In 1850, the Adirondack Mountain region of New York State was still largely a blank spot on the map, but by 1900 the Adirondacks hosted elaborate summer estates for the wealthiest families in America: Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, Whitneys and Morgans.
Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein summered and sailed on the same mountain lake. Adirondacks were a destination. How did this happen, and why?
Dr. Connor Williams, scholar, teacher and the historian at Great Camp Sagamore (where he directs their history programming) will help answer these questions, and discusses how environmentalism, opulence, industry, inequality, architecture and nature all intersected to produce the Adirondack Park (and the Adirondack vacations) we still connect to today.
The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, NY, will host a virtual presentation by Williams, “Greetings from the Great Camps: The History of the Adirondack Vacation,” at 7 pm, ET, on Thursday, January 23rd through Zoom.
The event is open to the public. It is free for Saratoga County History Center members, and $5 for non-members. Pre-registration is required through thier website.
Photo of Great Camp Sagamore in winter provided by Great Camp Sagamore.
Source link
