Archive: Around Town

Most people agree that Myers Park is the crown jewel of Lansing.  The 24 acre park on the shore of Lake Cayuga is used year 'round, but especially bustles with activity in the summer with campers, boaters, swimmers, picnics and barbecues, a very successful day camp, sports, playing children, concerts, and, of course, the Lansing Harbor Festival.  This month marks Myers Park's  50th birthday, and, fittingly, it will be celebrated at Harbor Festival.

Today the park is beautifully manicured, but when the land was first given to the Town of Lansing it was more like a swamp.  "It was  a big weed patch," recalls Harris B. Dates, then Town Supervisor. "Our first trip through it, we used saws and knives to hack our way from the tracks to the lake."

Fun Fact:  Myers Point was named for Andrew Myers, who settled on the point in 1792.  The point boasted a busy harbor as well as a shipyard, but by 1913 commercial traffic on Cayuga Lake had died down. The International Salt Company was a major industry in Lansing over the course of 70 years.  Unlike Cargill, which mines salt for road deicing, the company created table salt using two deep wells.  When the company opened in Lansing in 1893 it had 100 employees and a production capacity of 140 tons per day.

When it was announced that the plant on Myers Point was being closed to be merged with a similar plant at Watkins Glen, Town Board member Charlie Howell got the idea to ask Plant Superintendent J. Frederick Luhr to give the land to the Town.  He had worked for Luhr at the plant and had a longstanding relationship with him.  He and Dates approached Luhr, who was receptive to the idea.

"It was a shock to the town of Lansing when the  International Salt Company announced that it was closing and moving to Watkins Glen," Dates says.  "The loss of many jobs was the largest jolt. Gloom and more gloom set in.  I went to the superintendent of the plant to express our keen disappointment with their decision to leave our town.  He was very sympathetic."


In addition to the 24 acres on Myers Point that Luhr got his company to dedicate to the Town, the company also gave the Lansing Rod and Gun Club 25 acres along Salmon Creek.  The Town bought the right of way to create an entrance to the park and another small piece of land.  Salmon Creek was dredged between Myers and Salt Points, and stones from the creek were used for road fill for the park's perimeter road.  A number of concrete buildings had to be demolished, the road constructed, and an enormous amount of clearing.


"At once every one became enthused about  the park," Dates recalls.  "Donald Sharpsteen, then the Lansing Highway Superintendent, took it on as a personal project.   We had 100 percent cooperation from the town board and every succeeding board. It seemed to bring the town together more.  It seemed as if every one wanted to make it succeed. The late Ed Lovigne designed the building that is where the restaurant is, and volunteers built it. James Howell, then president of the new Lions Club, went to work building the many shelters."


Park Superintendent Steve Colt says that the park's birthday will be celebrated on August 15th during the Lansing Harbor Festival.  He communicated with Dates and encouraged him to come to be a part of the celebration.  Dates says he will be there.


When the park was first conceived no one could predict the scope of activities or the beauty and utility it would achieve.  "The park has developed far beyond our dreams, though we knew at the time it was to be  a charming place," Dates says.  "I guess that it took about 4 or 5 years before it began to take on a personality of its own.  We had a small celebration when we dedicated the Galaghers Pond Marina.  There were so many that dedicated time to make it a success.  I did not foresee the many trailers that are there all summer long.  It started out as a place for the local town people to have a camping area. That part grew fast."


Today the park boasts a beachfront, a marina and dry dock, a canoe and kayak launching area, a camping area, more than a half dozen pavilions, a band stand, playground, and the signature lighthouse that has become a symbol of the Town.  Most of the buildings were built by volunteers, then dedicated to the Town.  The most recent is the gazebo-style band stand, which was donated by the Lansing Lions Club in June of 2008.

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