Lake Placid Club

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lake Placid Club was a social and recreation club founded in 1895, in Lake Placid, New York. It was founded by Melvil Dewey, the originator of the Dewey Decimal System. By 1923 the Club had expanded to 9,600 acres (39 km²) with a staff of over 1,100. At that time there were 356 buildings, 110 of which were residences; 21 tennis courts, and 7 golf courses.

In 1926 Dewey established a southern branch of the Lake Placid Club in Florida. Lake Placid, Florida was formerly called Lake Stearns. On April 29, 1927 the Lake Stearns Commissioners accepted Dewey's proposal to change the town's name from Lake Stearns to Lake Placid. Subsequently they submitted a request to the Florida State Legislature. On June 6, 1927 The Town of Lake Stearns was chartered as Lake Placid.

The Florida branch is now a campground and retreat center owned and operated by the South Florida District of the Church of the Nazarene and is now known and the Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center.

[edit] References

Wiegand, Wayne A. Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996. ISBN 0-8389-0680-X.
Ackerman, David H. Lake Placid Club: An illustrated history: 1895-1980. Lake Placid Education Foundation, 1998. ISBN 0966587502.