On a Cold Adirondack Evening

(Don't) Burn Baby Burn ...

This is the time of year when many of us use our fireplaces for the first time since last Spring, so it's important to get it checked out now. On Fourth Lake, there's a long and sad history of historic camps destroyed by fire, most of which originated in the fireplace. In fact, Penwood's original boathouse, which boasted bedrooms, a sitting room and a bathroom, was destroyed in the 1930s as a result of a fireplace accident. For more information on fireplaces, go to www.rumford.com.

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.