Adirondack Heritage

Adirondack Heritage coverADIRONDACK HERITAGE: TRAVELS THROUGH TIME IN NEW YORK’S NORTH COUNTRY
Collected stories by Lee Manchester

“Adirondack Heritage” is an anthology of stories about the history and historic sites of the Adirondacks, especially Essex County. The collection is laid out in five sections. “The Historic Olympic Region” focuses on two towns united by the Winter Olympic Games of 1932 and 1980: Lake Placid and Wilmington. “Historic Essex County & Beyond” covers the Town of Jay and seven other Essex County communities, a scattering of one-room schoolhouses, and a dozen historic and cultural sites. “Adirondac” looks at the 19th century iron-mining ghost town in the Town of Newcomb alternately known as “the Deserted Village,” Tahawus, the Upper Works, McIntyre, or Adirondac. “Historic Preservation, Adirondack-Style” highlights the work of Adirondack Architectural Heritage, dedicated to preserving and interpreting the historic architecture of the Adirondacks. “John Brown’s Farm & The Underground Railroad” tells the tale of North Elba’s own John Brown, the radical abolitionist who met his fate in Harper’s Ferry. It also debunks various misbegotten tales about “Timbuctoo,” North Elba’s famous Black colony, and John Brown’s supposed Underground Railroad station in North Elba. (Trade paperback, not illustrated, 432 pages)

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Adventures coverADVENTURES IN THE NEW WILDERNESS
Collected stories by Lee Manchester

Plenty of books have been written about hiking the heavily traveled trails of New York’s Adirondack Park.

This is not one of them.

“Adventures in the New Wilderness” contains essays on the exploration of some little-known paths in the High Peaks region of Essex County — the ancient, abandoned road between Wilmington and Lake Placid; the old trails around Placid Lake, rarely used by anyone anymore; the tracks up Essex County’s lonely fire-tower mountains, where you’ll find some of the most spectacular (but least known) views of the High Peaks; and journeys into the cold, pristine world of the Adirondack woods in winter. (Trade paperback, not illustrated, 152 pages)

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Lake Placid Club coverTHE LAKE PLACID CLUB, 1890-2002
By various authors; edited by Lee Manchester

On the morning of January 1, 2002, the wrecking ball swung into the brick exterior of the Agora Wing, the last surviving vestige of the old Lake Placid Club. As the Club came down, memories arose across the North Country of its former grandeur, its role in creating winter sport and two Olympic Winter Games, and its place as the employer of thousands of area residents. People also recalled its long slide downhill, beginning during the Depression, and ending in 1980 in United States Bankruptcy Court. This book retells the story of the Lake Placid Club, as it appeared in a series written for the Lake Placid News and the Adirondack Daily Enterprise by several authors. The collection was allowed by its original publisher to go out of print in 2006. It has been reissued, in text-only format, so that the material will continue to be available to those interested in it. (Trade paperback, not illustrated, 62 pages)

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