The Forge House In Old Forge, NY, Constructed In 1871 And Destroyed By Fire In 1924

Built just inside the Adirondacks in Old Forge, New York, The Forge House was initially constructed with one wing in 1871 and would be expanded on in the following years. Much like the great hotels in the Thousand Islands, the Forge House would fall victim to fire in 1924, proving such a large, stately structure didn’t need to be confined to an island to be destroyed by fire.

The parcel of land’s recorded history includes an effort by Charles Herreshoff, Jr., a Prussian immigrant, to establish a sheep farm back in 1812 when it was known as “The Manor.” Herreshoff had married Revolutionary figure John Brown‘s daughter Sarah, and after Brown’s death in 1803, the family acquired a large tract of land in the West Central Adirondacks. Herreshoff’s marriage had been opposed by Brown, partly due to his financial difficulties, and it’s suspected his farm venture was an attempt to win familial approval.

Unfortunately, it proved to be a failure. Herreshoff wasted no time and built a forge and opened a mine—but upon its failure and expending all his resources, he committed suicide on December 19, 1819. Though he may not have achieved the success he sought in life, the remains of his forge stood for decades and led to the area’s name of “Old Forge” and, subsequently, the Forge House.

One of the Forge House’s first, if not the first, proprietors, Cyrus Sanford Sperry, would also meet a tragic fate at the age of 39. On November 11, 1872, Sperry and his ten-year-old son, William, were part of a hunting expedition on the Fulton Chain of Lakes. They had broken with the rest of the group, and Sperry was afloat on Lime Kiln Lake while his son stood ashore when his boat overturned. Unable to help his father, the son watched his father battle high winds and waves for hours before succumbing to the frigid waters.

As roads were built in the area, more people became acquainted with the quaint region. In 1887, approximately 1,500 guests visited the region, traveling over poor wagon roadways, bringing a wider prominence to the Forge House.

The following year, a horse railroad was proposed by Messrs. Crosby and Garmen and Hon. Gordias Henry Plumb Gould, running from the Moose River tannery to the Forge House, a length of about 14 miles. The $10,000 proposal consisted of wooden tracks to be upgraded to steel within 2-3 years.  In its April 26, 1888 edition, The Watertown Daily Times noted the purpose of the railroad was “to obtain an easy, quick and agreeable route for tourists to the Forge House.”

Incidentally, Gould was the son of Gordias H. Gould, who built the first steamboat in the Black River and partnered with Lyman R. Lyon to purchase land and manufacture lumber. Lyon was one of the early owners of the property where the hotel was built and the namesake for Lyons Falls. His daughter, Julia J. DeCamp, later owned the Forge House.

In 1889, the new locomotive for the Moose River arrived in Port Leyden. Built in Pittsburgh, PA., it weighed 17,000 pounds and was guaranteed to pull 30 tons uphill. At about this time, the Forge House was being enlarged to accommodate the expected growth from the railroad, which managed to somehow remain unknown by state officials.

Poo Bah Garmen and His Schemes

The January 13, 1891 edition of the New York Herald published an article with said title that raised eyebrows across the state—

The Herald has actually found in the thickly populated State of New York a railroad which has no official existence. This would seem well nigh incredible. Official connivance, however, has made it a fact.

This railroad has been in full operation two years without any knowledge whatever on the part of the State Railroad Commission. It is a narrow gauge road, with a locomotive and passenger coaches and flat cars. In short, it is well equipped for its length as most chartered railway lines.

It issues no time table, makes no report, and, so far in the State railroad authorities are concerned, it has never been heard of until I asked them about it to-day.The Railroad Commissioners were amazed.

The owner of this mysterious railroad is a State official. His name is Samuel F. Garmon, and he is Chief Warden of the Forest Preserve.

What a revelation this is—the chief executive officer of the Forest Commission building, owning and operating a railroad in the forest he was appointed and paid to protect!

Warden and Railroad President Garmon was also co-owner of the Forge House, which he recently purchased and spent nearly $20,000 renovating it the year before. Renovations continued through 1891 when M. D. Alger busied himself with putting it into first-class condition.

It wasn’t long after when lightning literally struck. The Watertown Daily Times reported on June 12, 1893, that the Forge House was struck by lightning—

…tearing a passage from the chimney to the basement water pipes, demolishing closets, bar-room, and laundry. The shoes were torn of a woman in the laundry, but she was not seriously injured. The house did not catch fire.

With the railroad completed and tourism growing, the area became an attraction, making the Forge House one of the most popular hotels in the Adirondacks. It was visited by the likes of Gov. Roswell P. Flower in 1894 for a hunting trip and former President Benjamin Harrison.

In January 1896, The Fulton Chain Railroad Company, as it was known, incorporated with plans to build another track from near the Fulton Chain Station on the Adirondack & St. Lawrence Railroad in the town of Wilmurt (now part of the present-day townships of Ohio and Webb), to near the Old Forge House. The track’s distance was to be about two miles.

The Forge House continued its popularity for nearly three more decades, an advertisement in the 1921 Times-Union in Albany describing the resort as—

Situated at the foot of the famous Fulton Chain of Lakes, in the heart of the Adirondacks, and 1,750 feet above sea level.  Delightful rooms, an unsurpassed table, wonderful fishing.  Music, dancing, and all sports including Golf.  Tourists cordially invited. Special weekly rates. Address for terms and booklet, C. L. and R. E. Thompson, Props. and Owners.

With success, however, came a continuance of its string of unfortunate incidents. In August 1902, the laundry and boiler house was destroyed by fire at a loss of $5,000, and in 1924, the lodge was completely destroyed. The Schenectady, NY Daily Gazette reported of the fire on July 2, 1924—

OLD FORGE HOUSE DESTROYED BY FIRE

SYRACUSE, July 2 — The Forge House at Old Forge, in the Adirondacks was destroyed by fire tonight, causing a lost estimated at $100,000.  The blaze started along the roof of the west wing and, fanned by high wind, spread rapidly.  The structure was doomed from the start.  Much of the furnishings of the lower floors were removed.  C. I. and R. E. Thompson, owners, say $30,000 insurance was carried.

The furniture and other items saved from the fire would be stored in the Old Forge House barn, where it would perish in another fire two months later on September 30.  The fire, with unknown origins, totally destroyed the barn with a loss estimated at $4,500, which was partly covered by insurance.

A theater next to the barn, the Thompson Theater, initially appeared as if it would be lost as well, but firefighters were able to save it with minor damage.