Showing posts with label Benjamin Harrison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benjamin Harrison. Show all posts

Saturday, October 28, 2006

President Benjamin Harrison's Adirondack Lodge

President Benjamin Harrison was an avid outdoorsman and loved the Adirondacks. He purchased a piece of property on Second Lake in the Fulton Chain of lakes near Old Forge and built a true Adirondack lodge, which appears in a photo at right. The President's home fell into disrepair in later years. It was most recently owned by Sarah Cohen and her sister Linda Cohen, whose family founded the venerable Old Forge Hardware store generations before. The house was known as the Harrison House or Berkeley Lodge. The Cohen sisters recently sold the lodge as well as the adjoining estate where they grew up, Pine Acres. The new owners restored Harrison House successfully in 2005.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

The Mail Boat

Penwood's only remaining original mail bag, used for sending and receiving mail by Mail Boat. The Mail Boat was started at the request of President Harrison, who wanted to receive his mail at his Summer White House on First Lake, twice daily. The Mail Boat delivers mail on the Fulton Chain of lakes to this day, giving tours of the lakes in the "President Harrison" mail boat. The second Penwood mailbag was lost in Fourth Lake and never recovered.

Pine Acres

Pine Acres was the home of Richard Cohen and his family and is located on First Lake, Old Forge, New York. It is a massive, pagoda style mansion with brown shingles and red trim. The Cohen Family owns the Old Forge Hardware, founded by Moses Cohen, who traveled the wilderness with a pack on his back selling goods to the locals in small towns throughout the region. Pine Acres was sold in 2005. The asking price of the property was $3 million. At the same time, the Harrison House, former Summer White House of President Harrison, was sold by Sarah and Linda Cohen, the daughters of Richard Cohen and proprietors of Old Forge Hardware to this day. President Harrison has the distinction of having started the unique mail delivery service active on the Fulton Chain - the Mail Boat. Eager to receive his mail, the President insisted that it be delivered to him by boat twice daily. The new owners of Pine Acres restored the main lodge and outbuildings, especially the boathouse. The estate is now a great showplace and hosted the annual Old Forge Tennis Classic cocktail party in the summer of 2006.