The following is the slightly edited text of a talk given by Cliff Haven resident and former Town of Plattsburgh Historian, John Scully.

The first half of this talk focuses on the Catholic Summer School.

Cliff Haven Estates started on March 23, 1956 with an ad in the Press Republican for an Open House. The builders originally planned to build just one model, a split level and had already built a model home on Route 9 just south of the fire station. That model is still there but has been incorporated into South Cliff Manor, an apartment house. You can still see the split level. It is part of the building on the right facing the road. Apparently the builders had a change of mind because on July 28, 1956 they ran another ad for 10 different models. Actually it was three basic models, a ranch, a split level and a Cape Cod. The others were just variations on the three basic models.

The first home to be built was on the corner of Valcour Blvd. and Lakeshore Drive. It is now occupied by George and Joan Kurz. Construction then went north on Lakeshore, then down Valcour, around Lakeside Court, down Washington Place and Champlain Drive. If you walk along these streets you will see the basic construction is one of the three models I mentioned before.

There were delays from the start. Howard Westcott signed his contract on August 31, 1956 but never moved in until July 1957. Howard was the third to sign. Mary Long was either first or second. Then the company went bankrupt. Another company came in and continued but soon they too went bankrupt. John McGaulley moved here in 1962 and he remembers unfinished houses that the bank had to reclaim.

After 1962 things settled down. Lots were available for people to buy and house design was left to the buyer.

When we moved here in 1965, there were only three homes south of Plattsburgh Avenue. They were homes now occupied by Al Walker, the Feldmans and Dot Scott. The rest was open fields except for the streets left from the summer school.

When I was Town Historian, one of my goals was to start a mini­museum at the Town Hall. Many times the Town Highway or Water and Sewer would dig up an interesting artifact and these could be displayed. One time the Water Department was replacing water lines and dug up an old tree. It had been cut down, hollowed out and used as a water line. I also wanted to make a video of the history of the Town so we could show it to school kids in the 4th grade local history classes. Every time I'd find a room, someone else would want it. Gerry Garrand had this picture and donated to my museum, It is a picture of Clinton Park and isn't dated but my guess is 1910 or so. Clinton Park was located just north of Cliff Haven and was not part of the summer school. We think it was on Gerry's property. All of the championship games of the Northern New York baseball league were played there.

I am hoping to have more on this. George Brewer had many boxes of information. When he left, he gave them to the Clinton County Historical Society. I tried to get to look at them but they are inaccessible right now. I was assured that they have them but it would take three weeks to get them.