Cure Once Given At Clinton Clinic

By Clara Shupp

At the Clinton Historical Society this month, speaker Mike Revenaugh gave a presentation titled “Drying out: The History of the Gold Cure for Alcoholism in Clinton”.

Revenaugh is the historian for the Town of Kirkland and Village of Clinton.

He works at Hamilton College as an instructional designer and is vice president of the Board at the Clinton Historical Society.

Despite Revenaugh’s lighthearted nature during the presentation, he was clear to acknowledge that addictions “are very real, very distressing problems” and provided every person in attendance, totaling around 40, with a pamphlet that included various resources in order to assist themselves or anyone they know who may be struggling with addictions.

In December 1892, a newspaper announcement from The Baker Rose Gold Cure Company offered a cure for the “disease” of alcoholism in Clinton.

The “cure” came in the form of a four-week treatment, a $100 fee, and a $10 per week mandatory room and board fee (unless the resident lived locally).

The price totalled $140- which equates to around $5,000 today. The inventor of this “Gold ...