When they (The Army Corps of Engineers) created Sacandaga Reservoir in about 1937, the water covered many small towns in the lower Adirondack area. Some of those towns were the Town of Day, West Day and Rice. I first went to the Reservoir in about 1957 when my family rented a “camp” from Dr. Kathan. Dr. Kathan was a member of our church, The Union Presbyterian Church in Schenectady, New York. Some referred to the church as the Union Church. The church was a big part of my young life. I never really felt like I bought into the actual beliefs of the church, confusing as they were. I once asked my parents why they chose this church as opposed to the Lutheran Church or the Methodist Church , wanting to understand the philosophical differences. They said they joined the church because their friends belonged to the church.
They didn’t really understand the philosophies, nor did they care.
Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I returned to Schenectady with my wife fifty years later and drove down the street near Union College only to discover that bedrock of my youth, a significant edifice, was now a Muslim Temple, a Mosque.