William J Arkell, son of the prominent Canajoharie businessman James Arkell, will be portrayed by Ben Kemp, staff member of Grant’s Cottage on Tuesday October 8 at 7 pm at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa. “President Ulysses S. Grant will always be associated with Mt. McGregor and rightfully so” says Mr. Kemp. “But there is also the larger context of the Gilded Age and how it transformed a mountain into a luxury resort”
Arkell began his association with Mt. McGregor in 1881 and was impressed by its beauty saying, “it was the handsomest spot, to my way of thinking, in America.” He garnered financial support from other wealthy businessmen to transform the mountaintop into a resort and at the age of twenty-six led the effort to construct a railroad and build a hotel on the summit. An 1883 local newspaper account praised his energetic approach. “From the start Mr. Arkell has been the mainspring of the Mount McGregor enterprise, personally directing all movements of organization and construction…he has practical skill, as well as faith and pluck.”
Kemp is operations manager of the U.S Grant Cottage State Historic Site and has researched and portrayed other prominent people associated with the mountain and the career of President Grant, his family and associates. His presentation will feature images of the luxurious wilderness resort provided by the wonders of the magic lantern. Artifacts associated with the resort and Grant Cottage Historic Site will be on display.
Registration is recommended at HERE. The program is free, and donations are always welcome.
