Gary-Con-Voy, March 18th, 2010

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by the keeper, Feb 12, 2010.

  1. Rhuvein

    Rhuvein Troubadour

    Oh sorry. Not me. I grew up cruising to LG drinking and hanging out and know all the spots. Been going there for 37 years or so.

    But, it would be cool to hang out with y'all and drive around.

    Don't want to take up excess space, but you might see me at Bruno's - loading up on NG beer.

    :D
     
  2. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    Your more than welcomed, & if not, I'am sure we'll see each other at the Con. :)
     
  3. Rhuvein

    Rhuvein Troubadour

    OK.

    What's yer chariot? Limo, I expect! :lol:
     
  4. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    After numerous hours of research I have found out the actual name of one of Gary's old haunts. I read in one article that as a young lad, looking for an adventure, Gary would wander the halls & tunnels of an old abandoned sanitarium. The article named this building as Oak Hill Sanitarium, this is incorrect. In 1903 a sanitarium was founded by Dr. Mary Pogue, in Lake Geneva, & was actually called Oak Leigh Educational Sanitarium. The sanitarium dealt with many different medical & mental cases; from T.B., to blind & deaf, to physically handicapped, to the completely 'wack-o'. (Like me). ;)
    The exact location of where this facility was located still eludes me, but if I can find out where I will add it to the tour.
     
  5. Dale

    Dale Administrator

    Nice research. Sounds good so far-- but, if you find a map of Lake Geneva it might have a red X on it. ;)
     
  6. kveldulf

    kveldulf Chevalier

    Ask, and ye shall receive... Nothing triggers my hunting instincts like a challenge to my Google Fu. I read that article as well ("How it all happened" Oak Hill Sanatorium" in Troll Lord Games' "The Crusader" - September 2008, Volume 4 Number 12) but never tracked down the reference.

    Took me about two hours (yeah, slow night around here) but here you have it:

    The address is 403 South Lake Shore Drive (near the intersection with Baker Street, catty corner to Seminary Park), and the former sanitarium is now a bed & breakfast (!) called Lawrence House - how's that for the makings of a horror flick? The sanitarium was indeed founded as the Oak Leigh Educational Sanitarium in August 1903, but apparently went through several name changes including Oakwoods Sanitarium, Oak Retreat Association and Lake Geneva Sanitarium. It consisted of "three buildings in close proximity to each other, and surrounded by 14 acres of wooded land" (which judging by the satellite imagery have since been developed). Education was "carried on in the lower rooms of one of the buildings", with music and sewing taught in another one of the homes. There were "35 patients varying in age from 2 to 30 years" although there was no age limit. Interestingly, at the time of the writing of the book (see link below), its value ("buildings, property, equipment, etc.) was set at $60,000 in 1917.

    Description of the sanitarium from "The Institutional Care of the insane in the United States and Canada, Vol. 3" (pulished 1917, pages 862-863):
    http://books.google.com/books?id=aPssAA ... um&f=false

    Two old postcards of the sanitarium from the University of Wisconsin archives:
    http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/F ... currecno=3
    & http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/F ... currecno=1

    Property survey of the site from 1996 which describes the history of the property (floorplan also useful when you make the horror movie <g>):
    http://gisapps.co.walworth.wi.us/ImgBas ... RV&first=Y

    Map of the site from Mapquest:
    http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Lake+ ... de=ADDRESS

    Amusingly (more fodder for the horror movie) it is on the Shadowlands register of haunted places:
    http://theshadowlands.net/places/wisconsin.htm
    "Lake Geneva - Lawrence House Bed & Breakfast - It is said that this house use to be a home for retarded children. The wealthy from the lakes area & Chicago would send their retarded children there to be raised. It is said that you can hear screams of children and children crying in the various rooms of the house. "

    The Lawrence House Bed & Breakfast may not be haunted, but its not exactly winning hearts and minds judging by the reviews:
    \http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60022-d83488-r20857667-Lawrence_House_Bed_and_Breakfast_Inn-Lake_Geneva_Wisconsin.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT
    "Aweful [sic], Disgusting, Filthy and Scary"..

    And that, as they say, is that : )

    Andy
     
  7. kveldulf

    kveldulf Chevalier

    Hmm.. after basking in the glow of my Google Fu, I pulled out the original article in "The Crusader". After reading it and looking at the satellite imagery (yes, if there was any doubt I am the King of Nerds, that should settle it) I don't think Oak Leigh Sanitarium and Gary's "Oak Hill Sanitarium" were the same facility.

    He describes Oak Hill Sanitarium as being built along the White River, adjacent to Hillmoor Country Club (built over a drained mill pond) and near Dunn Field. Dunn Field lies north of the White River next to a school (now adjacent to Eastview School, per http://www.lakegeneva-powwow.org). E-SE of Dunn field in the satellite imagery is a golf course, which must in that case be the old Hillmoor Country Club at 333 East Main Street (http://www.wisconsingolfonline.com/dire ... ecordid=87).

    Gary mentions when he left the asylum to go home he'd walk down Catholic Hill along Main Street to Broad, which would indicate it was indeed in the vicinity of Hillmoor Country Club.

    The site of Oak Leigh Sanitarium lies about 1800 feet south of Dunn field.. Gary mentions "When I was around 11 years old, two of the guys I was with at a high school football game being played at Dunn Field pointed to the moon rising behind the ruined building". If there was / is a sight line from the ballfield to the Oak Leigh site, then it has a good chance of being the right asylum (stop chuckling at the notion of "the right asylum"! <g>). The only other significant identifier as far as the site goes is a tree laned avenue which led to the place and a circular drive in front of it (the drive probably being long gone now). If the site is Oak Leigh, then the long tree lined avenue might be South Lake Shore Drive.

    Interestingly, Google Street View has imagery of S. Lake Shore Drive. The Lawrence House B&B is a large-ish house; defnitely not the asylum itself - may have been one of the three buildings / houses mentioned in the 1917 registry. However, moving up the street to 430 South Lake Shore Drive, there is a hulking old looking building back behind some trees. That one might be the main asylum building itself - unfortunately the Street View image gets pixelated when you zoom to it, so it's hard to tekll how closely it matches the old postcard photos of the asylum.

    Any Lake Geneva locals care to do a site recon?

    Andy
     
  8. kveldulf

    kveldulf Chevalier

    One more tidbit.. per the Lake Geneva town website, Seminary Park was once called "Oak Park": "Seminary Park, formerly called Oak Park, is a three acre special use site located proximate to downtown. This site provides picnicking, grilling, restrooms, playground and parking for vehicle with boat trailers." (from http://www.lakegenevawi.com/Activities/ ... spx?sc1=21).

    Moving south along South Lake Shore Drive from Cass Street, to Baker Street, to Campbell Street the topo map shows rising / high ground as you go. (see USGS topo map available for viewing here - click the "Topo" button to get the topogrpahical view: http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usgs/map ... 8&uiarea=2)/.do)

    Given that Seminary Park was formerly Oak Park and Oak Leigh Sanitarium was just south of there on rising ground, I think its reasonably certain that it is the "Oak Hill Sanatorium" of Gary's reminiscences.

    And on that note, I'm closing the case <g>

    Andy
     
  9. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    Way to go, Kveldulf!!
    Your second post helped my aging memory, because I attended Eastview school in my youth. DAM!!! I knew the sites name sounded familiar.
    Thanx so much!!
    :D :D :D
    (I bow to The King of Nerds.)
    The Keeper
     
  10. ernie da barbarian

    ernie da barbarian Level 0 Character

    The Sanitarium was located just above the Colonial View Apartments/Condos on Hwy 50 just a few blocks downhill from where I currently reside. As a child Dad showed me a few bricks which was all that remained of the facility. Tom Wham and Brian Blume have bothed lived in the Colonial View at sometime. That apartment for those who remember it's placement, would have been the SE corner of the lot with the rest extending away from the current highway.
     
  11. geekpreacher

    geekpreacher Spellbinder

    Okay, looking forward to the ConVoy! I just found out that check-in time at the hotel is 4 PM (wow, that's a late check-in time!) and I made sure they had me logged for the 18th so I think this should give me enough time to get my stuff stowed before we go on the tour.

    My friend and I will be arriving in Waukegan on Wednesday and then we'll head over to Lake Geneva on Thursday. Does anyone know how long a drive it is? I think it took us about an hour last year but I'm not sure.

    Thanks in advance for the help.

    GP
    Derek
     
  12. FelixZ

    FelixZ Level 0 Character

    This is slightly on topic- where's the Lodge in Lake Geneva (if you can explain relative to the wal-mart, that helps) :)
     
  13. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    Your memory serves you well. Yep! It's 'bout an hour.
     
  14. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    You have to stay on highway 50 west, all the way thru town, for about 4.5 miles. Just near Interlaken Resort, if that helps. :)
     
  15. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    Yep! Once Kveldulf 'jogged' my memory I recalled you telling me about it when we attended Eastview, & I also lived at Colonial View some years ago. Ah my younger, wilder days........ ;) Probably won't add it to the tour as I just found out that check-in at the hotel isn't until 4:00pm. So, I won't start the convoy until everyone's settled! (5:-ish)
     
  16. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member


    My Dad told me a few stories about that place. As I recall it was torn down decades ago. So there is no chance to view the ruins of the old sanitarium.
     
  17. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    No, we won't see the sanitarium, but it drove me nuts trying to find out where it was located. Now that I know I sleep better at nite.
    While I've been digging up tidbits for the Garycon-voy tour I've also dug up a lot of great old memories from my aging 'noodle'. Glad to know those old memories of mine haven't been deleted from loss of brain cells, just temporarily misplaced. :lol:
     
  18. Totan

    Totan Spellbinder

    Not sure if we'll make it in time, but looks like good weather so far, per Weather.com...

    3 pm 6 pm
    ----- -----
    Partly Cloudy
    61°F 58°F
    Feels Like
    61°F 55°F
     
  19. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    Okay, last chance folks. I'm making my list & checking it twice.
    I've got;

    DnD Geek
    Mark (Mark)
    Geek Preacher (Derek)
    Kveldulf (Andy)
    Tavis (Thanks for your cell number)
    Greywolf (I'll call you)
    How & Why 99
    Mordrin (in spirit only)
    Druvas (Charley)

    I will be arriving at the hotel around 4:eek:opm & start to do a head count. We can meet in the lounge & go from there.
    Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow. Your always a day away.
    See everybody then! :)

    The Keeper (Deekin)
     
  20. mordrin

    mordrin Spellbinder Staff Member

    That's nice of you to be so welcoming, but I won't be there until after the hike, remember?


     

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