Couple shares love of a lake in small town
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Frederick and Cynthia Adcock of Getzville recently finished their book, "Piseco Lake and Arietta." Released by Arcadia Publishing, the book is part of the "Images of America" series. The cover, shows the Anibal House in 1919 where a tamed black cub performs for guests at the hotel.

It's 243 miles from Getzville to Piseco Lake, a route the Adcocks travel often.

Frequent enough that it has become an annual vacation spot and the topic of their 127-page book, "Piseco Lake and Arietta."

Recently released by Arcadia Publishing, the book is part of the "Images of America" series.

Getzville resident Frederick T. Adcock has been visiting the Adirondack lake with his family since he was 4 months old.

"My parents started going in 1958. The place gets in your blood," he said.

So it was only destiny that his wife, Cynthia, would learn to love it as well.

The newlyweds first went to the lake after their honeymoon in 1991. They had vacationed in the New England area, and Frederick suggested they drive back that route.

"We stopped to see Piseco Lake, and I fell in love with it on our honeymoon," she said.

Visiting the lake became part of their summers, and they learned about the history of the town during each visit. Cynthia collected postcards of old photos, and now has more than 400 in her collection.

"We saw a need to preserve the history of the area," Frederick said. "We wrote a proposal, and (Arcadia) was really enthusiastic."

And that began their research of the 7-mile-long, 2-mile-wide lake that "boasts" an off-season population of just 300. That number grows into 5,000 to 10,000 with summer visitors.

They borrowed photos from the local historical society and residents, also interviewing them about their families' history in the Piseco Lake area.

"We were surprised how it was in the old days," Cynthia said about the hotels and development. "There were some interesting characters in the past."

Today it is still very isolated, a quiet vacation area, they said.

From idea to completion, the book took about two years. The couple had previously written pamphlets for the Piseco Lake museum.

They are both members of the Piseco Lake Historical Society.

This summer, the couple is scheduled for book signings in the town and look forward to promoting it.

Arcadia Publishing, a leader in history books, has more than 3,500 publications in its "Images of America" series, including Amherst.

The Adcocks are both teachers in the North Tonawanda City School District.

To contact the Adcocks about their book, e-mail cinfred22@ roadrunner. com.