The Shoulder Rider, Beatriz Roman’s tale of the life and times of Shirley McFerson , aka “Sweet Mama Stringbean,” for young people is now available through the Warren County Historical Society.
Shirley McFerson, the Lake George librarian, storyteller and trustee of the Lake George Historical Museum, died at the age of 71 in 2005. She was the daughter of Samuel and Dorothy McFerson, the owners of the Woodbine Hotel in Lake George Village.
For many years, the Woodbine was the only lodging accessible in Lake George to Black Americans. Performers like Sammy Davis Jr, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, among many others, were guests of the Woodbine.
The Jive Bombers, a doo wop group whose song “Bad Boy” reached the top of the pop charts in 1957, also stayed there.
The McFersons’ Glens Falls home on Sanford Street was listed in The Green Book, which, prior to the passage of legislation
banning discrimination on the basis of race in the 1960s, provided African-American travelers with information about which businesses – from gas, food and lodging to nightclubs and haberdasheries – welcomed Black Americans when many did not.
While McFerson was especially well-known as a storyteller and performer, she was also active in the Lake George community, serving with Rotary, the museum, the library, the senior citizens and the community band.
She was also a trained librarian, having earned a degree from SUNY Albany in library sciences. She was employed by the New York Public Library for several years before returning to Lake George.
According to a press release from the Warren County Historical Society, “Roman’s book weaves a beautiful story about how Shirley stood on the shoulders of her parents and ancestors in her life and career – and how this symbol of ‘the shoulder rider’ is enduring in our society and culture.”
Roman was born and raised in New York City. She spent her career as a high school English teacher and is now retired and lives in Queensbury.
This book was made possible through funding from the Touba Family Foundation.
The Shoulder Rider is available for purchase for $10 at the Warren County Historical Society.
A version of this article first appeared on the Lake George Mirror, America’s oldest resort paper, covering Lake George and its surrounding environs. You can subscribe to the Mirror HERE.
Photo of Shirley McFerson provided.
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