The original 2018 edition of “A History of Bear Lake” by Anne and Bob Deming quickly went out of print. It was written initially so that their children, Mike, Maura and Sean, and their five grandkids could have a history of a place they love.

Surprised but pleased with its success and still getting requests for the book years later, the Demings decided to publish another edition.

“Although we now live near Philly, we still spend our summers at Bear Lake and have many friends in your area from when we worked at SUNY Fredonia and lived in Fredonia,” Anne told the OBSERVER.

The book tells the story of the community along the shores of Bear Lake in the towns of Pomfret and Stockton. It updates the chapters in the original book, and includes four new chapters.

An updated version of “A History of Bear Lake,” containing new chapters, is out.

The book is primarily recollections of the earliest families who lived on Bear Lake around the turn of the 20th century, and whose relatives may still live there.

This edition adds a chapter on the Berndts, another early family. It also extends the history of the Demings’ Shady Rest cottage on its 100th birthday with lots of family photos.

Two new chapters detail the many property changes that have occurred along the lake, and other changes in the houses — many over 100 years old, that were made over the years. With photographs added, they also provide additional views of the lake and its surroundings to offer an overview of Bear Lake and its community as it now exists.

The final chapter describes the many outdoor metal and wooden sculptures that the authors have collected on their property by artists from Chautauqua County and the other states in which they have lived. They encourage family, Bear Lake residents and visitors to come down to see them.

This is actually the Demings’ third book about Bear Lake. When asked by campers to extend the “Camp in the Woods” chapter in the 2018 book, the Demings published “Camp in the Woods on Bear Lake” with KDP Amazon in 2021. More about the camp (the Y Camp that was on the lake from 1927 to 1974) is included in the new book, also published with KDP Amazon.