Flat Rock Camp is an Adirondack

Great Camp __NOTOC__ The Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains refers to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The ca ...

Willsboro, New York Willsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, United States, and lies south of the city of Plattsburgh. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 2,025. The town is named after early landowner William Gilliland. History During the Amer ...

. It is located on Willsboro Point on

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

History

In 1885, Augustus G. Paine, Jr. (1866–1947) moved to Willsboro to manage a local pulp mill, and began buying land in the area, eventually amassing about , including of

shoreline.Loughrey, Janet. ''Gardens Adirondack Style''. Down East Enterprises (2005).
pp. 137-140
/ref> Flat Rock Camp, which was named after the flat shelf of

Potsdam sandstone The Potsdam Sandstone, more formally known as the Potsdam Group, is a geologic unit of mid-to-late Cambrian age found in Northern New York and northern Vermont and Quebec and Ontario. A well-cemented sandstone of nearly pure quartz, in the 19th ce ...

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 A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...

s were erected by Peter Lacey, a

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

from

Keeseville, New York Keeseville is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Clinton and Essex counties, New York, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The hamlet was named after the Keese family, early settlers from Vermont. It developed alon ...

. As originally constructed, the camp consisted of numerous buildings, including the main house, two cabins, a chapel, an

icehouse Icehouse or ice house may refer to: * Ice house (building), a building where ice is stored * Ice shanty, a shelter for ice fishing also known as an ''Icehouse'' * Ice skating rink, a facility for ice skating. * Ice hockey arena, an area where ice ...

, servant's quarters, and other service outbuildings, many of which were demolished after Paine's death. The main house, which still survives, is a single story building, with seven bedrooms, a dining room and a large living room with a

vaulted ceiling In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

. In its heyday, up to thirty guests could be accommodated at the compound, along with the staff. The camp was supported by

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s, a

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

, and a vegetable garden. The compound also featured extensive gardens, planted on

topsoil Topsoil is the upper layer of soil. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs. Description Topsoil is composed of mineral particles and organic matt ...

laid over the

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

, 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 A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

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 (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

to ensure that the land will not be developed in the future.

References

;Notes {{Registered Historic Places Adirondack Great Camps Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Essex County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, New York 1890 establishments in New York (state)