Colors of Fall - 1961

Looking toward the Rock from Milltown Road - '61

From the Rock looking toward Milltown Road - '61

These great shots courtesy of Janet Gill!

Janet & Company - 1961

Janet & Betsy

Janet Gill!

Pete Molloy, parents, and kids... at the Rock

Janet!!

Bobby Mitchell, Billy Cappelletti, Jimmy Kardias

Freddie Rhinehart, Jerry Ritcher, Herbie Rhinehart, "Ziggy"

Bobby Mitchell(!)

Peter Molloy

Bill "Duffer" Kelly, Bobby Mitchell, Tony Colella, "Dudley" (Wayne Davis), Dickie Sheldon

Thanks to Janet Gill for these terrific photos!

Message in a bottle...

"The cabin" - '61

"In 1960 when I was 15 years, my parents bought "the cabin" across the road from Lake Ballard. There were two cabins on the property. The first had living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The second was just a couple of rooms with no plumbing. Two months later the electric meter box was struck by lightening and the living-room and bedroom burned down. The Holmes volunteer fire dept saved the rest and some of the old furniture. Mom had insurance and they rebuilt. That summer was so much fun. We drove from Stamford, Conn. almost every weekend. My sister, Ginny, was 18. We would drive up on Friday nites, my parents not coming up until Saturday. My grandparents lived in Lake Carmel. I had spent many years swimming at the beach near the fire dept. on Rt 52 below Barrett Hill Rd. My cousin, Linda, also lived in Lake Carmel and her boyfriend, Billy, lived past White Pond . We met some of the local boys. I would go down the hill to the lake dive off the rock, swim to the stump, shampoo my hair, climb on the stump, jump in, swim across the lake. I met the kids in camp, Peter, Geraldine, Bobby, Joey, Larry, Mona Lou... Throughout the fall and into the winter, we'd make the drive to "the cabin". We had a fireplace and a kerosene heater. We had an outhouse, we called "Mary". The next summer the fun continued. There were lots of parties. We'd play records and dance. The boys would drink beer. There were parties in camp, too. I took many walks in the woods and to Flossie's. Watched the boys jump off that big rock hoping they'd be OK. My parents retired to "the cabin". They added a room. They lived there until around 1980. We had many family picnics with the grandkids. We still swam in the lake. I would walk thru the camp. For a few years the "hippies" lived there then everything was just gone but the lake." - Janet Gill

#2 Cabin

The approach

Entrance off Milltown Road, just east of "The Rock."

Thanks to Janet Gill for all these great memories!

Big Ballard Cook-In - 1940

Inside the mess-hall, and what later (1952) became our (the Molloy's) cabin. This interior shot looks just like it did when we first moved in, with its massive, commercial stove, and the large service table! Which kinda proves that although things may change, our memory never does. And on this particular day in 1940, the early Ballard Crew was cooking for a crowd! From the left: Dot Coutard, Martha Giriat, Isabelle Giriat, "Hug," and Alice Landi.

[Visable] from the left: Dot Coutard, Isabelle Giriat, Hug, unidentified.

The hungry mob outside the mess-hall: Most are unidentified, but from the left, Arthur Ballard Jr., Denny Giriat. Standing on the extreme right, Martha Giriat. Below; Marge Giriat(?), Charlie Giriat, and Van-Ness Ballard. (Bottle; can't make out the label)

Charlie Giriat, Van-Ness Ballard, and Martha Giriat - outside the messs-hall.

Many thanks to Dee "Dorothy" Giriat for these and all the great photos, a wonderful ride through Ballard Lake's early history! Be sure to visit our sister-site at Flickr and click on the slide-show, which also includes outtakes not displayed here.

Arthur Ballard & Friends

The above is a rare photo, indeed. Standing center is Arthur Ballard Sr., Van-Ness Ballard's father! To his right, Mickey, and below, toddler Glen Williams. Dated March 26, 1939

Here's Van-Ness Ballard's brother (cousin?), Arthur Ballard Jr., with toddler, Glen Williams. Look at Arthur's spiffy high-tops, possibly purchased from a Sears & Roebuck catalog. Photo dated March 26, 1939.

What a terrific photo! From the left; Isabelle Giriat; Arthur Ballard Jr.; Mickey; Martha Giriat; and toddler Glen Williams - March 26, 1939.

Mickey, Martha & Isabelle Giriat, and Glen Williams - March 26, 1939.

All the above were taken outside Denny Giriat's cabin. Many thanks to Dee (Dorothy) Giriat for providing them!

Tranquility

Martha Giriat, 1942

Martha Giriat & daughter Jeanne - July, 1947

1942, from Charlie Giriat's porch

Martha Giriat, August, 1939

Charlie Giriat, Dee and Jeanne's father - September, 1941

Looking up, Charlie Giriat. Taken on September 1, 1939 (the day war started in Europe).

Isabelle Giriat, with husband Denny's horse - 1942

These great photos courtesy of Dee (Dorothy) Giriat.

The Great "Pabst" Caper

1942 - Above we see Pabst's delivery boy (aka "Joe Braun") outside Denny's cabin, captured by one of Ballard's notorious gunmen, Bob Coutard.

In the above we clearly see why, too, as Bob guzzles the hops from his nefarious caper.

The above is just one of Bob's accomplices, Denny Giriat! Of all people! I think his brother Charlie Giriat was in on it, too - because Denny and Bob are sitting (smashed) on Charlie's dock!

The above may also help explain why the Baptists abandoned Ballard, and went to Lake Whaley. That is, assuming they weren't in on this business in the first place. After all, that moonshine still us kids found buried in the woods wasn't built by the Ballard Crew!

(Great photos, thanks to Dorothy-Dee!)

"Chateau Pres Du Lac"

Thanks to Dee (Dorothy Giriat), this wonderful series of images chronicles the construction of Charlie Giriat's (Dee's father) cabin, Chateau Pres Du Lac. The above photo was taken in May, 1941, and the photographer appears to be standing on or near the "Red Dock." On Mickey's map here from the 1950's, Pres Du Lac is designated as "Helen & Ed's" (who kept themselves locked in their cabin, with the shades down).


Above, Pres Du Lac from across the lake, 1942. Note there's no evidence of "The Chapel," which must have come later. Further to the left, can't see Denny's or Joe's (Giriats) either, although their cabins may be hiding behind the trees in this shot. To the right, a few cabins from the central camp may be seen. All in all, a wonderful photo! (And taken in the year I was learning to say "Mama"!)

Above, Pres Du Lac at completion, 1939. On the left, Dee's mom, Martha Giriat (others unidentified).

Above captured July 15, 1939 - apparently taken before the final paint; the dark color appears to be a base coat. That's my guess, anyway.

Above, Martha Giriat (Dee's mom), July 19, 1939.

Above, Pres Du Lac during construction, May 12, 1939. The photographer appears to be in a boat, just off where the chapel would have been.

Above, Martha Giriat (Dee's mom), April 23, 1939, taken during early construction of Pres Du Lac. Great shot, great *series, thanks to Dee!

*Stay tuned, more to come!

Salt of The Earth

Van-Ness Ballard, 1941 (courtesy of Dee (Dorothy) Giriat)

At the Kelly Place

From the shoebox of memories, these photos were taken in 1953 at the Kelly's farm on Holmes Road - where Denny Giriat kept his horses "Buddy" and "Pride."

Fran Molloy (Ma) on "Pride," and Jim Molloy (Dad) on "Buddy"...
...

Dennis Giriat on "Buddy," with Louie facing the camera...

From the left, Isabel, Denny, and Dennis Giriat; Dave, Peter, and Bill Molloy; Louie...

From the left: Peter (holding fence), Bill (watching the cows approach), Ma/Fran, Isabel & Dennis...

Dave and Peter, "Elsie wranglers"...

Surprise!

Ballard Crew! Mark the date; today we’re exactly one year from where we started. And because of you, all yesteryear’s joyful times seem like yesterday! Hear the bugs and bullfrogs, see the moon crossing the water! And the moms cooking dinner, the dads working in the city...

We all have our favorite Ballard memories, too many to count. Here’s one I remember, the night a State Trooper came tearing up our dusty road to warn us about a bloodthirsty maniac whom just hours before had escaped from Matawan Prison (“for the criminally insane”) – which was located about 20 miles west of Ballard.

It was a weekday, early evening, and all the dads were down in the city. The Trooper said they had reason to believe the maniac was headed our way, and he was desperate. To say the least, Mr. Trooper (first cousin to “Barney Fife”) put the Ballard moms into a full-blown panic; all retreated to their cabins, shut the windows and locked their doors. Yes, “death” stalked the night air, even under our beds.

But some of us slipped out like US Marines, our single-shot, 22-caliber rifles loaded for maniac! Even the dogs volunteered, as we crept through the dark toward Milltown Road. When we reached the entrance to the camp, we couldn’t see anything – except the lightening bugs. We couldn’t hear anything, either, the frogs and crickets were making such a racket. And the water crashing over the dam, it sounded like Niagara Falls. Still, we took up positions, boys being men, ready for the turkey shoot. All those westerns from RKO and Loew’s were finally going to pay off!

We waited and waited, at least ten minutes, but that desperate, homicidal maniac never showed up. Worse, when we got back to our cabins, we didn’t know the passwords. After all, what clever, desperate maniac wouldn’t just say, “Open the door, Ma, it’s ‘ME’!”

Happy Birthday, Ballard Crew!

"The Mess Hall" - Molloy's Cabin

Original artwork by Jim Molloy, oil on canvass, 1970

Giriat's At The Lake...

Many thanks to John Giriat for the following photos! The first shot was taken from Joe Giriat's dock, looking across the lake toward the "Spring House" (see Mickey's map below)...


"With my mom in 1949" - John...

John and Joe Giriat (running) at the Beach on Lake Ballard...

John and Joe Giriat, 1953...

"An early shot of my mom and dad on the lake, late 1940's" - John...

"Right to left: Dennis, my grandmother Margaret, my Aunt Betty, and my mom Marge at Denny's cabin late 1950's" - John...

"Taken on Denny's dock late 1950's. I remember Denny's dock would be submerged with all the people on it. This was one of many parties I remember at Denny's. In this photo my mother Marge Giriat is standing and her mother Margaret was sitting on the far right and Denny in the water." - John...

"Denny's dock late 1950's: My Grandmother Margaret at left, Dennis and Joe Giriat in backround" - John...

Joe Giriat (Jr.) on Denny's dock late 1950's...

(Click images to enlarge)