Camp Topridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Camp Topridge
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The boathouse at Topridge
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | S of Keese Mills Rd., Upper St. Regis Lake, Keese Mill, New York |
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| Area | 105 acres (42 ha) |
| Built | 1923 |
| Built by | Muncil, Benjamin |
| Architect | Blake, Theodore |
| Architectural style | Adirondack rustic |
| MPS | Great Camps of the Adirondacks TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 86002952 |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1986 |
Camp Topridge is a famous and fancy "Great Camp" located in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of New York. It was bought and made much bigger in 1923 by Marjorie Merriweather Post. She was a very successful businesswoman who started General Foods. This huge camp was like a private resort, with many buildings and even its own staff for guests. It was one of the biggest and most luxurious camps in the Adirondacks.
Welcome to Camp Topridge!
Camp Topridge is a special kind of vacation home. It's called an Adirondack Great Camp. These were large, fancy estates built in the Adirondack Mountains. They were popular with wealthy families in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
A Special Place in the Adirondacks
Camp Topridge covers about 207 acres (84 hectares) of land. It sits on a long, narrow hill called an esker. This hill is between the Spectacle Ponds and Upper St. Regis Lake. The camp is about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Saranac Lake, New York.
When it was first built, you could only reach the camp by water. Later, a road was added. The camp was designed by a local builder named Ben Muncil. He worked with a New York architect, Theodore Blake.
How Guests Arrived
Guests arriving at Camp Topridge had a grand entrance! They often came by float-plane or by Marjorie Post's private yacht. They would arrive at a special dock. From there, they would ride a unique lift called a funicular up to the main building. This lift was installed for Mrs. Post's aunt, who had heart trouble.
Marjorie Post's guests sometimes flew into Saranac Airport in her private plane. It was called the Merriweather. From the airport, they were driven to a boat launch. A boat would then take them to one of the camp's boathouses.
Life at the Camp
Camp Topridge was huge, with 68 buildings! This included a main lodge and many private guest cabins. Each guest cabin even had its own butler!
The main living room was very large, about 65 by 50 feet (20 by 15 meters). Guests would gather there three times a week to watch movies. Next to it was a dining room that could seat thirty people. The camp had many beautiful furnishings. It also had a large collection of Native American artifacts. Many of these items are now in the Smithsonian Institution museum.
One unique building was a Russian dacha. A dacha is a type of Russian country house. This one was built for Marjorie Post's third husband. He had been an ambassador to the Soviet Union.
The Camp Staff
The staff who worked at Camp Topridge had their own way of getting there. They would drive from Paul Smiths, New York to a parking lot. This lot is now used by people hiking to Saint Regis Mountain. From the parking lot, staff walked a hilly path to their part of the camp.
In the 1970s, this path was made wider. It became suitable for one-way car traffic. Before that, cars could only drive over the ice in the winter! When Mrs. Post was at the camp, it provided jobs for many people. This included carpenters, painters, maids, and general workers. The camp caretaker and his wife would even feed lunch to the staff. This was a nice benefit of working there.
Who Owned Camp Topridge?
Marjorie Post left Camp Topridge to the State of New York. The main lodge and most of the buildings were put up for sale. The rest of the land became part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
In 1985, a man named Roger Jakubowski bought the camp from New York State for $911,000. Today, it is owned by Harlan Crow. He is a real estate businessman from Texas. He has worked hard to fix up the old buildings and has added some new ones too.
Camp Topridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. This means it is recognized as an important historical place.
Images for kids
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The second boathouse at Topridge, added by Harlan Crow
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A newer building between the two boathouses.
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Closeup of the antique boats.
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Closeup of the Harlan Crow boathouse.
- Kaiser, Harvey H., Great camps of the Adirondacks. Boston: David R. Godine, 1982. ISBN: 0-87923-308-7.
