Old Man Winter is on the run. Spring has sprung and Summer is just around the corner. The Skaneateles Historical Society is busy planning the next Boating Hall of  Fame to be held June 10th at the Country Club. The committee has selected five inductees to receive this award.

The Bowdish Company (1880’s) was the first large-scale manufacturer of boats established in the 1880 ‘s by Nelson Samuel Bowdish(1831-1916)and his son Edward(1856-1938) from Cooperstown,New York. Both men were well known for their artistic ability, detailed craftsmanship, invention and quality manufacture of rowboats, sailing craft, and custom-made wooden boats. The Bowdish legacy helped shape the early identity of Skaneateles as a center for wooden boat craftsmanship and regional art. 

Wells A. Harwich(1878-1934) was a retail and wholesale grocer in Skaneateles and Auburn. Mail was delivered to residents on the lake by steamboat beginning in the 1800’s.Following the demise of the steamboats, mail delivery was privatized. In 1922, a contract was issued to a group of cottage residents who formed the Skaneateles Navigation Co. Wells was employed from 1918 to 1934, managing coordination and operation of the supply and delivery of mail, passengers, ice and groceries until 1934.

The Eberhardt name is synonymous with Skaneateles Lake hospitality.The Sherwood Inn is owned by the Eberhardts offering rooms with beautiful lake views. They were key supporters of early efforts to get the annual boat show of the Fingerlakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society a permanent home in Skaneateles. Their latest acquisition is Mid-Lakes Navigation in 2020, providing mail delivery and boat tours for all.

Bent Thomsen(1933-2024) immigrated to the United States from Denmark in1959. He and his family settled in Homer, spending summers on the south end of Skaneateles Lake.There the family discovered a love for sailing. After retirement, Bent lived full-time on the north end of Skaneateles Lake. He belonged to the Skaneateles Country Club where many of the Lightning anniversary regattas were hosted. Bent became involved with the expansion of the Skaneateles Historical Society Museum’s boat wing in 1990.He introduced the Danish custom of hanging a boat from a ceiling symbolizing gratitude for safe voyage and honoring seafarers.

Paul Torrisi Sr. has been selected as an inductee into the Boating Hall of Fame based on his decades long leadership protecting the quality of Skaneateles Lake, beginning in the 1980’s with the Tri County Skaneateles Lake Pure Water Association and its successor organization, the Skaneateles Lake Association. Paul was President of the SLA from 2011-2024. He and his team witnessed the rapid increase in challenges to the lake water quality and developed responsive strategies to address those challenges: Millfoil control, boat launch stewardship, hazardous Algae Bloom, established the SLA Legacy Fund, appointment of a full time director. Paul continues on the SLA board, providing leadership and looking forward to the future.

Date: June 10: @Skaneateles Country Club;  

Cocktails and silent auction at 5 pm; Dinner at 6pm

Tickets $150.00. Call the museum for purchase information 315 685 1360