Martin Donnelly

Born: January 30, 1885

Died: January 30, 1963

Married: Nora VanCour from St. Anicet, Quebec

Children: Francis Donnelly, Rita Donnelly and Mary Donnelly

Martin Donnelly was the son of Henry Donnelly; he ran the Crystal Run Dairy. He came from Trout River, Quebec. He lost his right arm in a railroad accident in Quebec.

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Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 31,1963

Martin Donnelly

Martin Donnelly, of the Harrietstown Road, Saranac Lake, who died yesterday, was owner of Crystal Spring Dairy which he started in 1930. He had moved to this area 47 years ago from Trout River.

Mr. Donnelly, who died on his birthday, was born Jan. 30, 1885 at Trout River, a son of Henry J. and Ellen Dempsey Donnelly.

Survivors are his wife, the former Nora VanCour; a son, Francis; two daughters, Rita and Mary all of Saranac Lake, and seven grandchildren. He also leaves three sisters, Helen of Sananac Lake and Mrs. John Myre of Huntington, Que. and Mrs. John AImont of Fort Covington.

Friends may call at his home where there will be a Rosary Service at 8 p. m. Friday. A Solemn High Mass will be offered at St. Bernard's Church at 10 a. m. Saturday. Burial will be in St. Bernard's Cemetery in May.

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Adirondack Daily Enterprise, May 5, 2007

You Know What…?

By Howard Riley

The farm with the big white barn on the Harrietstown Road is an Adirondack landmark, owned by the Donnelly family since 1920.

But it has become more famous as the “Home of the Two-Tone Cone” ice cream stand than for the crystal-clear milk that Donnelly’s used to sell throughout the region.

A Quebec family

That intersection was known as Works Corners, named for Ira Works who owned the property in the 1800s and who was Harrietstown supervisor at the time. He sold the property to William LaBounty, and it was then sold to Martin Donnelly.

Martin Donnelly came from trout River, Quebec and was married to Nora VanCour from St. Anicet, Quebec. (He had lost his right arm in a railroad accident in Quebec before moving to this area. … Gee, it must have taken him twice as long to milk a cow.) His father was Henry Donnelly, married to Ellen Dempsey. Martin had three brothers, Henry, Jerome, and Ambrose, and three sisters, Mary, Helen and Loretta. Martin and Nora’s children were Martin, Rita, and Mary.

The farm

That big house that still stands today was built from timber lumbered on the property, which contained 500 acres. They milked 75 cows, had four employees and pasteurized and bottled their milk, which was home-delivered and sold to institutions.

This anecdote about Mr. Donnelly and Dr. Alton Bouton, the veterinarian, seems worth repeating here because there are still a few of us around who knew both of these fine gentlemen.

However, neither of these fellows was known for their warm and fuzzy personalities, and so the story goes that when Dr. Bouton came in the front door of the barn to treat Donnelly’s cows, Mr. Donnelly went out the back door.

The ice cream story

Mary and Rita Donnelly had taken a trip and saw an ice cream making machine that they thought would be a great fit for the dairy farm. That was in 1953, and the ice cream stand we all know and love is still in place, dispensing the best ice cream in the world. … Just ask some of the celebrities who have been there, from President Bill Clinton to actor Tom Cruise.

Oh, the building housing the ice cream machine used to be the warming hut for the ski hill located on that steep hill next to the house.

(The rest of the article discusses other dairy farms in the area.)