Summer in Richfield Springs, Circa 1900

Wish you were here? Canadarago Lake, on the edge of the village of Richfield Springs, remains one of New York State's most pristine freshwater lakes. Image: Public Domain.

A turn-of-the-century travel advertisement entices city-weary folks to escape New York in August via the Lackawanna Railroad. Among the most popular destinations for seasonal visitors and day-trippers alike was the village of Richfield Springs, touted by the railroad’s circa-1900 marketing team as the “most exclusive summer resort in America.” Image: Public Domain.

The last weekend of August has arrived! (Yes, it’s hard to believe.) As we look back on our summer adventures—so far—we can’t help but flash back to the height of Richfield Springs’ resort era, when travelers arrived in the village by the thousands via passenger train and horse-drawn carriage. In the busiest years, tourism swelled the small town’s summer population by the thousands, enlivening Main Street and enriching a local economy justly famous for its fresh mountain air, fashionable hotels, and wide variety of indoor and outdoor entertainments. Enchanted by the scenic beauty, some well-to-do visitors even built country houses of their own near Canadarago Lake or on fashionable Main Street. The First National Bank of Richfield Springs, constructed in the heart of the downtown commercial corridor circa 1882–1883 proudly served them all.

All the finest late-19th and early-20th-century hotels had their own stables, with drivers ready to meet out-of-town guests at the local train depot and deliver them—and their copious baggage—to the door.

The First National Bank of Richfield Springs, New York, under construction circa 1882–1883, the height of the village’s resort era. Image courtesy of the Richfield Springs Historical Association and Museum.