Autumn in the Adirondack Mountains of New York is always lovely, and while I was in the area I wanted to revisit a few places that I used to enjoy, most particularly the Tahawus area.  The views driving into the mountains are fantastic, but as with most large landscapes, photos don’t really do them justice.

Tahawus was a mining town in the 1800s, then became a sporting resort, but today is only a ghost town.  Remnants of the old structures remain, and the most prominent of these is the blast furnace used for the iron ore.

The area seems to have been rediscovered since the last time I was there, and there were more fences and signs than previously.  Although it felt a bit less like a ghost town, it was interesting to learn more about the area and the structures from the signs.

The operation was powered by the wheel house on the Hudson River, but the only parts still left are a few stone walls and the massive pistons that pumped water and air to the furnace.

Farther down the road, this house has been reclaimed from collapse in recent years, and it appears that further restoration may be planned.  It played a part in both the mining and resort eras of the town, and it’s interesting to note that Teddy Roosevelt and his family were staying here in 1901 when he got news that President McKinley was dying, and he began his famous trip to Buffalo to be with him.

I was curious what this inside of this 217 year old house would look like, and was amazed to see that there wasn’t much of a security system to keep me out!

The inside was desperately in need to repair, and I only explored a couple of rooms because the floors seemed a bit loose and perhaps not reliable.  But in places like this I always enjoy thinking of all the people who have lived or stayed here.  I wonder what room Roosevelt was in when he received the news about McKinley?  Was Eleanor here with him?  Did they sit in front of that fireplace?

After mining ceased to be viable in the area, the town was a recreation and sporting resort, and seems to have variously been called both Tahawus and Adirondack.  There used to me many more houses and buildings here, but most have fallen down or been destroyed.

I went hiking, looking for the old cemetery of the settlement, but never did find it.  Instead I came across yet another old house in need of repair.

The trails in the area are quite nice, although some, as in the picture below, haven’t been maintained in a while.  Others are more frequented and well kept.  I spent the rest of the day hiking and enjoying the woods.

The Hudson River is quite small here, and most people familiar with how large it is from Albany to New York City would hardly recognize it as the same river!

On my way back to my camp site on Indian Lake, I stopped at Long Lake for a break, and watched the float planes taking off across the water.  Now that I’m going to be living in the northeast US again, I certainly need to get up to the mountains on a regular basis!