SARANAC LAKE — Historic Saranac Lake has moved their wiki website of local history to a new platform that is more reliable and easier to use.
The address for the new website is wiki.historicsaranaclake.org.
Historic Saranac Lake Archivist and Curator Chessie Monks-Kelly led the project to move the wiki to a new host to ensure the over 8,000 pages of local history would continue to be available to the public. Ms. Monks-Kelly said,
“This project has been a long time coming and is a huge step forward for HSL,” Monks-Kelly said in a press release.
The wiki website was started about 15 years ago by HSL volunteer Marc Wanner. He has added and edited thousands of pages, gradually building a website that maps the stories and places that make up the history of the Saranac Lake region.
As a wiki site, anyone can add to it, and hundreds of people over the years have contributed information, photos and stories. HSL Director Mary Hotaling was an avid editor, and much of her rich knowledge of the architecture and history of the area is reflected on the wiki.
In recent years, the platform began working slowly, and HSL worried about its long-term security. With grant support from the Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 7, the wiki was moved and updated to run on new, more reliable software. The wiki pages are now easier to edit, format, search and navigate.
“We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of HSL volunteer Andy Kelly,” HSL Executive Director Amy Catania said in a press release. “Andy spent countless hours working on this project, and his expertise has been invaluable.”
Historic Saranac Lake invites the community to create, use and update the wiki on its new platform. The old wiki will remain available but will no longer be updated.
“Look for Historic Saranac Lake’s HSL logo on the top of the page. If you see that, you know you are at the new wiki. Once you make a new user account, you can click ‘edit’ and add what you know,” Monks-Kelly said.
ABOUT HISTORIC SARANAC LAKE Founded in 1980, Historic Saranac Lake’s mission is to preserve and present area history and architecture to build a stronger community. The organization is expanding their Saranac Laboratory Museum to become a two-building museum campus, with new exhibits opening in 2026. {related_content_uuid}5af2936b-e9dd-4f95-9db9-6f8a9b45f784{/related_content_uuid}