Linda Lake will retire in June after 10 years as curator for Lake County Museums, based in the Lakeport Historic Courthouse. She started by helping out at the Schoolhouse Museum in Lower Lake in 1997 and spent four years as assistant curator before taking the helm. One of her first tasks as curator was to renovate the old courtroom itself — fitting, as she was a legal secretary for many years after moving to Lake County from Massachusetts.
1. You’re last name is Lake and you’re at the Lake County museum — how does that happen?
Oh, God — I don’t want to tell that story [laughs]. I chose that name and I’m glad I did.
2. What’s it like being surrounded by old things?
It’s always interesting, basically because to me they are not old things. They all tell a story.
3. So what one thing stands out?
I knew you were going to ask me that. There are so many. Probably the most famous thing is a copy of Lillie Langtry’s actual divorce. She was in this building. And we have a telegram from here with the famous quote ‘Meet me in Paradise.’ Those are the most popular items. But one of my favorites is the outlaw Buck English, and we have a deposition he signed. He signed it with an X. He couldn’t read or write, and we didn’t know that until we found the deposition.
4. Do you discover new items?
Oh, yes.
5. What’s that like?
It’s really exciting when you get new information about a person or an item. You get more of the story and that enhances the public’s experience. The story is everything. It’s wonderful to discover more.
6. Why look into the past?
I guess most people want to know where they came from and how they got here. For some it stops there. But some want to know more. There are all those cliches about knowing the past so you don’t repeat it, but I think it’s a basic instinct to want to know where you are from. The more you know, the more you want to know.
7. What surprises you about Lake County’s history?
What always surprises me is how the pioneers could look at the mountains and say ‘I want to go there’ — despite all the obstacles. That surprises me every day. The people had courage to push themselves to the limit, maybe because they heard of the beautiful lake or the beautiful land where they could farm.
8. So if you could go back in time …
For me, I would definitely be an ancient Egyptian princess. I was always fascinated by the Egyptian empire. I would not want to live in 1860. Life was too hard.
9. It’s the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake. Any remnants of damage here?
The Masonic Lodge was severely damaged on the top floor because it hadn’t been finished, but there weren’t many injuries. The bell tower at the Lower Lake schoolhouse was damaged. They took it down. Now the tower has been restored.
10. When someone is alone in one of these rooms, do you ever sneak in and go ‘wooo-oooo?’ Make ghost sounds?
Oh, yes. And we have a ghost at the schoolhouse in Lower Lake. I haven’t felt it, but some people have. But we don’t have one here.
