Flat Rock Camp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Flat Rock Camp
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Flat Rock Camp, looking east over Lake Champlain to the Green Mountains of Vermont
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| Location | Willsboro Point, Willsboro, New York |
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| Built by | Lyman Smith |
| Architect | Augustus G. Paine, Jr. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000642 |
| Added to NRHP | July 26, 2006 |
Flat Rock Camp is a special kind of vacation home called an Adirondack Great Camp. It's located in Willsboro, New York, right on Willsboro Point, which is a piece of land sticking out into Lake Champlain.
Contents
The Story of Flat Rock Camp
How It Started
In 1885, a man named Augustus G. Paine, Jr. moved to Willsboro, New York. He was there to manage a factory that made paper pulp. While working, he started buying lots of land nearby.
Eventually, he owned about 1,000 acres (that's like 750 football fields!). This land included three miles of shoreline along Lake Champlain.
Building the Camp
Flat Rock Camp got its name from the flat Potsdam sandstone rock shelf it was built on. Augustus Paine designed the camp himself. He wanted it to be a summer getaway for his family and friends.
Building started in 1890 and continued for about 20 years. Lyman Smith, Paine's neighbor, did most of the construction. Peter Lacey, a skilled stonemason from Keeseville, built the many stone chimneys.
What the Camp Was Like
When it was first built, Flat Rock Camp had many buildings. There was the main house, two smaller cabins, a chapel, and an icehouse. There were also places for the staff and other service buildings. Many of these smaller buildings were taken down after Paine passed away.
The main house is still standing today. It's a single-story building with seven bedrooms. It also has a dining room and a large living room with a high, vaulted ceiling.
In its busiest times, the camp could host up to thirty guests. There was also a full staff to help out. The camp grew its own food too! It had orchards, a dairy farm, and a three-acre vegetable garden.
The Beautiful Gardens
The camp also had amazing gardens. They were planted on topsoil that was laid over the flat sandstone. Paine's first wife, Maud Eustis Potts, helped take care of them. After she passed away, his second wife, Francisca Machado Warren, and their daughter, Francisca Warren Paine, continued the work.
These special gardens are even listed in the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens.
Protecting the Land
The Paine family still owns Flat Rock Camp and the land around it. This land includes wetlands, farms, orchards, and forests. In 1978, the family decided to protect the property. They placed it under the care of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. This makes sure that the land will stay natural and won't be built on in the future.
