Longwood Central School District

Otto and Irene Sieber had six children, Albert, Mae, Dorothy, William, Edward and Lorraine.  In 1937, they purchased a few acres of land with a small one room cabin on Sally Lane, Ridge, New York.   The area then was known as Pine Woods Camp.  Sally Lane was a narrow dirt road, barely passable.  Basically, the homestead was used as a summer place.  In the next few years, they cleared dense forest from around the cabin and began enlarging the one room to become a home with four rooms, bathroom, attic and basement.   They used to refer to it as the house within a house.  In the beginning, there was no electricity or running water.  Water was gotten from a community well about a quarter mile away.  Heat came from an old wood fired pot belly stove in the middle of the room, and light came from kerosene lamps or candles.   There was also an outhouse.   In 1939, the family made it their full time home.  By that time, electric lines were in, and Sally Lane was being tarred.    Life was simple-- home baked bread; eggs and milk delivered; pancakes cooked on a griddle built into an outside brick fireplace; clean air and the one room schoolhouse with eight grades.  Then along came December 1941 and the declaration of World War II.

Albert Sieber was born on July 28, l915 in New York , New York.  He was the son of Otto and Irene Sieber.  Before entering the service he was employed as an electro plater.  He entered the Army on June 1, 1942 at Fort Jay, New York. He was assigned to the 608^th Signal Aircraft Warning Company Regiment.  He achieved the rank of Technician 5^th Grade before he was honorably discharged from the service on June 3, 1944.  He was awarded the World War II Lapel Service Button and the World War II Victory Medal.  Albert Sieber passed away on March 19, 1971 in New York, New York.