For Immediate Release: July 14, 2000
Contact:
John S. Banta | Director of Planning | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
Newcomb, New York -- The Adirondack Park Agency today unanimously recommended creation of the Camp Santanoni Historic Area in the Town of Newcomb, New York. The location of three groups of historic "great camp" structures within the Adirondack Forest Preserve, the Camp Santanoni Historic Area will provide for the continued maintenance of existing historic structures recognized on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and is a National Historic Landmark. In a companion action the Agency also unanimously approved a unit management plan for the new area which will guide management by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The creation of the new historic area will require final approval by the Governor before implementing the unit plan.
"It is a privilege to have another monumental achievement in the Adirondacks by the Pataki Administration on my watch," said Agency Chairman Richard Lefebvre. "This is a credit to the hard work of many individuals over many years, particularly the unflagging support and enthusiasm of Supervisor George Canon of the Town of Newcomb." Lefebvre credited the interest of Governor George Pataki and help from Environmental Conservation Commissioner John Cahill and his staff in cooperating to move these proposals forward. Secretary of State Alexander Treadwell and Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Bernadette Castro played important roles at key points in this process.
The thirty-two-acre Camp Santanoni Historic Area is located north of the Town of Newcomb in Essex County, New York. In 1892, when the area was first developed as a private preserve, Camp Santanoni was composed of over 12,900 acres. The State acquired this entire preserve in 1972 as part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve and it was subsequently classified in part within the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest and in part within the High Peaks Wilderness Area. All of the area that will become the Camp Santanoni Historic Area is within the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest. The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan administered by the Agency provides the guidelines and criteria for classification and unit management plans.
Three separate building complexes make up the Historic Area, connected by a gravel carriage road. The Gate Lodge Complex is adjacent to Route 28N and consists of a group of buildings where parking for visitors will be located. Motor vehicles are not allowed beyond this point (with the exception of use by qualified persons with disabilities in accordance with the temporary injunction issued by the Federal District Court, Northern District of New York, in March, 1999).
A gravel carriage road leads from the Gate Lodge Complex to the Farm Complex, approximately one mile into the Area. Here, a working farm provided support for the Great Camp Santanoni. Remaining buildings include a barn and residences, and open areas also provide a sense of the farm landscape.
Located five miles inside the Area, the Great Camp itself is located on Newcomb Lake, a wilderness lake at the edge of the Adirondack Park’s High Peaks Wilderness. Widely recognized for its significance in the architecture and development of Great Camps within the Park, it provides a spectacular example of the integration of life within a wild setting that these camps provided beginning late in the 19th century.
The unit management plan provides specific management commitments for maintenance of the structures in the area and guidelines for its use. A popular destination in both winter and summer, guidance for users, specific buildings targeted for maintenance, improvements for vehicle parking and horses and other management guidance are features of the new unit management plan.
– 30 –