Raquette Lake Supply, 1925 (Provided photo — Raquette Lake historian office)

LONG LAKE — Five New York State Historic Markers were awarded to the town of Long Lake, funded by a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for the New York State Historic Marker Program.

The five signs were awarded to commemorate four locations in Raquette Lake: the Raquette Lake Rail Bed, Raquette Lake Hotel, Raquette Lake Train Station and the Raquette Lake General Store and Supply. The sign in Long Lake will commemorate W.W. Durant’s Buttercup Steamboat, which was deliberately sunk in 1885 and recovered in 1959.

Grants were submitted by Alexandra Roalsvig from the Long Lake Tourism Department with collaboration, writing and research by Hamilton County Historian Eliza Jane Darling. Jim Dillon of Raquette Lake worked with the town to identify appropriate locations for the signs and for granting permission to have the signs installed on Raquette Lake Supply property.

These historic signs commemorate a bygone era of train and steamboat travel, when both Raquette Lake and Long Lake were destinations for travelers heading to the restorative lakes, woods and mountains for grand summer vacations. In the event it is safe to gather, there will be a dedication celebration slated for the summer of 2021.

The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is a grant-making foundation based in Syracuse. One of its initiatives is helping communities celebrate their history. The program commemorates historic people, places or things during the years 1740 to 1920. The town of Long Lake received $5,700 for five signs slated to be installed in the spring of 2021.