Lore of an Adirondack County

Book excerpt: "My family lives in the Adirondacks, a section of New York State that has been favorable to the preservation of folklore. With a common background in England and America for life in a small community, we have kept alive many old tales, songs, sayings, and superstitions, which have always had a sort of fascination for us even though, when quoting some belief, we often qualified it with the remark, 'Of course, I don't believe that sort of thing.'"—from Lore of an Adirondack County Collecting songs, stories, and sayings passed down in her family—and in those of their friends and neighbors in Essex County, New York—Edith E. Cutting provides an invaluable compilation of Adirondack folklore, from lumberjack songs to tall tales about drinking, hunting, and French Canadians. Also included are legends about hidden treasure, weather lore, stories about ghosts and witches, recollections of folk medicines and children's games, and popular songs and ballads. Originally published by Cornell University Press in 1944, Lore of an Adirondack County remains a fresh and charming account of the folkways of New York State, showing how a single Adirondack family, aided by willing neighbors, 'yarned' and sang in the hills above Lake Champlain.