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TRIAL AND ERROR
This "new” furnace was first fired in 1854. It was called
"new” because it was the McIntyre Iron Company's 4th
and most recent attempt at a furnace design that would
produce quality iron efficiently. Its . . . — — Map (db m147541) HM
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE INSIDE?
Cutaway view shows the inside details of the heart of the furnace.
Based on drawings by the Historic American Engineering Record.
(1) Bosh-widest part of the furnace, lined with uncut firestone. . . . — — Map (db m148149) HM
Original Owner: Gordon Abbott
Built shortly after formation of the Tahawus Club. Later occupants were
Marshall Geer, and Acosta Nichols. The final owner during the Club Era
was William A. Lockwood.
Historical information is from . . . — — Map (db m147866) HM
A Mining Town On The Hudson
This stretch of the Hudson River valley was occupied by a growing mining community, following the discovery of rich iron ore in 1826, and continuing until 1858.
Mining operations ceased and the village was . . . — — Map (db m147514) HM
Iron Clad Opportunity
McIntyre, McMartin, and
Henderson were convinced from
the first discovery that the ore at
Adirondac was of high quality
and would yield a large quantity
of iron. This opinion was
confirmed by experts, yet the . . . — — Map (db m147867) HM
Finding The Ore Was Only The Beginning The iron deposits along the Upper Hudson were rich and promising, and
mining the ore and smelting it into iron were labor-intensive operations
that occupied a long stretch of the Hudson River and . . . — — Map (db m147480) HM
Original Owner: E. Holloway Coe
In 1916 Walter D. Edmonds, author of Drums Along the Mohawk, occupied this building. Later Club Era occupants were Thomas Williams, and Morris Douw Ferris.
Historical information is from "Documentation . . . — — Map (db m147779) HM
A BORN LEADER
David Henderson was an important driving force
behind the iron making operations and the
construction of the necessary support facilities at
Adirondac. He was resourceful, energetic, smart, and
personable. Unfortunately, . . . — — Map (db m148607) HM
LIVING OFF THE LAND
Surviving and iron making in the harsh wilderness took a combination of resources from the site as well as imports from eastern cities, along with waterpower and hard physical labor.
Community
The small village . . . — — Map (db m148151) HM
Building The New Furnace
Construction began on the "new” furnace in 1849 and was completed in 1854. This furnace was
the last attempt at perfection after 30 years of furnace experimentation. It was called the "new"
furnace because it . . . — — Map (db m147445) HM
A LOOK INSIDE
The water cascading over the wheels, the hissing pistons, and
the exposed gears, connecting rods, and crankshafts must
have made the wheel house a dynamic and noisy place.
Cutaway view shows the inside details of the wheel . . . — — Map (db m148115) HM
Original Owner: Walter Jennings
The only cottage built on the east shore of the Hudson, the cottage was accessed by a footbridge across the river, the abutments are still visible on the river banks.
Later Club Era occupants were Marshall . . . — — Map (db m147429) HM
Original Owner: William F. King
In 1935 this cottage, nicknamed 'Lazy Lodge' was occupied by the wife of W.R.K. Taylor, Sr. Mrs. Taylor may have been the mother of W.R.K Taylor, Jr., who occupied the next cottage to the north. Alexander . . . — — Map (db m147906) HM
This cottage has stood on this site for nearly two centuries; it is the only building that survives from the early mining community. The cottage first housed iron mine owners, later caretakers of the abandoned village, then members of a hunting . . . — — Map (db m147520) HM
1,000s OF BRICKS
Construction of the furnaces and kilns required
a large quantity of bricks, both common bricks,
some of which were made on site, and
firebricks that had to be imported. Piles of
bricks still visible in several locations . . . — — Map (db m147751) HM
EVOLUTION OF THE FURNACE
The "new” furnace, south of the village, was the culmination of 30 years of experimentation aimed at producing high quality iron efficiently. European experts were consulted, and metallurgists were hired to . . . — — Map (db m148153) HM
Original Owner: Tahawus Club
Built in 1847 as a boarding house and remodeled in 1877 to be the Adirondack (Tahawus) Club House. For a time during the Club Era, fish rearing tanks for 100,000 fry
were housed in the rear wing. The deteriorated . . . — — Map (db m147441) HM
Environmental Impact
Men set to work upon first arrival in 1826 altering the landscape to suit their needs.
The forest was cut to expose the ore beds, to clear land for crops, to make lumber for housing, and to make charcoal for the . . . — — Map (db m147905) HM
The Tahawus Club
The Adirondack Club was one of the first hunting clubs in the Adirondacks, formed in 1877, occupying the deserted Village of Adirondac under a lease agreement with the descendants of the iron works. The club members created a . . . — — Map (db m147687) HM
UNBRIDLED AMBITION
These men of influence were financial backers, but they were also active in
all aspects of the iron works from discovery to production. Life-long friends
and business partners, they lived parallel lives that included a . . . — — Map (db m148156) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m147904) HM
ALL IDEAS WELCOME
Desperation led Henderson and others to devise grand schemes to connect the iron making community to eastern markets over various routes and using several different modes of transport.
RAILROADS
Henderson's and . . . — — Map (db m148152) HM
Original Owner: W.R.K. Taylor Jr.
Built in 1932, Taylor was a third generation resident of the Tahawus Club
community, his father was W.R.K. Taylor, Sr., and his grandfather was
Alexander Taylor. The cottage housed two independent living . . . — — Map (db m147907) HM
