Flat Rock Camp
Encyclopedia
Flat Rock Camp is an Adirondack
Great Camp in Willsboro, New York
. It is located on Willsboro Point, on Lake Champlain
.
(1866–1947) moved to Willsboro, New York to manage a local pulp mill, and began buying land in the area, eventually amassing about 1000 acres (404.7 ha), including three miles (4.8 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 chimney
s 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, a single story building, had seven bedrooms, a dining room and a large living room with a vaulted ceiling. Up to thirty guests could be accommodated at the compound, with full service staff. The camp was supported by orchard
s, a dairy farm, and a 3 acres (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 wetland
s, 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.
Adirondack
__notoc__Adirondack may refer to:*Adirondack Mountains, *Adirondack County, New York, a proposed county in New York...
Great Camp in Willsboro, New York
Willsboro, New York
Willsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, in the United States, and lies thirty miles south of the city of Plattsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,903...
. It is located on Willsboro Point, on Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
.
History
In 1885, Augustus G. Paine, Jr.Augustus G. Paine, Jr.
Augustus Gibson Paine, Jr. was an American paper manufacturer and bank official.- Biography :Born in New York City, he was the son of Augustus G. Paine, Sr. and Charlotte M. Bedell Paine . He was educated privately in the United States and Europe...
(1866–1947) moved to Willsboro, New York to manage a local pulp mill, and began buying land in the area, eventually amassing about 1000 acres (404.7 ha), including three miles (4.8 km) of Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
shoreline.
Flat Rock Camp, which was named after the flat shelf of Potsdam sandstone
Potsdam Sandstone
The Potsdam Sandstone is a geologic formation of late Cambrian to early Ordovician age found in upstate New York and northern Vermont. A well-cemented sandstone of nearly pure quartz, in the 19th century it was widely used in construction and in refractory linings for iron furnaces.-Name and type...
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 chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
s were erected by Peter Lacey, a stonemason from Keeseville, New York
Keeseville, New York
Keeseville is a village in both Clinton County, New York and in Essex County, New York in the United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The village is named after the Keese family....
.
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, a single story building, had seven bedrooms, a dining room and a large living room with a vaulted ceiling. Up to thirty guests could be accommodated at the compound, with full service staff. The camp was supported by orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s, a dairy farm, and a 3 acres (1.2 ha) vegetable garden.
The compound also featured extensive gardens, planted on topsoil
Topsoil
Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top to . It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.-Importance:...
laid over the sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, 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 wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, 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
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
to ensure that the land will not be developed in the future.