Round Lake, NY

Round Lake is a Saratoga County village in the town of Malta, built around the circular lake that gave it its name. The 2020 census counted 828 residents. The place began as a Methodist camp-meeting ground in 1867, when visitors arrived by rail, stayed in tents, and gathered for summer meetings beside the water. Cottages, an auditorium, a bookstore, and a station followed, turning a seasonal gathering into a village.

Round Lake's cultural life kept growing after the camp began. Lectures modeled on the Chautauqua movement were underway by 1881, George West built a museum of art and archaeology in 1887, and an 1847 Ferris tracker organ arrived for the auditorium in 1888. The Round Lake Library, established in 1897, still occupies its Victorian building, even after a 1921 fire destroyed much of the old arcade. It still feels built for a season of gathering. The village incorporated in 1969, but the summer-camp skeleton is still visible in the streets, cottages, lake, and music.