Rushlight Club 2018 Fall Meeting Report, September 22nd & 23rd, Cooperstown, New York
Over seventy Rushlight members gathered in the Cooperstown, New York area for the Fall Meeting of the Club. The event was headquartered just south of Cooperstown at the Comfort Inn in Milford, New York. Most Rushlighters arrived in the area throughout Friday as the Governing Board held their meeting that afternoon.
Dinner was on your own but the Club hosted a hospitality suite at the hotel for members to meet, socialize and enjoy snacks and members drifted in and out of the hospitality suite all evening.
The large number of attendees was split into two groups for many of the events during the two day meeting. On Saturday, group A had an early breakfast at the hotel and traveled 20 miles north to Richfield Springs, New York while group B slept in and enjoyed a late breakfast before making the trip north. The first event for both the early and late groups was a tour of Bill Soeffing's splendid Victorian home in Richfield Springs. Bill collects all kinds of objects from the 19th century. On display was his extensive collection of furniture, musical instruments, paintings, ceramics, and decorative objects in addition to multiple chandeliers, sconces and table lamps. Many of the lighting devices were prime examples from makers such as the Cornelius Company of Philadelphia and the Henry Hooper Company of Boston.
From Bill's, each group traveled to the Glimmerglass State Park at the North end of Otsego lake. On a bluff above the park is Hyde Hall, a large 50 room British style stone mansion built by George Clarke in three stages from 1817 to 1834.
The early group took a guided tour of the mansion in the morning and joined the late group at the state park pavilion for lunch at noon. Lunch was followed by the annual membership meeting.
Afterward, everyone enjoyed three presentations about Hyde Hall. Gilbert Vincent spoke on the history of Hyde Hall and the innovative technologies incorporated in its design, construction and furnishing. John Bower spoke on the Hyde Hall landscaping and how it was influenced by the different periods of English garden design. John Maney described the lighting at Hyde Hall with an emphasis on the design, restoration and operation of the two extremely rare Argand chandeliers in the formal dining room. These chandeliers are fitted with vapor burners.
Vapor lamps use "burning fluid" which is a mixture of alcohol and turpentine. Alcohol burns with a hot, barely visible, flame because it contains too little carbon to produce useful light. Turpentine, which has a high carbon content, is added to the alcohol to provide sufficient carbon to achieve a luminous flame. Burning fluid is vaporized in the burner by the heat of the flame but the burner must be preheated to get the lamp burning. John had a working model of a vapor lamp which the members were free to examine and operate.
After the presentations the late group took their guided tour of the mansion while the early group entertained themselves touring the grounds of Hyde Hall and the state park. The two groups joined again at 5pm for cocktails on the South porch. Dinner followed in the formal dining room and entry hall under the light of the Argand chandeliers, sinumbra lamps and numerous candelabra. A delicious three course meal, served over several hours, was enjoyed by all.
After dinner everyone was invited to tour the house again with only the light provided by the chandeliers and numerous sinumbra lamps, solar lamps and lanterns. This tour focused on the people, strange events and other-worldly apparitions that have occupied the mansion over the last two hundred years. All who survived this ghostly event returned to the Comfort Inn after a full day of sharing a magnificent mansion with a remarkable history, exceptional furnishings and rare lighting.
On Sunday morning everyone enjoyed a pleasant drive on the country roads to Peter and Audrey Gregory's diary farm in Morris, New York. The two groups formed once again as one toured the Gregory's 19th century home while the other visited the recently constructed carriage barn.
The carriage barn houses Peter's extensive collection of all forms of 19th century lighting. Many rare examples are displayed in a museum quality setting with complete documentation on makers, patents and related ephemera. After the tours everyone gathered in a large tent erected on the lawn for a delicious catered lunch. This was followed by Peter convening a Tin Lovers meeting.
Walt Fleming began the meeting Show & Tell with an excellent presentation on tin lanterns. This was followed by others with tin lighting devices as well as other lighting. At least twenty members shared their latest finds with all assembled. This was followed by the conclusion of the silent auction and the meeting. Everyone gradually departed throughout the rest of afternoon with fond memories of a great two days in upstate New York.
Meeting Report Courtesy of Fred Bohl
Photos by Fred Bohl and M.J. Howell
The Rushlight Club Inc. www.rushlight.org