The Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced the completion of enhancements to its 212-acre Adirondac Upper Works property, including the exterior rehabilitation of the historic MacNaughton Cottage, significant improvements to the Upper Works Trail, and installation of new signage.
The projects preserve key pieces of Adirondack history in the town of Newcomb in Essex County, NY.
At MacNaughton Cottage, OSI completed a full roof replacement; reconstructed the historic front porch; installed new replica windows, doors, and siding; and added a wheelchair-accessible ramp.
Built in 1834, MacNaughton Cottage is the only building that has survived from the site’s early mining era. Notably, MacNaughton Cottage is the site from which then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt began his famous “midnight ride to the presidency” in 1901 after receiving news that President William McKinley had been shot in Buffalo.
Serving as a southern entrance to several major High Peaks Wilderness Area trails, Adirondac Upper Works provides easy access to Henderson Lake, a popular kayak and canoe location.
Upper Works also contains three trailheads leading to scenic forested hiking trails, including the Mount Adams fire tower, and signage telling the rich history of the property. The site includes the Upper Works Trail, MacNaughton Cottage, the 1856 McIntyre Blast Furnace, and a 60-car parking area and trailhead constructed by OSI.
Along the Upper Works Trail — a one-mile scenic footpath running along the banks of the Hudson River — OSI worked with the Adirondack Mountain Club to install eight new trail bridges, reroute sections of the trail, improve the trail surface and tread, and build new stone steps. Constructed by OSI and opened to the public in 2017, the trail highlights the history of the former Village of Adirondac (Tahawus).
To date, OSI says they have invested more than $2.1 million in capital improvements at the Adirondac Upper Works site, in addition to more than 20 years of stewardship. The site see about 20,000 visitors annually an OSI announcement said.
The improvements were accomplished through donors and public-private partnerships, including with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation / Land Trust Alliance, Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust, the Cloudsplitter Foundation, Overhills Foundation, the Tahawus Club, and other private donors.
OSI was awarded a $75,000 grant for the Upper Works Trail improvements from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
OSI acquired the 10,000-acre Tahawus tract in 2003. OSI then transferred most of the property to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as an addition to the High Peaks Wilderness Area, retaining the 212-acre Adirondac Upper Works for educational, historic, and recreational purposes.
Since then OSI has conducted site planning; completed the initial stabilization of the 1856 McIntyre Blast Furnace and MacNaughton Cottage; relocated and expanded the Upper Works Trailhead and parking area; created the Upper Works Trail with educational panels to guides visitors through the Village of Adirondac to the McIntyre Blast Furnace; installed new directional and interpretive signage throughout the site and the Mount Adams fire tower; and finished several additional rounds of work to stabilize the site’s historic structures, as well as the projects just announced.
Photos, from above: MacNaughton Cottage in July 2025 (courtesy Bill Amos); and an Upper Works Trail stone staircase (provided by OSI).
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