Flat Rock Camp
About this property
Flat Rock Camp is an Adirondack Great Camp in Willsboro, New York, United States. It is located on Willsboro Point on Lake Champlain. In 1885, Augustus G. Paine, Jr. (1866–1947) moved to Willsboro to manage a local pulp mill, and began buying land in the area, eventually amassing about 1,000 acres (400 ha), including 3 miles (5 km) of Lake Champlain shoreline. Flat Rock Camp, which was named after the flat shelf of Potsdam sandstone the house is built on, was constructed according to Paine's designs as a summer retreat for himself and his family. Work began in 1890 and continued in stages over roughly the next 20 years. It was largely built by Lyman Smith, Paine's immediate neighbor to the north. The numerous stone chimneys were erected by Peter Lacey, a stonemason from Keeseville, New York. As originally constructed, the camp consisted of numerous buildings, including the main house, two cabins, a chapel, an icehouse, servant's quarters, and other service outbuildings, many of which were demolished after Paine's death. The main house, which still survives, is a single story building, with seven bedrooms, a dining room and a large living room with a vaulted ceiling. In its heyday, up to thirty guests could be accommodated at the compound, along with the staff. The camp was supported by orchards, a dairy farm, and a 3-acre (1.2 ha) vegetable garden. The compound also featured extensive gardens, planted on topsoil laid over the sandstone, which were maintained under the guidance of Paine's first wife, Maud Eustis Potts, and, after her death, his second wife Francisca Machado Warren and their daughter, Francisca Warren Paine. The gardens are listed in the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens. The camp and its surrounding property, which includes wetlands, farmland, orchards and forests, are still owned by the Paine family, but in 1978 they were placed under the stewardship of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy to ensure that the land will not be developed in the future.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Flat Rock Camp listed on the National Register?
Flat Rock Camp was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 25, 2006.
What type of historic resource is Flat Rock Camp?
Flat Rock Camp is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Flat Rock Camp?
The period of significance for Flat Rock Camp is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Flat Rock Camp?
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