Finger Lakes history · regional story
The Glen Haven invitation that drew more than praise
Replies printed in the Water-Cure Journal show Glen Haven inviting guests to a June 1852 festival. One correspondent declined while questioning the certainty of medical theories.
Glen Haven sent invitations. Not everyone who replied could come, and not every reply was an uncomplicated endorsement. On a page of the Water-Cure Journal, E. Buckingham’s May 14, 1852 letter describes a festival planned for June 23. He expected to be out of state. The Water-Cure Journal: Glen Haven correspondence.
Buckingham also hesitated over the medicine. He distinguished withholding belief from rejecting hydropathy outright, and urged continued inquiry rather than loyalty to a theory. Nearby, G. W. Perkins recalled enjoying an earlier stay but declined because of other commitments. A. J. Colvin declined the June 23 dinner too, while strongly endorsing the water-cure approach. The Water-Cure Journal: Glen Haven correspondence.
Sources & research notes
Review status: Developing history. Human editorial review is pending.
Written and source-checked with AI assistance under an owner-authorized editorial process. This is not a personal review by Riley or an independent historian. Sources and unresolved questions are listed below; corrections are welcome.
- What the records establish
- The page records invitations and responses. It does not establish that the festival happened or that the treatments worked.
- What remains uncertain
- We have the single page, not securely identified full-issue context or a record of who actually attended. These published opinions are not medical advice.
- What we are researching next
- Locate the complete issue, the original invitation and contemporary reports after June 23. Keep promised benefits separate from documented outcomes.
Sources
- The Water-Cure Journal: Glen Haven correspondence — E. Buckingham, G. W. Perkins and A. J. Colvin; periodical editors; letters dated May 14, June 1 and June 4, 1852; issue metadata unresolved. Locator: Printed page 41 / single-page PDF: middle-column Letter from E. Buckingham; right-column Letter from G. W. Perkins and Letter from A. J. Colvin.. Accessed October 22, 2026.