Our Collections

Vertical Files (VF.001)

The Goff-Nelson Memorial Library Vertical File Collection documents both the private and public history of Tupper Lake and the surrounding Adirondack region. Materials include, but are not limited to, published materials such as newspaper clippings, personal scrapbooks and journals, cemetery records, event flyers and programs, poetry, short stories, a record album and film reel, visitor guides, official reports and surveys, train schedules, lumber machinery layouts, altitude surveys, newsletters, genealogies, event programs and posters, menus, and a small number of photographs. Material formats include audio/visual, bound materials, textual documents, photocopies, printed web pages, several photographs, telegrams, print and email correspondence, newspaper clippings, and oversized and rolled documents.

Photographs (PHOTOS.001)

The Goff-Nelson Memorial Library Archives Photograph Collection consists of over 4,000 historical photos that deal with daily life in Tupper Lake and the surrounding Adirondack region. These materials document the rise of Tupper Lake as an important logging town, depict the construction of the U.S. Veteran’s Hospital, now Sunmount DDSO, and candid photos of life in a small Adirondack town from approximately 1860 to 2020. The collection consists of original photographs, facsimiles/photocopies, photos of original photos, albums, negatives/contact sheets, born-digital files, and slides.

Newspapers (NEWS.001)

The Goff-Nelson Memorial Library Newspaper Collection consists of editions of various local newspapers from Tupper Lake and the surrounding Adirondack Region. Of particular significance is the Tupper Lake Free Press and Herald, Woodsmen’s Days newspaper, and the Daily Olympic Digest, the newspaper from the 1980 Olympic winter games in Lake Placid. In addition, this collection contains special edition newspapers and organizational newspapers.

Moody Family Papers (MOODY.001)

The Moody Family Papers documents the history of the Moody Family, a prominent pioneer family of the Tupper Lake Community. Other pioneer families that are related to the Moody’s are included in the collection as well, including the Hathaways, Hosleys, Johnsons, and Hinksons. The materials consist of correspondence, news clippings, event programs, school yearbooks and pamphlets, a marriage certificate, a journal, genealogical information, birth announcements, several photographs, wedding and anniversary announcements, obituaries, cloth materials, and receipts/invoices. Many of the materials document the Moody Family, as well as events that they either attended or saved information about, regardless of whether members of the family are mentioned in the materials.

Maps (MAPS.001)

The Goff-Nelson Memorial Library Map Collection consists of topographic maps, geological surveys, 3-D maps, town maps, wildlife maps, and brochures (with maps) that document the geographic and municipal layout of Tupper Lake and the surrounding Adirondack region. The materials also illustrate the many recreational locations for tourists visiting the area, as well as historic rail routes for passenger travel and lumber transport.  Format of the materials include flat maps, rolled maps, folded maps, brochures, bound materials, and photocopies.

Institutional Records (LIB.001)

This collection documents the institutional history of the Goff-Nelson Memorial Library at its various locations, and in its many forms, over the years. Materials include meeting minutes, correspondence, annual reports, construction records, bibliographies/inventories, audit reports, guest registration books, payroll books, financial ledgers, ephemera, and circulation books. Materials are all textual documents, with some bound materials, booklets/brochures, and ring folders.

Microfilm (MF.001)

This collection consists of 83 reels of microfilm that include publications of the Tupper Lake Free Press from 1911-2013 and the Moaner from 1942-1945. The Free Press publications are in 80 reels and the Moaner is in two reels. The Moaner was a weekly newsletter created by Leonard L. “Len” Perry, Lawrence P. Quinn, and Father Edmund Dumas during World War II. It was intended to keep local men and women serving abroad informed on local news and events, as well as provide them an outlet to share first-hand accounts of the war. This collection consists of both positive and negative microfilm reels.

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