St Anthony of Padua High School - Siquaeris Yearbook (Watkins Glen, NY)

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had private baths and telephones. Talented musicians furnished daily concerts. A clinical laboratory, equipped with chemical, pathological and bacteriologi- cal facilities, together with a medical staff, were maintained at the Glen Springs. A pharmacy, X-ray department and an electrocardiograph were also available. After analyzing the medicinal properties of the waters of the Nauheim, Deer Lick, Kissingen and Salubria Springs, it was found that they were equal to the best known European springs. The brine of the Nauheim Spring was used for the treatment of rheumatism. The water of the Deer Lick Spring improved the digestive process and increased the red corpuscles. Those who suffered from chronic gouty disorders found relief in drinking the water of the Kissingen and Salubria Springs. Water for general domestic purposes was obtained from the Seneca Spring. In addition, Roman, Russian, Brine Vapor Baths, a swimming pool, supplied with Nauheim brine were available to the guests. Six hundred acres of farm, woodland and park, formed the Glen Springs estate. The guests had the opportunity to wander through the woods over shady, well-built paths for miles. From almost any point, one was able to obtain beautiful vistas of lawn, forest, glen, and lake. The paths were graded and at intervals had signs, showing the distance from the building. Benches and kiosks, placed in favorable places, enabled the visitors to relax and enjoy the beauties of nature. Wild life and almost every species of trees, wild flowers and shrubbery abounded. Golf and other outdoor recreation were available. The nine-hole golf course, three thousand yards in length, was a golfer’s

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1870 Watkins Glen. Its natural beauties, geological formation, arcades, galleries, pools, grottoes, rocky heights and waterfalls make this region a mecca for tourists. Winter with its frost, autumn with its colors, and spring with its fresh foliage transform the gorge into a wonderland. St. Anthony of Padua, who is the patron saint of the school, was a nenowned Franciscan preacher of the 13th century. His fame as a herald of Christ’s message and as a miracle worker, spread throughout the whole of Italy. After spending his life in furthering God’s glory, he died in the convent of Ara Coeli, near Padua. However, judging by the many blessings showered upon the school which bears his name, one is convinced that the Great Wonder-worker still lives on and is interceding for the brown Friars and the students here at Padua. Saint Anthony of Padua Minor Seminary and Preparatory School, formerly known as the Glen Springs Hotel, was once a place where many great people came to rest and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and surrounding beauty. Among the guests who visited this famous resort were John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Prince Otto, pretender to the Hapsburg throne, General John J. Pershing, Frances Perkins, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alfred E. Smith and James E. Farley. Today, one can almost visualize the fashionable carriages and luxurious automobiles that were driven up to the hotel’s impressive entrance. One can almost hear the spirited conversation and laughter of the guests who gathered within its spacious rooms and halls. The register which contains the names of the visitors who stayed here, is a silent witness to the days when the Glen Springs Hotel was in its glory. The first floor contained a spacious lounge with an open fireplace, music room, offices, lobby, card rooms, billiard and pool rooms. A broad veranda afforded a promenade for more than three hundred feet. Over a hundred rooms

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delight. A background of forests, Seneca Lake, and the village of Watkins Glen at the foot of the hill, made it one of the most attractive golf courses in the country. Those who preferred water sports, were able to go boating or fishing in Lake Seneca. Quail, partridge and pheasant hunting appealed to many. The hotel, which made Watkins Glen known all over the world, was erected by Judge George S. Freer, around the year 1870. In the year 1890, William E. Leffingwell purchased it and converted the famous resort into a sanatorium. The Glen Springs then attracted many tourists and health-seekers until the year 1924, when its popularity gradually began to decline. The changing times, together with the Second World War, brought about the closing of the once famous resort. In 1943, the furnishings of the building were sold. When the Second World War ended, the building was used to house many students and members of the faculty of Cornell University. Its primary purpose was to accommodate the married couples and families with children. It wasn’t until the year 1949 that the Glen Springs Hotel was finally sold to the Assumption Province of the Order of Friars Minor, which established the school which now exists. The Very Rev. Isidore Cwiklinski, O.F.M., Provincial, represented the Order and received the title deed. When the school opened its doors for the first time, thirty cautious and wary