank you very much for your support!
Ecumenical Service of Hope. Jean Bird
The second St. William’s on Long Point Ecumenical Service was held Saturday, September 7th with pastors Phil Huber of the Inlet Community Church, Naomi Kelly and Lee Vance of Niccolls Memorial Presbyterian Church Old Forge leading the service of peace and community neighborliness. Music was provided by Niccolls Choir and the Adirondack Community Chorus led by Marie Adams with Judy Barker at the keyboard.
Although the wind and rain prevented going to St. William’s on Long Point, a brief history of the church was presented before the service of Bible readings, Celtic poem, reflection and music. Songs included “For the Beauty of the Earth”, “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and “Bless the Beasts and the Children”, and “Peace Like a River”.
Thirty-five people attended and although they were disappointed at not seeing the beautiful church across the lake, they enjoyed the Raquette Lake Chapel and the very moving service. Thanks to all who helped me put it together.
Apply to Serve as Our Caretaker & Innkeeper
We are looking for a friendly, hardworking couple to be Caretaker & Innkeeper at St. William’s on Long Point for the 2025 season. Learn more on this webpage.
Join our Email List
Please use our online form to add your name to our emailing list. We don’t send emails out often but we will use it to announce Volunteer Days and the concert series performers and dates.
Follow Us on Facebook.
Please like and follow us on Facebook for news and information about St Williams and our summer concert series. Our Facebook address is: facebook.com/stwmlongpoint
We have Open Rental Dates
We currently have weeks open to rent next summer! We can host 16 people in a single group. Learn more about our accommodations on our website, or Adk by Owner, VR #9770.
Relax, retreat, enjoy special moments on the lake with family and friends.
Board Members
- Thomas Polivka – President
- Doug Masters – Vice President
- Jim Kistler- Treasurer
- Tina Timm – Secretary
- Elizabeth Blakely – Webmaster
- Jean Bird
- Peggy Deyle
- Jim Dillon
- Molly Dillon
- Gene Loriot
- Dawn Timm