Lake Placid Olympic Museum

Announcement! The Lake Placid Olympic Museum will be temporarily unavailable as of Monday, March 22. We are excited to begin the first phase of revitalization for the museum and are planning for a temporary exhibit space. Stay tuned for photos and stories of the moving process.

Happy International Women’s Day! In 1960, women officially competed in speed skating for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley, CA. Jeanne Ashworth captured the first official medal for U.S. women when she won the bronze medal in the 500 meter event. Jeanne trained in Lake Placid and competed on the 1960, 1964, and 1968 U.S. Olympic teams. #internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #olympichistory #speedskating

Mark Pavelich - #16. Forever a part of hockey history.

The Museum will not be open today. We apologize for any inconvenience. Contact the Box Office for refunds at 518-523-3330.

In the Olympic semi-final game on February 22, 1980 against the heavily favored Soviet Union, Jim Craig stopped 36 of 39 shots on goal. The U.S. beat the Soviets, 4-3, in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Two days later, Craig only let in two goals and the U.S. defeated Finland, 4-2, in the Olympic final and the team captured the Olympic gold medal. Photo: J. Kelly, c.1980... #miracleonice #icehockey #onthisdayinhistory #lakeplacid

The logo for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games was put on all kinds of souvenirs: from vacuums to toy trains, and of course apparel. Belt buckles and leather work were very popular, and this one is our Collection Manager's favorite. Would you wear one? #fromthecollection #vintagebeltbuckle #olympichistory #lakeplacid #leatherwork

Happy Opening Ceremony! On this day in 1980, many white pigeons were released after the Olympic Hymn and as the Olympic flag was raised. Some highlights of the celebration included fireworks, a sky diving team, Crane School of Music's orchestra and choir, and hot air balloons. #onthisday #fromthearchives #olympichistory #openingceremony #lakeplacid

On this day in history, spectators could watch the 4-man bobsled races at Mt Van Hoevenberg, the combined event at the Ski Jump hill, and Pairs Figure Skating at the Olympic Arena during the 1932 Olympic Winter Games. Pictured here: a promotional image used on posters and programs for the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. #onthisday #bobsled #olympichistory #bobsledding #vintageposters #lakeplacid #fromthearchives

Wishing you a joyous holiday season from everyone at the Lake Placid Olympic Museum! We hope your holidays are filled with magic through the New Year. Image: Mr. Taylor from England skating on stilt skates in Lake Placid, c.1932

Oh what fun it is to ride! Bobsled banner designed by local school children to welcome visitors to the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid. #lakeplacid #bobsled #childrensart #childart #tapestry #olympichistory

Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day! To all the women that came before us and fell down and got up again to have a positive influence on the generations of girls that have followed - we thank you! #nationalgirlsandwomeninsportsday

41 years ago today, the sacred Olympic flame was lit using the rays of the sun in Olympia, Greece, ensuring its purity and symbolizing the Olympic spirit. This lantern carried the flame on Air Force One to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, where the Torch Relay began the next day. The relay route passed through major cities of the Eastern United States on its way up to the Opening Ceremony in Lake Placid. This lantern was manufactured by Koehler MFG Co of Marlboro, MA, circa 1980. #onthisday #fromthecollection #lpom #olympichistory #olympicflame #lantern

May this solstice and returning of the sun bring you longer days to enjoy the magic and fun of winter sports. Barrel jumping was never an official Olympic sport but was always a popular form of entertainment. c. 1932. #solstice #lakeplacid #vintagephotography #barreljump #skating

Look closely at the man standing on the far right. His name was Tadeusz Sachs and he perished in Auschwitz. He played one game as goalie in the 1932 Olympic Winter Games and was leader of the Polish Ice Hockey Union. Recently, a researcher reached out to us to find this image for his research on Jewish hockey players. We share this with you on this day in 1945, that 7000 remaining prisoners were liberated from the Auschwitz concentration camp. #onthisdayinhistory #auschwitzliberation #jewishhistory #olympichistory #foundinthearchives #museumcollection #icehockey

We are coming up on two full holiday weeks in Lake Placid. Our museum will be open on Christmas Eve, closing at 1pm, and then open every day from the 26th through the New Year, 10am-5pm, closed 12-1. Come and stop by! Archive: Holiday Happenings brochure from 1974-1975 at the Lake Placid Club. #fromthearchives #holidayhappenings #lakeplacidclub #supportlocal #brochuredesign

Mittens are back in fashion! These handmade mittens with the embroidered rings kept spectators warm at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games.

On this day in history, the 1932 arena was dedicated, "in the name of the world brotherhood of sportsmen and especially of the athletes of America, I dedicate to the uses and purposes of this countryside and to the profit and enjoyment of the people now and hereafter to be gathered together for friendly sports competition... this splendid arena." Our ice rink assured perfect ice regardless of the weather since 1932! #olympichistory #lakeplacid #onthisday #fromthearchives #icerink #lpom

It's Friday! Skier Cie Holmquist captures our sentiment exactly. Have a lovely and safe weekend everyone! #fromthearchives #skiing #skiingislife #vintagephotography

Smile! We’re half way through the week. Here’s a staff favorite photo of a group of women skating in Lake Placid enjoying the simple pleasures of skating and one another’s company.

Taking a peek at the long weekend. Stop into the museum if you’re in Lake Placid to say hi to Roni Raccoon, 1980 Olympic Winter Games mascot and try out our scavenger hunt featuring this lovable guy on the clues.

We have been working diligently to make our collections more accessible. You can now search thousands of archival materials and photographs from our collection. For National Radio Day, check out this sample of image results by searching for radio. Check it out by going to www.LPOM.pastperfectonline.com.

New donation! We are amazed how well these olive branches from Greece and the carnations from medalists bouquets from 1980 have been preserved. From the collection of C. Stahler, she worked with FTD florists during the Olympics and helped arrange the flowers for Opening Ceremonies. @ftdflowers #olympichistory #lakeplacid #flowerpreservation #museumcollection #pressedflowers #olivebranch #carnation #floralarrangement #flowerfriday

TGIF! It’s #InternationalBeerDay so what better day is there to show off these vintage beers in our collection from the Lake Placid and Sarajevo Winter Games. #kirin #lakeplacid #sarajevo #vintagebeer #internationalbeer #beerlabels #museumcollection #tgif

Outside the Olympic Center this granite and metal public sculpture stands. Titled, Vans for Ruth it was created in 1979 by artist James Buchman for the 1980 Olympic Winter Games Fine Arts Program. #finearts #outdoorsculpture #olympichistory #lakeplacid #funfact #olympictrivia #trivia #lakeplacid @lakeplacidolympicsites

We are pleased to announce the museum has officially opened. The museum will be open from 10 am - 5 pm Thursday - Monday and closed from 12 -1 pm. Face coverings and social distancing is required. We recommend pre-purchasing tickets through the Online Store at lakeplacidolympicsites.com - see you soon!

Jeff Gadley and Willie Davenport became the first Black men to compete on a U.S. Winter Olympic team in 1980. Take time to read this: https://olympics.nbcsports.com//jeff-gadley-willie-davenp/

Say cheese! Canon F-1 - The official 35mm camera of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. #nationalcameraday

Happy Olympic Day! On this day we celebrate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894. As the founder of the IOC, Pierre DeCoubertin said, The Olympic spirit is neither the property of one race nor of one age. This is a great reminder for everyone and the goal of Olympic Day is to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of race, age, creed, gender or athletic ability. Stay healthy, stay strong, and stay active.

Happy Summer from Roni Raccoon!

It's Totally 80 for Throwback Thursday! The museum has been working diligently to provide guests with a virtual museum experience. Visit our Totally 80 exhibit from home and explore how the logo and its graphics of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games created an overall feel and identity for Lake Placid. It's sure to spark memories! https://lakeplacidolympicsites.com/todo/totally-80/