Seventy-five years later

By CHRIS CONROY

	TRR photo by Chris Conroy Smallwood Civic Association president Herman Wiener raises the American flag to kick off the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Smallwood. (Click for larger image)

SMALLWOOD, NY — “The story of Smallwood is the story of America, the story of the pioneer.”

Those words, written around 1954 by local historian Colonel Harry Conroy, only begin to touch on the hard work and adventure that helped build the hamlet of Smallwood.

Founded in 1928 by A. N. Smallwood, the community celebrated its 75th anniversary on August 23. Kicked off by a parade featuring classic cars, local fire companies and rescue squads, the celebration included a healthy helping of history and a showcase of some of the newer talent and hard work that make up the area. Residents and visitors browsed through books of old post cards while entertainers, organized by Clint Partridge, including a number of performers from Smallwood, sang, danced and juggled on the stage.

According to all accounts, in its heyday, Smallwood was a lively place. Originally conceived as a private community, it eventually opened its gates to all who were interested in a nice little cabin in the woods. Growing by the early 1940s, there was so much construction going on in the development that it had its own lumberyard set up. This growth continued into the next decade.

In 1951 the original homeowners association, the Smallwood Civic Association, got together with other residents and formed a holding corporation. The corporation purchased the remaining undeveloped land from A.N. Smallwood’s widow and took over operation of the numerous stores, community lodges and tasks of running the development.

While very few of the original Smallwood residents were in attendance at the anniversary celebration, a large number of the celebrants were from the generation that spent their summers growing up in the seasonal cabins that dominated the land in the 1950s and 1960s. Most of them were from Brooklyn or the Bronx or other urban areas within New York City. They all had fond memories of their time spent in the area.

Not much time could go by at the celebration without mention of hanging out at the Sweet Shop or swimming laps around the raft at Smallwood Lake. For most, the trip down memory lane led to reminiscences of first loves, and sometimes to stories of how they married that girl or guy they met at the beach, or used to hang out with by the wall.

Many of the city boys and girls who were brought to the country by their parents—in the days before most of the landmark buildings were torn down—eventually continued the tradition with their own families. Others moved into the cabins they used to only visit, renovating the buildings to serve as full time homes.

Residents of Smallwood celebrated a past of hard work, good times and dedication. Civic Association president Herman Wiener credited a lot of the day’s success to the hard work of the anniversary committee.

“We got a great day for it,” Wiener said, happy that the weather cooperated. “We’re talking about doing this every five years.”