Have you ever wondered what visitors to the Gilded Age hotels did to pass the time, while staying in the Thousand Islands? Let’s look at a bulletin from the Frontenac Hotel on Round Island, for the week ending August 30, 1902.
Monday, August 25, was Home Day; the day was very regulated starting at 6 a.m. with “Hail the Gala Week,” and an American Beauty Rose was presented to the first five ladies to enter the dining room. At 7 a.m. there was a salute of steam yachts in the harbor and a formal opening of the week’s festivities.
8 a.m. was the start of activities for the day, beginning with a St. Lawrence skiff sailing race, tacking over a two mile course and returning to the hotel. The race was open to all skiffs on the River. The next hour was set aside for the ladies, with a new ping pong “stunt” called “The Round Robin.” Of course, by the time ping pong started, the ladies would have changed their outfits from what they had worn to breakfast. By the end of the day, they would have changed at least five times. 10 a.m. saw dancing on the veranda until noon, when the gentlemen would have a “Round Robin.”
From 12:30 until 2 p.m. luncheon was served, with the ladies in their third outfit of the day. The luncheon menu started with two types of soup, followed by your choice of broiled lake trout in lemon butter with Parisienne potatoes or Chicken Fricassee a la Reine with white turnips in cream. A third choice was sirloin of beef braise Napolitaine with stuffed green peppers. Those were only the appetizers. The main meal offered you a choice of a hot meal of ham with cabbage, mashed potatoes, string beans, and mashed carrots. If you chose to have something cold, the selections were roast beef, lamb, turkey, ham, chipped beef, or smoked tongue. Beet salad and sliced tomatoes rounded out the main menu selection. Of course there was dessert consisting of cottage pudding with claret sauce, peach pie, marmalade slices, and assorted cakes, as well as Philadelphia ice cream.
Watermelon and various cheeses were also available. The beverages served were buttermilk, tea, or coffee. Quite a menu for just lunch!
From 2 until 3 p.m. the guests were entertained with a medley of songs, relaxing until the 3:00 p.m. shuffleboard match, which was mixed doubles – winner to receive a bouquet of American Beauty Roses. During the next hour, there was a tea party for all who cared to attend. The guests were serenaded with some lively tunes as they enjoyed their afternoon tea.
Dinner was served from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. starting with several appetizers, including fried Sisco au beurre with pommes Saratoga; lamb chops sauté au demi-glace with June peas; Boston baked pork and beans with hot brown bread or French toast with sherry sauce. The main course consisted of roast beef tenderloin, larded with Yorkshire pudding, boiled or mashed potatoes, summer squash, and creamed turnips. Pickled lamb, boned turkey en aspic, and terrine de foie gras were also available. Several salads with chicken or lobster were also on the menu. Dessert was raspberry shortcake with whipped cream, huckleberry pie, spiced fingers, Turkish caramel slices, watermelon, figs, sliced pineapple, blueberry ice cream, and assorted cakes, with tea and coffee for beverages. You certainly would not leave the table hungry with the many selections available.
At 8:30 p.m. a fireworks display was put on to entertain the guests, followed at 9 by a Full Dress Hop. At 11:00 p.m. there was an intermission for refreshments, followed by dancing until “noon by the moon.”
Every day of the week scheduled something different, but they all included very elaborate lunches and dinners. Tuesday was Lawn Day, with most of the activities outside on the grounds of the hotel. The day started at 6 a.m. and ended with dancing from 10 until 11:30 p.m. to Sousa two steps and Strauss waltzes.
Wednesday was Marine and Golf Day, with skiff and boat races all day, as well as a golf tournament. There was a fancy swimming and diving demonstration by Mr. Percy Cavill of Australia, at 11 a.m. Many water and golf games were held, with the day ending with an old fashioned dance and tableaus under the direction of “Old Bill Jones.” Two step dances and waltzes continued until midnight, when all were wished “Sweet Dreams.”
Thursday was Military Day with Reveille at 6 a.m. followed by breakfast. After a morning of ping pong and golf, a concert was held at noon with National Airs. Luncheon was then served, followed by a Grand Policemen’s Parade. Archery and tennis matches filled out the afternoon, which concluded with a Military Band Concert at 6:00 p.m. After dinner, the grounds were specially illuminated for everyone’s enjoyment. At 9:00 p.m. there was a Full Dress Ball followed by fireworks and a Patriotic Supper at 11:00 and again, the day didn’t end until midnight with a “Tyrolese Love Song.”
Friday was Children’s Day, with the children’s dining room being decorated at 6 a.m., followed by breakfast at 7:00. During the morning, there was a May Pole dance, ping pong for the little folks, summersaults, wrestling, and sack races. At noon there was an hour of children’s songs before luncheon was served at 1:00. In the afternoon, there was a kite flying contest, a children’s cake walk, a rope jumping contest, with chocolate and cake served at 5:00. Dinner was at 7:00 p.m., followed by Fairy Illumination and a review of all the craft in the harbor, sailing through a sea of colored fire. At 9:00 p.m. there was a game of progressive old maid, followed by dancing until 11:00, when sandwiches and punch were served. Dancing continued until midnight “when sweet slumber we seek.”
Saturday ended the week with Ladies Day. At 6 a.m. there was a salute of twelve guns to wake everyone before breakfast at 7:00. Morning activities were handicapped golf tournaments, a chalk talk on the veranda, and aquatic entertainment with ladies’ swimming races. At noon there was a special concert for the ladies, followed by a luncheon from 12:30 until 1:30. The afternoon was filled with croquet, a golf lofting contest, and a girls’ ball game. At 5 p.m. there was a “Kaffee Klatch” with a ceremony at 6 p.m. to present all the prizes won during the week. After dinner there was a special fireworks show at 10:00, followed by refreshments at 11, and a lullaby sung by U.S. Kerr at midnight, to end the week’s activities.
Throughout the week under a special engagement, the Gananoque Military Band, consisting of 25 musicians, played for the enjoyment of the visitors to the hotel.
Hotel stays during the Gilded Age were certainly different from today’s stay at a hotel, when your room is mostly a stopping point at night, after you have been busy in the local area.
By Sharon Bourquin, Executive Director, Thousand Islands Museum, Clayton, NY
Sharon Bourquin was born and raised in Clayton, graduating from Clayton Central School in 1964. She started volunteering at the Thousand Islands Museum after she retired as Secretary/Treasurer of Wingerath Bros., Inc., a local contracting and building supply business. For several years now, you can find Sharon at the Museum, as Volunteer Executive Director. When not at the Museum, she says, “I can usually be found with a book in my hand, as I am an avid reader.”
Posted in: Volume 19, Issue 11, November 2024, History, Places, Current
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