Camp Uncas
Encyclopedia
Camp Uncas, begun in 1890, was the second Adirondack
Great Camp built by William West Durant
for his own use, after Camp Pine Knot
, which he sold to industrialist Collis P. Huntington
, due to financial difficulties. It was built on the shore of 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) Lake Mohegan, near Sagamore Camp. Uncas was completed in two years.
The camp was built of logs felled on the property, and all iron hardware was forged on site. In the main lodge and dining hall, the log construction was unusual in that the logs were not interlocked, as in conventional log buildings, but rather were pinned together at beveled corners. The scale is massive: the dining hall is 24 by 36 feet (11 m), the walls 12 feet (3.7 m) high at the eves with a cathedral ceiling 20 feet (6.1 m) high at the ridge, with a huge fireplace at one end. Floors, walls and ceilings were all of polished planks and peeled and polished natural logs.
Durant sold Uncas to J. Pierpont Morgan in 1896, with 1100 acres (4.5 km²). After Morgan's death in 1913, the camp stayed in the Morgan family until 1947, when it was sold to the widow of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
, who also owned Sagamore. General and Mrs. George Marshall
, as guests of Mrs. Vanderbilt entertained Madame Chang Kai-shek
at Uncas in 1949. Mrs. Vanderbilt left Uncas to a foundation, which sold it; eventually it was bought by the Rockland County
Boy Scout
s who used it as a Camp, the scouts sleeping in tents while the leaders reveled in the camp's luxuries. In 1975, it was returned to private use.
The camp was included in a multiple property submission for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986, and was listed there in 1987. The camp was designated a National Historic Landmark
on October 7, 2008.
Adirondack
__notoc__Adirondack may refer to:*Adirondack Mountains, *Adirondack County, New York, a proposed county in New York...
Great Camp built by William West Durant
William West Durant
William West Durant was a designer and developer of camps in the Adirondack Great Camp style, including Camp Uncas, Camp Pine Knot and Sagamore Camp which are National Historic Landmarks. He was the son of Thomas C. Durant, the financier and railroad promoter who was behind the Crédit Mobilier...
for his own use, after Camp Pine Knot
Camp Pine Knot
Camp Pine Knot, also known as Huntington Memorial Camp, on Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, was built by William West Durant. Begun in 1877, it was the first of the "Adirondack Great Camps" and epitomizes the "Great Camp" architectural style...
, which he sold to industrialist Collis P. Huntington
Collis P. Huntington
Collis Potter Huntington was one of the Big Four of western railroading who built the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad...
, due to financial difficulties. It was built on the shore of 110 acre (0.4451546 km²) Lake Mohegan, near Sagamore Camp. Uncas was completed in two years.
The camp was built of logs felled on the property, and all iron hardware was forged on site. In the main lodge and dining hall, the log construction was unusual in that the logs were not interlocked, as in conventional log buildings, but rather were pinned together at beveled corners. The scale is massive: the dining hall is 24 by 36 feet (11 m), the walls 12 feet (3.7 m) high at the eves with a cathedral ceiling 20 feet (6.1 m) high at the ridge, with a huge fireplace at one end. Floors, walls and ceilings were all of polished planks and peeled and polished natural logs.
Durant sold Uncas to J. Pierpont Morgan in 1896, with 1100 acres (4.5 km²). After Morgan's death in 1913, the camp stayed in the Morgan family until 1947, when it was sold to the widow of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt I was an extremely wealthy sportsman and a member of the famous Vanderbilt family of philanthropists. He died on the .-Life:...
, who also owned Sagamore. General and Mrs. George Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
, as guests of Mrs. Vanderbilt entertained Madame Chang Kai-shek
Soong May-ling
Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling, also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang was a First Lady of the Republic of China , the wife of Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek. She was a politician and painter...
at Uncas in 1949. Mrs. Vanderbilt left Uncas to a foundation, which sold it; eventually it was bought by the Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
s who used it as a Camp, the scouts sleeping in tents while the leaders reveled in the camp's luxuries. In 1975, it was returned to private use.
The camp was included in a multiple property submission for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986, and was listed there in 1987. The camp was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on October 7, 2008.
Sources
- Gilborn, Craig. Durant: Fortunes and Woodland Camps of a Family in the Adirondacks. Utica, NY: North Country Books, 1981.
- Gilborn, Craig. Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Home, 1850-1950. Blue Mountain Lake, NY: Adirondack Museum; Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2000.
- Kaiser, Harvey. Great Camps of the Adirondacks. Boston: David R. Godine, 1982.