Truesdale Lake property Owners Association Inc.

A Look At The Past

(Thanks to Karen Jahn for providing the original scans – see below)

July, 1931 Truesdale Lake Club was created. Previously known as the Truesdale Lake Colony, the club was the action spot. Having dinner at the clubhouse was super, especially when you were seated on the sun porch overlooking the boating and swimming that took place every weekend.

The clubhouse was Opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 1 a.m. Regular meals were served by reservation only, but light refreshments could be obtained at anytime. Regular meals were served on the sun porch only, during the summer season. The House Committee selected the menus and fixed prices for meals & refreshments.

The ‘Clubhouse was also used for dances, entertainment, and special events arranged by the Entertainment Committee. In 1938, the clubhouse was sold, along with the boat house, a sad day for the financially troubled club.

Currently, the family of Bill & Mimi Anderson are the proud owners of this magnificent structure, and we understand Sunday dinner is still being served on the sun porch.

The Truesdale Lake Property Owners’ Association, Inc. is the outgrowth of a series of activities, by certain property owners in the Truesdale Lake Colony, undertaken for the protection and conservation of the Colony’s rights and services. These activities were formalized in the appointment of a “Water Committee” at the Annual Meeting of the Truesdale Lake Club held on June 5, 1943, the notice for which meeting stated among other things, that “consideration would be given to the Water System and Repair of Roads”.

Up until the summer of 1940 the Colony roads, under the ownership of the Truesdale Lake Corporation were in such a state of disrepair that they were dangerous to limb and prOperty. The Truesdale Lake Corporation, which was in financial diffculties at that time, did nothing about them.

During that summer, out of dire necessity, thirty-three of the Property owners raised $2,900 for re-surfacing the roads. Similarly, the summer of 1944, the prOperty owners, through the Truesdale Lake Club, financed another major repair and maintenance job to the roads.

The most serious blow to the physical well being of the community came in 1941. Because of financial inadequacy the Truesdale Lake Corporation stood idly by when the well pump on the hill site became a total loss. Again, as in 1940, some of the property owners banded together and raised $1,100 to replace that pump and to repair the pump on the site below the dam, despite the fact that they had theretofore regularly paid water charges billed by the Corporation. And as if that were not enough, the pump at the dam site broke down in the summer of 1943 through lack of adequate attention. This time the Water committee had to see to the repair of that pump.

By the spring of l944 it had become fixed in the minds of the water Committee, and other property owners that were concerned about the welfare of the Colony, that operation of the Water System and roads could no longer be left in the hands of outsiders.

At a meeting of property owners called by the Water Committee in May, the Committee was authorized to acquire the Water System and Roads, with the understanding that a new Association would be organized to operate them

for the benefit of the Colony. A community-spirited group of Truesdale Lake Colony property owners then underwrote the purchase on a cash basis, for which they were subsequently reimbursed by the new Association.

On July 27, 1944 the Truesdale Lake PrOperty Owners’ Association was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York and adopted purposes as contained in the Certificate of Incorporation printed.

On July 29, 1944 a meeting of members of the Association was held whereat plans were adopted for financing of the purchase by the Association of the Water and Roads from the aforesaid property owners.

In accordance with the action of the Association at its special meeting held April 2, 1955, the Board of Governors effected the establishment of a separate corporation to be charged with the Operation of the Association’s water system. This required a considerable legal effort for which the Association is indebted to the late Mr. Stanley Law Sabel. On May 23, 1955 the new corporation was duly incorporated under the regulations of the state of New York.

One of the original members of the Board of Directors was Mr. Charles Gristede of the Gristede food chain. Their home is currently owned and occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Frank Dees & family on Howe & Bouton Street.

In addition to the Gristede family Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Steidle, Bouton Street are original residents of T.L.P.O.A. No doubt, they remember when the East Side of the Lake contained nothing but woods and wild life.

Bill Morrill, who arrived a few years late, recalls the many parties around the lake. The “Moose Head” was the possession of the household until they held a gala party. Once the party was over, the moose head was passed on to the next family for a future gathering.

Bill credits our own Jack Fles for introducing chemical lake treatment to Truesdale some 25 years ago. Prior to chemicals, the weeds were cut “carted away every weekend by volunteers in the area, a job that they all dreaded, but had fun doing.

The daily mail was picked up by each family out on Main Street. One of the existing homes near the Happy Home Florist was the Country store and Post Office, and would stay open until 8 p.m. to accommodate the late commuters returning home from New York City.

Special thanks to Mr. Bill Morrill for digging into his files enabling us to Obtain this bit of historical data. There is certainly much more we could report, but we hOpe that you enjoyed learning something about the Birth of T.L.P.O.A. Inc.

Written by
Peter A. Brady (originally written 1960s?)