Old Forge

Old Forge: Gateway to the Adirondacks is a pictorial history of the transformation of an eighteenth-century lakeside clearing in the wilderness into one of the premier recreational destinations in New York State's six-million-acre Adirondack Park. It is also the story of man's struggle with and passion for the natural world. During the nineteenth century, only a handful of rugged pioneer settlers and sportsmen endured the harrowing, inhospitable twenty-five-mile trek through the foothills of the Adirondack wild forests to the Old Forge lake region. Today, tens of thousands of camp owners and visitors come to share with local residents the magnificent landscapes of the Fulton Chain of Lakes and surrounding hamlets of McKeever, Okara, Thendara, Rondaxe, Big Moose, Eagle Bay, Inlet, and the Stillwater-Beaver River region.

Justin Robert is ten years old and likes computers, biking and peanut butter cups. But his passion is animals. When an uncommon pair of common loons takes up residence on Fourth Lake near the family camp, he will do anything he can to protect them.

Spirits linger on the pine-covered slopes of the Adirondack Mountains that surround Old Forge. Books fly off the shelves at the Maxson House, and something--or someone--spies on the living from the attic window of the Goodsell Museum. The spirit of Mohawk Peter Waters is said to linger along the shores of First Lake, where an assassin killed him in 1833. The scent of a phantom cigar hints at the presence of the former owner of the Strand Theatre. Authors Dennis Webster and Bernadette Peck and the Ghost Seekers of Central New York take a chilling journey into the paranormal history of what may be the most haunted town in the nation.

Discover the paranormal past of this little town in the Adirondacks . . . photos included! Spirits linger on the pine-covered slopes of the Adirondack Mountains that surround Old Forge. Books fly off the shelves at the Maxson House, and something—or someone—spies on the living from the attic window of the Goodsell Museum. The spirit of Mohawk Peter Waters is said to linger along the shores of First Lake, where an assassin killed him in 1833. The scent of a phantom cigar hints at the presence of the former owner of the Strand Theatre. In this book, Dennis Webster and Bernadette Peck and the Ghost Seekers of Central New York take a chilling journey into the paranormal history of what may be the most haunted town in the nation.

Weill, who spent three years living in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness, tells the colorful stories of the hikers, sportsmen, and local residents he encountered.

Old Forge is nestled at the foot of the Middle Branch of the Moose River, more commonly known as the Fulton Chain of Lakes. Year-round accommodations at the Forge House in 1871 and dependable rail service in 1892 led to permanent settlement of the hamlet. Within a decade, Old Forge emerged as the residential and commercial hub of the Central Adirondacks and a popular destination and gathering place for guides, sportsmen, and wilderness tourists. For the sightseer who strolls around Old Forge today or enjoys a cruise up the eight lakes in the Fulton Chain, the landscape is dotted with scores of century-old dwellings, Victorian cottages, rustic camps, and even a few grand old hotels.

Originally published in 1965 as the initial book pub- lished by North Country Books. Rev. Frank A. Reed lived and worked in lumber camps for many years.