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A ‘Melody’ in the mountains
As genuine a mountain man as Louis Seymour was, the townsfolk never mistook his loud piercing cries from atop Page Hill for those of a wild animal. Everyone, especially the children, knew it was Seymour, aka French Louie, the Adirondack guide and recluse who came out of the woods a couple of times each year to visit his friends at Lake Pleasant. “I grew up here, so I remember the stories,” said Julie Atty, owner and head chef at the Melody Lodge in Speculator, high above Lake Pleasant and at the top of Page Hill, just off Route 30 in Hamilton County. Posted on June 26, 2011.
Bill Buell/Gazette Reporter
Children still leave nickels and pennies on the gravesite marker of Louis Seymour, also known as “French Louie.” Seymour, a reclusive Adirondack guide, would often visit Speculator and hand out nickels and pennies to the children of the town. (photo: Bill Buell/Gazette Reporter)
The building that houses Melody Lodge in Speculator will be 100 years old in 2012. Now a restaurant and inn, it was originally a girls’ singing school during the summers of 1912-1915. (photo: Bill Buell/Gazette Reporter)
The lobby of the lodge, and the dining room in the rear, have been providing food and comfort to visitors since 1937. (photo: Bill Buell/Gazette Reporter)
Lunch-time visitors to Melody Lodge will find light fare and drinks available to them in the facility’s taproom.
Owner and head chef Julie Atty checks out the dining room of Melody Lodge, a restaurant/inn that has been in her family since 1976. (photo: Bill Buell/Gazette Reporter)
A lone skier comes down from the top of Page Hill sometime around 1920 in the town of Lake Pleasant. The building at the top of the hill is today’s Melody Lodge. (image courtesy of Melody Lodge)
Julie and Kyle Atty have been owners and operators of Melody Lodge in Speculator for five years, taking over the duties from Julie’s parents, George and Sue Swift. (photo: Bill Buell/Gazette Reporter)
