Three Communities

Three Communities. . , One Settlement, Three Lives , A thriving community was cut into the virgin forest here to support an iron-making operation, but it fell into ruin when the effort failed. Later, one of the first sporting clubs in the Adirondacks rebuilt the community with a different focus: recreation. That community was replaced when the buildings were modernized to house workers at a new operation, a nearby titanium mine., 1826-1857 Iron Miners , A settlement isolated from supply sources, striving to make iron, while struggling to be self-sufficient, and to provide sustenance and services to its people. , Following abandonment in 1857, many of the original buildings rotted away, but several were still salvageable in the early 1870s., 1876-1947 Club Members , A complex of camps, occupied seasonally by well-to-do families from eastern cities, for the purpose of enjoying nature and pursuing wild fish and game. , Camps occupied by individual lessees. , New camps were built, some on existing foundations, and some deteriorating buildings were salvaged., 1947-1963 Titanium Workers , A company housing complex, providing homes for the mine workers and their families close to their place of work; they commuted to Tahawus, six miles south, for most of their community services. , The camps were renovated with new siding, interior finishes, utilities, and fire protection. , Some of the buildings were divided into two or more apartments. , Pumphouse for fire protection., Upper Inset: , Painting by Ethel C. Yates, copied from a ceiling fresco found during a renovation of the Adirondac Clubhouse, c1877. Original fresco thought to have been painted by Cyril Burnell.,